Adesso 2012

Italian pop singer Umberto Tozzi began singing at a very young age, joining a band called Off Sound in 1968 and later teaming up with Adriano Pappalardo. "Un Corpo un 'Anima" became his first hit in 1974, and he recorded his debut album, Donna Amante Mia, in 1976. Ti Amo followed in 1977, and the successful Tu was released in 1978. Tozzi's breakthrough came a year later when he climbed the Italian and Latin American charts with "Gloria," a song covered by Laura Branigan on her 1982 self-titled debut record.

Nominated for a South Bank Show newcomers' award, the sprightly early music group La Nuova Musica stake their unique claim: Handel's Il pastor fido has never been recorded before in this 1712 version, though some of the fine music pops up in later incarnations. Its pastoral colours make a strong contrast with the extrovert Rinaldo, Handel's first opera for London; the sensual orchestration is beautifully realised here, but heavy vibrato is in evidence in several of the resonantly recorded voices, which often overwhelm the continuo. Lucy Crowe's magnificent soprano is allowed full rein, and I enjoyed both Anna Dennis and Clint van der Linde, an outstanding countertenor. An auspicious debut.

2012 two CD collection from the Italian superstar including one new track. This amazing album features all of the greatest love songs from Eros' amazing career. Eros is one of Sony's biggest artists worldwide and this is a fantastic collection. Includes the brand new track, 'Inevitabile', which was written by Eros Ramazzotti for Giorgia's album Dietro Le Appearance: this is the first time the two artists have collaborated since the huge success of "Come saprei", the song that christened Giorgia, back in '95 at the 45th San Remo Festival, as the first (and still unsurpassed) Italian Soul singer.