Act Music

Handel wrote all this ballet music for operas, new or revived, in which Marie Salle was to dance while she was in London in the mid-1730s. She will not, of course, have graced all these pieces; she was famed for expressiveness rather than virtuosity, and presumably delegated the very quick and exciting dream music in Alcina to someone else. But slower pieces predominate and they show that Handel was fully appreciative of her charms. Gardiner uses a robust orchestra (6.6.4.4.2) which allows for a strong bass, appreciated by dancers today and no doubt then as well.

Nils Landgren has been and remains the absolute linchpin of the ACT family. To date, the Swede has made forty albums on the label as leader, plus another twenty as producer or soloist. Michael Wollny, whose many many projects with Landgren give him a special connection, sums up a key element in his success: “With Nils everything becomes easy.” There is indeed a particular ease about Mr. Red Horn’s way of being; it is infectious and runs through everything he does. Which is all the more remarkable when one considers the sheer number of roles he takes on: trombonist, singer, bandleader, producer, festival director, professor, curator, talent scout and mentor.

Heinrich Marschner, the leading German composer of Romantic opera between Weber and Wagner, was a progressive innovator, bringing to his music a new dimension – the supernatural anti-hero enmeshed in horror, such as the protagonist of Der Vampyr(1828).

Herbert von Karajan conducts the Philharmonia Orchestra in ballet music from the operas Aida, Khovanshchina, Prince Igor, La Gioconda, and Tannhäuser.

The album Star Of Spring by Anna Greta is a captivating musical journey that showcases the artist's exceptional talent and unique style. Released by Act, this album features a collection of beautifully crafted songs that blend elements of jazz, folk, and pop.

Bloom, the ACT debut of pianist and composer Bill Laurance as leader, marks the transition from the smallest possible form of musical interaction to a large-scale, broadband format: Following the internationally acclaimed ACT release Where You Wish You Were in duo with multi-instrumentalist and Snarky Puppy bandmate Michael League, Laurance now teams up with Manchester-based 18-piece string orchestra The Untold Orchestra and creates a work of convincingly epic pro-portions. Combining Bill Laurance’s classical sensibilities with jazz, pop grooves, and powerful orchestral synchronicity, Bloom runs the gamut of emotions and moods.

Screeching Weasel have been released Act 1 of an epic, two-part punk rock opera titled Baby Fat. Featuring guest performances by Kat Spazzy, Blag Dahlia, Chris Burrows, Roger Lima, Todd Congelliere, Dave Klein, Line Dahlman, Paul Collins, Andrea & Mass of The Manges, and more. The second Act scheduled to release in 2017.

Anatole Fistoulari was always a specialist in the interpretation of ballet music. He was also, a noted conductor of Tchaikovsky and the Russian School, as well as romantic and impressionistic French music. This album, originally released in 1960, features selections from William Tell, Khovantchina, Aida, and Samson and Delilah, performed by the Paris Conservatoire Orchestra conducted by Fistoulari. Recorded by renowned Decca audio master Kenneth Wilkinson, it shares most of that disc's electrifying sound. Very lively midrange with superbly coherent staging, top rank clarity and deep, powerful and well-defined bass.

Born in London of Italian-French parents, Sir John Barbirolli (1899–1970) trained as a cellist and played in theatre and café orchestras before joining the Queen’s Hall Orchestra under Sir Henry Wood in 1916. His conducting career began with the formation of his own orchestra in 1924, and between