Normnan Davies

La Nuova Musica presents a new live recording of Gluck’s Orfeo ed Euridice, with countertenor star Iestyn Davies singing the title role. Once created to reinstate the “noble simplicity and calm grandeur” of ancient Greek culture, the opera continues to delight audiences with its direct and unpretentious appeal, epitomized by the world-famous aria Che farò senza Euridice. This live recording presents the original 1762 Vienna premiere version of the opera, with Gluck’s exquisite evocation of the Elysian Fields from his 1774 Paris version as a small addition.

Although this hit soundtrack was recorded with cheap '70s synthesizers, the simple scores composed by John Carpenter are acclaimed masterpieces. Carpenter sets the mood for his horrific movie with such tracks as "The Shape Stalks," "Laurie's Theme," and, of course, his main theme, which consists of the beating out of a 5-4 rhythm. A definite first pick for those interested, this soundtrack even bests most scary music albums. ~ Barry Weber

The official soundtrack for the long awaited BBC TV scifi adaptation of H.G Well classic novel The War Of The Worlds, featuring a futuristic hybrid electronic-orchestral score by Russ Davies.

Legendary master of horror John Carpenter revisits his best-known score on 'Halloween Kills', his first trip back to the franchise since 1982's "Halloween III: Season of the Witch".
Joined by his son Cody Carpenter and godson Daniel Davies (son of Dave Davies of the Kinks), Carpenter finally gets a chance to update his sparse 'Halloween' soundtrack. If you've caught any of Carpenter's recent Sacred Bones releases or seen his run of live shows, you'll know what to expect; Davies and Cody have fleshed out his sound without damaging the simplistic brilliance, and that treatment works just as well here.

Bach wrote four cantatas for solo countertenor, two of which, BWV 35 and 169, incorporate magnificent concerto movements. So, they’re the perfect vehicles for the crack team of Iestyn Davies’s extraordinary vocal control and Arcangelo’s nimble-footedness.
BWV 169, Gott soll allein mein Herze haben (‘God alone shall have my heart’) leaps from the starting blocks with an ebullient sinfonia with organ obbligato that Bach himself probably played at its first performance in Leipzig in 1726, and which he later arranged as the first movement of the E major Keyboard Concerto BWV 1053. It’s compellingly paced and played here by Arcangelo who, in later movements, adapt to every one of Davies’s vocal inflections, most notably in recitatives. The second aria, ‘Stirb in mir’, a sicilienne, is one of Bach’s most breathtaking, and Davies and Arcangelo strike a near-perfect mix of ‘Affekt’ and rhythmic swing. No less impressive is the performance of BWV 35, Geist und Seele wird verwirret ('Spirit and Soul become confused') with its two noble sinfonias from a now-lost oboe concerto. The first of its three arias is another sicilienne, this time juxtaposing a decorative organ part.

After 45 years, the most acclaimed, revered horror franchise in film history reaches it's epic, terrifying conclusion as Laurie Strode faces off for the last time against the embodiment of evil, Michael Myers, in a final confrontation unlike any captured on-screen before, one where only one of them will survive.

Bach, in his time, could never have envisioned his music being recorded. When we first embarked on our journey with the Oxford Bach Soloists, our focus was not on recording. We were immersed in the live experience, discovering Bach’s vocal works chronologically, in real-time. It was about living the music as all those who performed and heard it did, tracing his steps through each note and phrase. Featuring two of our core Soloists, Nick Pritchard (tenor) and Yu-Wei Hu (flute), this album presents three of Bach’s Cantatas. These include possibly his earliest vocal work, Christ lag in Todesbanden (BWV 4), his only extant tenor cantata, Ich armer Mensch (BWV 55), and the much-beloved cantata, Ich habe genug, showcased here in its arrangement for high voice and flute (BWV 82.2). This recording is a celebration of our journey with Bach, and an invitation to experience his timeless music through our own journey of dedication and discovery.

See My Friends is a studio album released by Ray Davies with the collaboration of various other artists on 1 November 2010 in Europe and in early 2011 in the US. The album features new studio collaborations of Ray Davies' compositions, which were originally recorded by his band The Kinks. The album was recorded in Oslo, New York, New Jersey, Chicago and London. Davies stated: "This project came about almost by accident, with some tracks I had to appreciate the style of the other artists, otherwise it would have sounded unbalanced. And I wanted the album to work as an entire listening experience but each track had a life of its own". The album featured the last studio recording by Alex Chilton. See My Friends was released seven months after his death. He previously covered "Till The End of The Day" on Big Star's Third/Sister Lovers. See My Friends reached number 12 in the UK Albums Chart.

World-renowned countertenor Iestyn Davies, partnered by outstanding young countertenor James Hall and The King’s Consort, turns his attention to the music of Henry Purcell and his colleague John Blow.