Jonathan Rea

‘If I had to lose my record to anyone, I couldn’t be happier that it was Jonathan. Family connections aside, there is nobody more talented, more determined or more deserving.’ – Carl Fogarty

Within the staggeringly dangerous and high-pressure sport of professional motorcycling, Jonathan Rea’s achievements are unprecedented. A legendary World Superbike Champion with more race wins than any rider in history, Rea’s trailblazing success shows no sign of slowing down.

Road racing is a sport that is synonymous with Northern Ireland. Down through the years, local riders have become some of our biggest and most popular sporting stars. But alongside the racing there is another story. One that tells us about a passion for engineering and innovation that was born out of Ulster’s rich industrial past.

For Gustav Mahler's 150th birthday, EMI has assembled a 16-disc box set of his complete works, including not only the ten symphonies, Das Lied von der Erde, and the song cycles, but also the early cantata, Das klagende Lied, and the extant movement from the Piano Quartet in A minor, two works which arguably can be called Mahler rarities. Having all these pieces together in one large collection is undeniably a great convenience, and many will consider buying this set not only for that reason, but also for the historic nature of the recordings. The roster of conductors features such legends as Sir John Barbirolli, Otto Klemperer, Wilhelm Furtwängler, Bruno Walter, George Szell, and Jascha Horenstein, along with later Mahlerians, Klaus Tennstedt, Sir Simon Rattle, and Carlo Maria Giulini, all of whom left remarkable recordings that still are essential listening.

“Ultimate Seventies - The Classics" brings you 100 songs from that mighty decade, when the charts were packed with amazing artists and genres vying with each other for your attention. It was peak time for singer-songwriters, with Van Morrison, Chris Rea and Gerry Rafferty all represented here. Disco was in its heyday, and you can hear Chic, Candi Staton and Sister Sledge on this 5CD set. If it's classic soul you're after, how about Aretha Franklin, Curtis Mayfield or George Benson? There's glam rock, from Wizzard, The Sweet and Mud; punk rock rears its head with The Ramones, The Stranglers and Sham 69; the reggae party is started by Dave & Ansell Collins, John Holt and Althea & Donna; and there's still time to sample mellower sounds from Bread, Daryl Hall & John Oates, and The Doobie Brothers From Young Hearts Run Free to Life's Been Good, "Ultimate Seventies - The Classics" is a hit-packed run through an incredible decade of music.

The culmination of a three-year Monteverdi project led by conductor William Christie and director Pier Luigi Pizzi at Madrid’s Teatro Réal, L’incoronazione di Poppea brings a potent blend of sex and politics, high drama and comedy. Leading the cast are Danielle de Niese as Poppea, Philippe Jaroussky as Nerone, Max Emanuel Cencic as Ottone and Anna Bonitatibus as Ottavia.