W. E. D. Rouse

Sir John Barbirolli began as an orchestral cellist, and played under Elgar's baton in the premiere of the Cello Concerto. Encouraged by Elgar, he moved into conducting and made his mark with the composer's Second Symphony in 1927. After Elgar's death, Barbirolli vowed to make the composer's music his special mission in life and to do his utmost to make it known all over the world. From the performances here, we can judge how well he kept his promise.

Malcolm Sargent's reputation as one of the great popularizers of classical music in Britain arose not only through his long association with the Henry Wood Promenade Concerts (1947-67), but was evident much earlier through chief conductorships of the Halle (1939-42), Liverpool Philharmonic (1942-48), and BBC Symphony Orchestras (1950-57).
By the time he became a fixture at the Proms in 1947 Sir Malcolm (he was knighted in 1947) his was one of the best-known names in England. In personality, showmanship, and energy he was ideal for the nightly concerts.

Box set containing a compilation of British music conducted by Simon Rattle. As well as the tracks listed it also includes 'Incidental Music' from 'Grania and Diarmid, Op. 42' and 'The Dream of Gerontius, Op. 38, Part I' by Edward Elgar, 'The Lark Ascending' and 'Songs of Travel' by Ralph Vaughan Williams, 'Thus Spake Isaih' from 'Belshazzar's Feast' by William Walton and 'La Vallée Des Cloches' from 'Miroirs' by Maurice Ravel, amongst others.

This is a somewhat unusual album, featuring tenor saxophonist Charlie Rouse (best known for his 1959-70 period with Thelonious Monk) performing mostly obscure Brazilian songs with rhythm sections that are sometimes closer to funky fusion and R&B than to bop. Rouse plays well; among his sidemen are up-and-coming trumpeter Claudio Roditi and trombonist Clifford Adams. Not essential by any means, this offbeat item does have its enjoyable moments.

Conductor Michael Hofstetter does a beautiful job bringing out the nuances from the Orchestra of Ludwigsburg Schlossfestspiele in Il Trovatore. This is evident from the thunderous roll of the timpani at the beginning of the opera, and the careful phrasing throughout the album. Every dynamic is observed, and the result is the high drama crucial to Verdi. The famous "Anvil Chorus" is another example of the orchestra's power to rouse the listener, as are the dark brass chords in the "Finale ultimo." The chorus, under the direction of Jan Hoffman, deserves equal praise.

Recorded live in Tokyo, this LP captures the quartet on their first Asian tour, performing mostly Thelonious Monk's own tunes, such as "Straight, No Chaser," "Blue Monk," and "Bemsha Swing." The Japanese audience reacts enthusiastically, with the quartet responding in kind with a generally inspired performance. There are few, if any, surprises - just solid playing and delightfully swinging, and at times hard-hitting, group and individual performances. While this may have been an average night for Charlie Rouse on tenor sax, Monk seems invigorated by the setting, putting forth a strong effort with exciting results…

Never one to do things by halves, gravelly voiced guitarist Chris Rea continues the prolific and rather maverick streak which has recently seen him record an 11-disc "history of the blues," and an album under the guise of a fictional '50s instrumental band: that being his 23srd studio effort Santo Spirito Blues. Released in a CD/DVD package alongside a documentary on bullfighting and a black-and-white, Florence-based drama about redemption, (both of which feature separate, original soundtracks) – the first release since his Still So Far to Go compilation unexpectedly returned him to the U.K. Top Ten – attempts to build on its momentum with 13 quintessentially Rea blues-rock numbers.