Scorpions 50 th Anniversary

For the 100th anniversary of Emil Gilels, one of the greatest pianists of the 20th century, Firma Melodiya presents an anthology of his pianistic legacy.

Prior to Lovedrive's recording, the Scorpions' lineup had a major change when their lead guitarist, Uli Jon Roth, quit the group (not to mention, the rock genre was rapidly changing). With this in mind, the band not only highlighted the album with the licks and riffs of three guitarists (Rudolf Schenker, Michael Schenker, Matthias Jabs), but they also dramatically changed their style to sound more like that of Van Halen. This change is quite welcome; not only are the performances more unpredictable, but the lyrics and melodies are better written…

Recorded during their American tour in late 1969, and centered around live versions of material from the Beggars Banquet-Let It Bleed era. Often acclaimed as one of the top live rock albums of all time, its appeal has dimmed a little today…

For the 100th anniversary of Emil Gilels, one of the greatest pianists of the 20th century, Melodiya presents an anthology of his pianistic legacy. “Titans of the piano like Gilels are born once in a hundred years,” wrote a Japanese correspondent in 1957; similar comments accompanied the musician’s performances throughout his performing career.
The performance of the young man from the Odessa Conservatory at the 1933 First All-Union Competition in Moscow came as a bombshell: the audience gave him a standing ovation, and unfamiliar people congratulated each other on the emergence of a genius.

As a professional singer, Hasmik Baghdasaryan, the soloist of the vocal ensemble Luys, appreciates the way the members of the Armenian quintet work together. The musicians’ cooperation within the ensemble is very harmonious and cheerful but at the same time on a high professional level. When on tour, Luys presents two very exclusive pieces of music “Banin Hor“ and “Ibr Zard“: The first piece was specially written for Hasmik Baghdasaryan, while the other one has been composed by her good friend, the well-known Armenian composer and artist Vahan Artsruni. He gave Luys the exclusive right to sing this song, which is a great honor to the artists. Besides her work with Luys, Hasmik Baghdasaryan has recorded many albums with modern composers, as for example with the Greek composer Alkis Baltas; with Vahan Artsruni she has recorded music comprising the music era of more than 500 years; and she has transferred the music of Mesrop Mashtots into the modern music age….

Highly praised for his orchestral works, Tchaikovsky never reached great popularity as a chamber music composer but, although his chamber output does not comprise many titles, it does includes works of distinct value, such as the beautiful but little known Trio for violin, cello and piano, Op.50 which we are featuring on this release. The work was composed in memory of his friend Nikolaj Rubinstein, who had passed away at the age of 46 and was considered at the time one of the greatest European pianists. It was premiered in Moscow on 30 October, 1882.

The second album by the popular piano trio "Tsubaki Trio". Their debut album "Mendelssohn & Brahms: Piano Trio No. 1" became a bestseller and was selected as "Record Geijutsu Magazine's Special Selection" for its lustrous and fragrant cantabile that touched the heartstrings of listeners. This album is a complete turnaround, featuring the masterpieces of Tchaikovsky and Shostakovich, who represent Russian music, and their profound and emotional ensembles are a stunning attraction.

Des sous-sols de Sarstedt, près de Hanovre, jusqu’aux plus grandes salles du monde entier, l’épopée musicale et humaniste d’un des plus grands groupes de hard rock est racontée pour la première fois en langue française. 50 ans d’histoire scrutés à la loupe et narrés avec précision et force d’anecdotes méconnues. Tous les albums, singles, DVD et titres inédits du groupe sont évoqués dans cette biographie-référence pour les amateurs des arachnides et les amoureux des éternels auteurs de « Still Loving You », « Rock You Like A Hurricane » et « Wind Of Change »…