Sketch V.15.0

Pierre Monteux was remembered by Sir Georg Solti in his memoirs as "one of most brilliant conductors of the first half of the twentieth century"
• Assembled together, for the first time, Pierre Monteux’s complete recordings for Decca,Philips, Westminster and Decca/RCA.
• Including bonus disc of rehearsal material never before released, from producer Christopher Raeburn’s archives (courtesy of the British Library) – including
Daphnis et Chlo? and Beethoven Symphonies Nos. 3& 9.
• Includes the first international CD release of a Ravel disc conducted by Claude Monteux – Pierre’s son.

All three here are equally credited, as composers as well as players, on the opening track and the pervasive title track. Carrothers is credited for a further six, and his known ability to ferret out the improbable from the available for the rest of it offers the sense of his overall control. He's a fine pianist technically, never flashy for the sake of it; Stewart's worked with him before and is always on his wavelength; Denner I know nothing about except what's here and he's always intriguing.

Cool yet sensuous, aristocratic yet playful, the piano music of Spanish composer Xavier Montsalvatge, now in his late 90s, is a constant delight. Whether playing with Spanish motifs, as in the sexy habaneras sketch and the second of the Three Divertimentos, or with French-perfumed Impressionism, as in the pieces for left hand, Montsalvatge demonstrates a gift for elegant melody and delicate piano sonority. Especially ingratiating are the children's pieces, the Sonatine and Noah's Ark set, exquisite miniatures that are playful but sophisticated. Benita Meshulam, a champion of this music, makes a seductive case for it, as does the crystalline recording.

Stereo Deluxe present Le Café Abstrait Vol. 12. 43 excellent Chillout tracks and continuous mixes by Raphaël Marionneau.

For the first time since his 1980 release 80/81, guitarist Pat Metheny has recorded with a band that features tenor saxophone. Unity Band, due from Nonesuch on June 12, 2012, introduces a new Metheny ensemble with Chris Potter on sax and bass clarinet, longtime collaborator Antonio Sanchez on drums, and the up-and-coming Ben Williams on bass. The album features nine new Metheny compositions.