The i 31 May 2016

The English cellist Steven Isserlis has been a leading light on the international musical scene for more than three decades. His complete recordings for RCA Victor including concertos and chamber works by Haydn, Schumann, Mendelssohn, Liszt, Brahms, Grieg, Saint-Saens, Anton Rubinstein, Faure, Richard Strauss, Janacek, Bloch, Prokofiev, Shostakovich and John Tavener will now be available in a 12-CD box.

Narciso Yepes - The Complete Concerto Recordings (2016) {5CD Set Deutsche Grammophon}
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© 2016 Deutsche Grammophon | 0289 479 5467 5
Classical / Concerto / Guitar

There is only one word that can describe Narciso Yepes' technique: extraordinary. He was one of the finest virtuoso classical guitarists of the 20th century and his DG albums are regarded as reference recordings. This 5 CD Original Jackets collection brings together all of his concerto recordings for the Yellow Label, recorded between 1969 and 1979. The repertoire ranges from Vivaldi’s Lute Concertos adapted for guitar, to works written for Yepes and other leading guitarists of the 20th century.

The Golden Age of Music & Theatre: The times of William Shakespeare (1564–1616) offered much more than great theatre. Those were years when music flourished, a time of saucy street ballads, of melancholy lute-songs and madrigals. Great artists of the early music scene convey us into this seemingly distant world and bring it to life…

Yehudi - The Art of Menuhin (2016} {3CD Set Warner Classics 0825646782574}
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© 2016 Parlophone / Warner Classics | 0825646782574
Classical / Violin

“Now I know there is a God in heaven!”, exclaimed Albert Einstein when he heard the young Yehudi Menuhin play the violin. Not only was Menuhin an extraordinary musician, he lived through – and helped to shape – a momentous period in history. The Warner Classics catalog contains 70 years’ worth of his recordings and this 3-CD collection, Yehudi: The Art of Menuhin, provides a fascinating perspective on his achievements: Menuhin was a man of ideals who changed the world through music.

John Holt - 4000 Volts Of Holt: The Classic Albums Collection (2016) {2 CD Set Trojan Records TJDCD547 rec 1974-1976}
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© 1974-76, 2016 Trojan Records / BMG / Sanctuary Records | TJDCD547
Reggae / Reggae Pop / Smooth Reggae / Rocksteady

In 1972, one of Jamaica's most popular and successful singers, John Holt, teamed up with British-born record producer, Tony Ashfield to create a style of reggae aimed at appealing to music listeners of all ages and colours throughout the world. By combining Jamaican rhythms with sophisticated western arrangements, the pair succeeded in their aim, producing an album that exceeded all expectations. ‘The Further You Look’ set the standard for what later became widely known as ‘pop reggae’ and quickly became a must-have album for a broad spectrum of record buyers, selling in vast numbers amongst both black and white communities.

Blake Shelton - If I'm Honest (2016) {Warner Bros. 9362-49200-3}
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© 2016 Ten Point Productions / Warner Bros. 9362-49200-3
Country / Country Pop / Contemporary Country / Neo-Traditionalist Country

Blake Shelton veered toward the somnolent on the quite pleasing Bringing Back the Sunshine so it's not entirely surprising its 2016 sequel, If I'm Honest, is a bit crisper and livelier. Some of this brightening in attitude may be due to him lightening his load following a much-publicized 2015 divorce from singer Miranda Lambert – certainly the title suggests it's time for the singer to get down to what's real – but the electronic sheen and good times also feel like a reaction to Shelton sliding too deeply into softness. If If I'm Honest is indeed a divorce album, it's a Back in the High Life, not a Blood on the Tracks: Shelton is seizing the day, embracing his new lease on life with renewed vigor and a new love, who just happens to stop by to sing "Go Ahead and Break My Heart." Gwen Stefani's presence offers a reminder that Shelton stars on the televised singing competition The Voice, and If I'm Honest is targeted more at the mainstream audience attracted by the show than country radio proper.