Jet Set! Classical Glitterati

Jet Set is the fourth and last single from Alphaville's first album, Forever Young, and was released in March 1985.

Featuring works by Abel, Reichardt, Zelter, Storace, Mozart and Paisiello, this album follows the musical “jet set” of the 18th century as they “do” the splendid cosmopolitan cultural epicentres of the time, including London, Paris, Berlin, Vienna and St Petersburg. Exploring the intertwining stories of these leading lights as they criss-cross the European Continent, the album watches the sparks fly as they inspire each other in this period abuzz with creative fervour, international cultural exchange and mind-blowing talent. With several world-première recordings of new discoveries (Abel, Reichardt, Storace) alongside some well-loved classics, this journey features music which abounds in enlightened positivity, radiance, inventiveness, energy and inspiration.

This autumn, Erased Tapes are set to release ‘Give It to the Sky: Arthur Russell’s Tower of Meaning Expanded’ by composer and producer Peter Broderick and French 12-piece group Ensemble 0; a complete re-recording of Russell’s epic minimalist orchestral composition originally released in 1983. ‘Give It to the Sky’ also includes unreleased tracks by Russell which have been restored and re-recorded, resulting in an 80-minute reanimation that threads several lost songs into a meticulous and gorgeous rendering. The album was recorded live as a group in a small theatre in the Southwest of France with minimal overdubs.

Dimitri Mitropoulos (1896-1960) was a Greek conductor who came to America in the 1930s and made many recordings with the Minneapolis Symphony Orchestra and the New York Philharmonic Orchestra. Like Wilhelm Furtwangler of Arturo Toscanini, Mitropoulos' height of popularity came just before the advent of modern sound technology, so that many of Mitropoulos' finest recordings are marred by distortion and background noises that may make those recordings practically un-listenable to some classical music enthusiasts (although the new Sony Mitropoulos set has advertised that most of those very rough recordings have been "remastered").

While his first critically acclaimed album “It’s a Long Way to Happiness” exceeds 8 million streams, the beginning of 2022 looks very busy for Alban Claudin who is putting the finishing touches to the soundtrack of Guillaume Gouix’s first movie “Amore Mio” (to be released next fall), prepares new concerts and gets ready to tour again with the French star Clara Luciani.

The coronavirus pandemic has really shown music’s ability to bring us together and provide comfort in difficult times: whether it’s through singing on balconies during lockdown to entertain our neighbours, professional musicians performing online to bolster spirits, or providing the soundtrack to keep us moving at home.When ABC Classic asked listeners to recommend the music that gives them an instant mood boost, the response was almost overwhelming, with hundreds of different suggestions.

All Classical Portland is thrilled to announce that the GRAMMY®

With enchanting works from composers such as Gabriel Fauré and Maurice Ravel, performances from French classical artists including Pierre-Laurent Aimard and Julia Fuchs, and romantic works evocative of French history and culture, French Classical Selections offers an assortment of classical repertoire from and about France. This compilation is the second in a series of country focused selections, including selections from Britain and Germany.