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I Puritani is the last great masterpiece of the exceptional Italian composer Vincenzo Bellini. The intelligently conceived and thoroughly thrilling historical drama, written by the Italian librettist Conte Carlo Pepoli (1796-1881), concerning the fiery romantic intrigue between Elvira, the daughter of a Puritan and the royalist Arturo - Bellini's rapturous music, full of melancholic intensity, is a delight to listen to, as performed by Lisette Oropesa and Lawrence Brownlee.

The combination of interpretative flair and meticulous scholarship may be an uncommon one, but it’s very much a hallmark of Mahan Esfahani’s playing. His ongoing, widely praised, Bach series demonstrates a seemingly inexhaustible abundance of both as it reaches one of the landmarks of the keyboard repertoire: Book 1 of the ‘48’.

The long-awaited first volume consists of five ordres (Couperin uses the word ordre rather than suite, implying a suite) and includes a large, double-page decorative table at the end. While this may seem small considering the four volumes and 27 ordres (27 = 3 cubed, which some say is related to Freemasonry), the total number of pieces exceeds 70, surpassing the other volumes in terms of the number of pieces contained in a single ordre (particularly the first and second ordres). With the exception of the fourth ordre, the first half is typically a French suite, with dance pieces filling the gap, and the second half is dominated by titled pieces, many of which are based on dances.

Ivan Repušić made his debut as principal conductor of the Munich Radio Orchestra in September 2017 with Giuseppe Verdi's "Luisa Miller". It was followed by "I due Foscari" in October 2018 and "Attila" in October 2019 (the complete recordings have already been released by BR-KLASSIK on CD 900323, 900328 and 900330). His successful cycle of early masterpieces by the Italian opera composer continues with the recent concert performance on April 23, 2023 of Verdi's stage work "I Lombardi" – also at the Prinzregententheater in Munich.

Mahúgo has taught harpsichord and historical performance practice at the Badajoz Superior Conservatory (Spain) and continues to teach and give lectures on these subjects in Spain and abroad (Albacete Conservatory, Barcelona Liceu Superior Conservatory, University of Michigan). He has recorded for several TV and radio stations in Spain and elsewhere in Europe (RNE, TVE, Bartók Radio, MTV). His first harpsichord CD, a recording of the complete harpsichord works of the French 18th-century composer Pancrace Royer (Brilliant Classics/Onclassical.com), received rave reviews from several magazines (Ritmo, Melómano, Fanfare), and was chosen as “CD of the Month” by Scherzo magazine in April 2013 and “CD of The Year” by the Spanish newspaper El País.

NOW That’s What I Call 60s Soul brings together 88 defining tracks from soul’s first golden decade, including hits from Motown, Atlantic/Stax, and a whole lot more…Out September 5th!