Robert Frank

Written as his graduation piece at the Moscow Conservatory, Khachaturian’s brilliantly coloured and atmospheric First Symphony is an excellent demonstration of his orchestral mastery (further enhanced by revisions Khachaturian made in the 1960s following his first-hand experience of conducting the work around the world). Its Caucasian influence is evident in the work’s melodic arabesques and in the quasi-improvisatory style of its woodwind writing (most notably for the clarinets); yet there is an intensity and audacity in its spicy dissonances, together with a rhythmic and contrapuntal sophistication which makes one appreciate why Prokofieff thought Khachaturian such a promising talent.

Celebrate one of the most important and beloved entertainers of our time with the 7-DVD box set Frank Sinatra: Concert Collection, which contains over 14 hours of television and concert performances from the '50s to the '80s, including 4 previously unreleased specials, an exclusive compilation of vintage performances, and a 44-page book featuring rare photographs and notes by Sinatra scholar Bill Zehme. The definitive collection of Frank Sinatra's musical legacy as captured on film.

By 1981, Frank Zappa’s Halloween shows in New York were already legendary – a rock and roll bacchanalia of jaw-dropping musicianship, costume-clad revelry, spontaneous theatrical hijinks and of course a heavy dose of Zappa’s signature virtuosic guitar workouts. Eagerly anticipated every year, fans never knew exactly what was in store but knew it would be of epic proportions and one-of-a-kind experience that only Zappa and his skilled group of musicians could provide. When Zappa returned to The Palladium in NYC in 1981 for a five-show four-night run from October 29 to November 1, the nearly-annual tradition was even more anticipated than usual as the 1980 concerts were cut short due to Zappa falling ill. Curiously there was no fall tour the previous year and thus no Halloween shows.

Sinatra Sings Great Songs from Great Britain is one of the oddest albums in Sinatra's catalog. Recorded in the summer of 1962 and available only in the U.K. for a number of years, the album consists of songs by British composers, performed with British musicians, and recorded in Britain, while Sinatra was on tour. As it happened, Sinatra was tired and worn out during the sessions, and arranger/conductor Robert Farnon had written a set of charts that were ambitious, lush, ornate, and sweeping. Although the arrangements are provocative – occasionally they are more interesting than the actual songs – Sinatra was simply not in good shape for the sessions, which is clear from his thin, straining singing. As such, Great Songs from Great Britain isn't much more than a curiosity.

Lionel Tertis (1876-1975), a great genius of the viola, is little known to today's public. Timothy Ridout pays tribute to this key figure in his instrument's history with a flamboyant program featuring music by Tertis's friends, teachers and students alongside some of his own original works and transcriptions. A marvelous musical journey, rich in discoveries.