Will Durant,ariel Durant

Not everyone will approve, but there are ways in which this super-budget set of Il barbiere diSiviglia puts to shame just about every other version of the opera there has been. Those it may not please are specialist vocal collectors for whom Il barbiere is primarily a repository of vocal test pieces. If, however, you regard Il barbiere (Rossini, ex-Beaumarchais) as a gloriously subversive music drama – vibrant, scurrilous, vital – then this recording is guaranteed to give a great deal of pleasure.

Blurring the boundaries between classical and popular music may not be much of a new idea anymore, but there are still artists who can make it sound fresh and exciting. Alarm Will Sound is one of them, and the ensemble's latest project represents a significant jump in ambition from its musically impressive but conceptually safe all-Reich debut. For Acoustica the group chose 13 compositions by the well-respected electronica artist Aphex Twin (aka Richard James) and re-created them as closely as possible using only acoustic and electric (as opposed to electronic) instruments – violins, clarinets, celesta, oboe, trombone, electric guitar, etc.

The legendary Ruf Records showcase tour is now 17 years old, but the concept remains unbeatable and therefore unchanged. Three up-and-coming talents from the most respected blues label in Europe. Three live sets that run the gamut of genres and emotions. And to top it off, a huge jam session where all the artists let loose together - and ask the audience to do the same.