Sports & Music

Have you heard The News? The sweet pop/rock/soul sound of San Francisco's Huey Lewis & The News has sadly gone silent in recent years, thanks to its one-of-a-kind frontman's battle with Ménière's disease, which causes intermittent hearing loss. But a surprise new reissue campaign courtesy of Universal Music Group's Japanese division promises the most comprehensive look at the band's blockbuster catalogue of the '80s and early '90s.

Erik Satie - Oeuvres Pour Piano - Piano Works - Aldo Ciccolini (1991) {2CD Set EMI Classics rec 1966-1971}
XLD rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 536 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 339 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (png) -> 37 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1966-71, 1991 EMI France | EMI Classics | CZS 7 67282 2
Classical / Modern / Early 20th Century / Piano

It's simple: in his various realizations of the piano music of Erik Satie, Aldo Ciccolini set a standard that has yet to be bettered. This compilation, drawn from recordings made between 1966 and 1971, is consequently the best of the best. Ciccolini always played Satie's music as though it had been written by Claude Debussy, not by some cheap charlatan or uneducated primitive (which, to an extent that is still debatable, Satie was). The result is that these seemingly simple piano pieces acquire a tonal allure that is as surprising as it is undeniable. They possess an understated sophistication that points directly toward Ravel and Poulenc, at the same time providing an opening to the minimalist aesthetic of the later 20th century. Ciccolini's playing is pliant and graceful, and under his fingers the music seems to breathe and come alive. What more could a composer or a listener want? –Ted Libbey

Erik Satie, the visionary French composer and pianist, left an indelible mark on classical music through his innovative and eccentric approach. The album "Satie, E.: Piano Works (1906-19); Pièces humouristiques & Other Works" delves into Satie's genius, characterized by simplicity, humor, and a rejection of traditional norms.

Katia and Marielle Labèque are sibling pianists renowned for their ensemble of synchronicity and energy. Their musical ambitions started at an early age and they rose to international fame with their contemporary rendition of Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue (one of the first gold records in classical music) and have since developed a stunning career with performances worldwide.