Remastered

On reading the story of Petula Clark for the purposes of these short notes we couldn’t help but be astounded by the length and breadth of her achievements! She truly is a National Treasure and should actually be treated as one while she is still with us at the grand old age of 91 years of age! Born in Ewell in 1932 Petula was thrust upon the showbiz world at the incredible young age of seven by her enthusiastic father who not only tutored her but took charge of promotions as well! At age nine she made her radio debut and was singing for the troops during the war and by the end of the 1940s was an established singing star. She had early hits in the 1950s and of course went on to much greater success in the sixties with “Down Town”, “This Is My Song” and “Don’t Sleep In The Subway” and many other classics. In the 1950s she became a singing sensation on the continent especially in France where she had married a French man and would settle down to live. In 1965 she conquered America, (something even Cliff never did) with “Downtown” and “I Know A Place” and in fact Pet was to hit the Top 40 fifteen times in three years! Petula was also a film star appearing in many films in the 50s and 60s working with the likes of Alec Guiness, Anthony Newley and Peter Ustinov. Our five classic albums feature the early career of the wonderful Petula Clark and includes her very early hit “The Little Shoemaker”. Beautiful singing, playing and orchestration by the likes of Billy May make these albums essential listening for those who enjoy classic songs sung by a wonderful and perhaps under-rated singer and now living legend, poised as she then was, at the beginning of yet another chapter in a wildly successful singing career Miss Petula Clark! As with all AVID releases, we hope you enjoy this classic set and check out our extensive catalogue for more great music across Pop, Easy Listening, Rock n Roll, Jazz, and many other musical genres.

Bob Dylan is waarschijnlijk de meest invloedrijke singer-songwriter van de popmuziek tot op heden. In de jaren zestig maakt hij naam in de folkscene in New York en brengt hij inmiddels klassieke popsongs als " The times they are a-changin'" uit. Hij verandert de folkpop voor altijd wanneer hij elektrische instrumenten aan zijn palet toevoegt. Tijdens zijn decennia lange loopbaan brengt hij talloze albums uit, die zelden teleurstellen. Opvallend genoeg beleeft hij in het nieuwe millenium een muzikale renaissance met sterke albums als Rough and Rowdy Ways (2020).

Two CD set that compiles the '90s musical legacy of rock 'n' roll wild man Screamin' Jay Hawkins. The set collates all 44 of the raving songs recorded by the late, legendary vocalist by producer and Bizarre partner and A&R man Robert Duffey, who also acted as Hawkins' manager during the period. The numbers first heard on Hawkins' original Bizarre albums - Black Music for White People (1991), Stone Crazy (1993), and Somethin' Funny Goin' On (1994) - are augmented by five previously unreleased bonus tracks. The set includes new liner notes by music journalist Chris Morris.

Although he took up the baton mainly for practical reasons and originally hoped to focus on composing, Wilhelm Furtwängler is remembered as one of the 20th century's most important, most argued-about conductors. The quasi-Brucknerian music he wrote is now of merely passing interest; Furtwängler was a truly personal, original artist only on the podium. He approached performing as a way of re-composing someone else's work, reconstituting it with a strong infusion of the performer's own ideas and personality. At their worst, Furtwängler's performances could sound mannered, full of sudden, seemingly unmotivated tempo shifts.

Maria Callas was one of the most controversial singers of the twentieth century. She had a wide range from high E to the F below the staff, and an innate feel for the style of bel canto roles, but she was most notable for bringing a commitment and intensity to her dramatic portrayals that was nearly unprecedented at the time. Using photorealistic video projection, Callas was brought back to the stage for a new tour in 2018. Callas in Concert features an interactive Callas on stage performing some of her most iconic recordings with a live orchestra.

German conductor Otto Klemperer attended the Hoch Conservatorium in Frankfurt-am-Main, studied violin and piano at the Klindworth-Scharwenka and Stern Conservatories in Berlin, and composition with the German composer Pfitzner. He made his début in Berlin in 1905, where he conducted fifty performances of Offenbach's Orpheus in the Underworld, not a work that would now be identified with Klemperer's serious and profoundly personal approach to music. Shortly afterwards, he visited Gustav Mahler in Vienna and impressed the composer by playing a scherzo from a Mahler symphony by memory at the piano. With Mahler's personal recommendation, Klemperer was appointed choirmaster and conductor at the German Opera in Prague.

The fame and legacy of Maria Callas are nearly unsurpassed in the modern history of opera. Her fame has transcended the usual boundaries of classical music, and she has been the inspiration for several movies as well as the successful Broadway play "Master Class." Her extensive catalogue of recordings remains among the most coveted and controversial for both her fans and detractors.