Haller

As the V title suggests, Alcatrazz unleash their fifth studio album upon the world this Autumn, and it is their strongest, tightest, heaviest and most unified studio work yet. Featuring the founding members Jimmy Waldo and Gary Shea, Alcatrazz welcomes singer Doogie White to the fold, where he joins Mark Benquechea and guitar God prodigy Joe Stump in creating 12 masterful melodic metal selections. From the furious tempest of opener 'Guardian Angel' to the speedy melodic metal of 'Turn of the Wheel' on through to bluesier heavyweights such as 'House of Lies', White nails every note and the band carries an energy not heard for many a year.

Ophelie Gaillard has made recently a deep impression with the Suites for cello solo by Jean-Sebastian Bach. On this new recording, dedicated to the Cantor of Leipzig, she gathered her close team from the Pulcinella Ensemble and invited some of the most talented soloists: Sandrine Piau, Emiliano Gonzalez Toro, Christophe Dumaux. This programme gives a vision of the most beautiful cantatas written by Jean-Sebastian Bach in Leipzig from 1723 to 1750, interspersed with some of the masterpieces from the 'Schübler' Chorales and Orgelbüchlein. With a passion for Baroque music played on period instruments, Pulcinella is a group of virtuoso soloists, gathered in a chamber spirit around cellist Ophélie Gaillard.

Mighty Los Angeles-born, guitar-driven, heavy metal icons, ALCATRAZZ, announce the release of their fifth studio album, aptly titled V, which is set for release via Silver Lining Music on October 15th, 2021. In advance of the release of V, ALCATRAZZ today unveils new single/video, “Sword Of Deliverance,” and as far as lead statements go, it’s one hell of a reminder that when ALCATRAZZ is firing on all cylinders with all guns blazing, they are a vital part of any metalhead’s day. And there is little doubt that ALCATRAZZ 2021, featuring Doogie White on vocals, founding members Jimmy Waldo and Gary Shea on keyboards and bass respectively, Mark Benquechea on drums, and Joe Stump on guitar, are the chemistry causing the musical fire. “‘Sword Of Deliverance’ is a mighty, metal monument,” affirms White, “a call to arms for the ALCATRAZZ collective. Loud, proud, and ready! Produced by Giles Lavery and Jimmy Waldo, and mixed by Andy Haller (Elton John, Joe Cocker, System Of A Down), V also includes guest appearances from Saxon’s Nigel Glockler (drums on “Guardian Angel” and “Blackheart”), Tank’s Cliff Evans (bass on “Grace Of God”), and Donnie Van Stavern of Riot (bass on “Guardian Angel,” “Nightwatch,” and “Target”), underscoring how perennially popular ALCATRAZZ’s music remains with their peers. V stands for ALCATRAZZ’s fifth studio album of course… but it also stands just as resolutely for Victory; the victory that sees ALCATRAZZ 2021 stronger than ever despite all the odds.

In 1996 Vox released a 4-CD set that included this, the original La Scala fiasco version of Madama Butterfly, as well as Puccini’s revisions for Brescia and Paris. It was a fascinating release and fans of the opera immediately realized what had been wrong with the first version: The first act contained far too much “local color” in the form of music for Butterfly’s relatives (there’s even a drinking song for her uncle Yakuside), and the 90-minute last act, in addition to simply being too long, dragged out the overnight vigil, too abruptly went into Butterfly’s lullaby to her child, and wasted an extra couple of minutes between Butterfly’s final lines and her suicide–what on earth could she be doing?

Antonio Salieri’s Falstaff is not Verdi’s and never will be. That out of the way, it’s a charming evening’s entertainment, occasionally quite funny, with nicely characterized roles, swell, brief melodies, excellent, spicy wind writing (vividly played here on period instruments and recorded in such a way that the sonics favor them), and nice forward propulsion. The action moves quickly and pointedly, the dry recitatives are frequent but never too long, and when they do go on, the cast here is clever and involved enough to make them dramatically viable.