The Romantic Violin Concerto series reaches Belgium and the music of Joseph Jongen, a composer more celebrated for his organ music now, but who was equally admired in his day for his orchestral and chamber works. Jongen studied at the Liège Conservatoire where he heard the great violinist Eugène Ysaÿe and composer-conductors Vincent d’Indy and Richard Strauss.

What the largely unknown name of Georg Muffat may lack in dissemination and reputation, he makes up for in incredible variety, virtuosic power, and influence, especially on the development of instrumental music. The treasure trove of Muffat, which comes to light in particular in his sonata collection Armonico tributo, is what the early music ensemble Concerto Copenhagen and its director Lars Ulrik Mortensen are taking to the discographic spearhead of their 30th anniversary in 2022.

Demon Music kick off an Ocean Colour Scene reissue campaign with Yesterday Today 1992-2018, a massive 15CD box set. The large format package Includes all 10 of their studio albums. They are: Ocean Colour Scene (1992), Moseley Shoals (1996), Marchin’ Already (1997), One For The Modern (1999) , Mechanical Wonder (2001), North Atlantic Drift (2003), A Hyperactive Workout For The Flying Squad (2005), On The Leyline (2007), Saturday (2010), and Painting (2013). Additionally, there’s five bonus discs featuring a very large selection of B-sides and rarities including the Free inspired ‘So Sad’ and ‘Men Of Such Opinion’, ‘Huckleberry Grove’ featuring the Jamaican ska legend Rico Rodriguez, and the more sedate ballads ‘Robin Hood’, ‘I Need A Love Song’ and ‘Mrs Jones’ and a cover of ‘Day Tripper’, featuring Noel and Liam Gallagher. The package offers 230 tracks in total.

To celebrate the 25th anniversary of Robbie Williams’ multi-million selling solo debut album ‘Life Thru A Lens’ (originally released in September 1997 in the UK) UMC / Island Records are releasing a new expanded Deluxe Edition on 4CD set on 2nd December 2022.

A member of both the Songwriters and Rock & Roll Halls of Fame, Laura Nyro not only wrote songs that became hits for acts including The 5th Dimension, Blood, Sweat & Tears, Three Dog Night, Barbra Streisand, and many more, but has been cited as a major influence by Kate Bush, Elton John, Elvis Costello, Cyndi Lauper, Todd Rundgren, Broadway composer Stephen Schwartz (Godspell, Wicked), and countless others. She recorded 10 studio albums (one released posthumously), but a live performance from Nyro was always an event.

Newly remastered and expanded edition of the classic 1973 album ‘Sounds Like This’ by Nektar. This quartet of British musicians came together as Nektar in Hamburg, Germany in 1969. Roye Albrighton (guitar, vocals), Derek “Mo” Moore (bass, vocals), Allan “Taff” Freeman (keyboards) and Ron Howden (drums) first gained recognition in Germany with their imaginative Progressive/Space Rock sound and their highly impressive stage shows featuring lights by Mick Brockett and Keith Walters (who were also listed as band members).

During the mid-seventies, the Hamburg-based band Novalis established themselves as leaders in the field of German-language romantic rock. The quartet called itself Novalis after the most important German poet of early romanticism. They created a rock music of poetic, lyrical with german lyrics and instrumental beauty. Their music, a heavy organ rock, was compared to the sounds of bands such King Crimson and Pink Floyd. They released a few albums of lush, keyboard-dominant prog rock during the seventies. The keyboards created majestic layers on which the guitar builds airy melodies. By the time of their fourth studio album, Brandung (1977), Novalis had added new vocalist Fred Muhlbock to the line-up. As well as singing, Muhlbock also played acoustic guitar and added some very welcome flute to the band's sonic palette.

When Alcest released Kodama in 2016, it stood apart from their previous catalog in exploring the "blackgaze" metal subgenre they'd created. It was darker, more aggressive, and had more pointed edges. Earlier outings, from the groundbreaking Souvenirs d’un Autre Monde in 2007 through their breakthrough Ecailles de Lune and Les Voyages de L’ame, offered more tempered yet emotionally resonant aspects of black metal's blastbeat and tremolo-picking textural palette. The release of the infamous Shelter in 2014 saw the Bagnols-sur-Cèze duo indulge in something akin to dream pop. Although Kodama still offered the greater lyrical introspection of its predecessors, it was a much more physical approach…

Longstanding partners Sandrine Piau and Christophe Rousset have frequently performed the Stabat Mater, an emblematic work of the eighteenth-century Neapolitan repertory, both together and with other musicians. It was therefore a natural step for them to record this supreme masterpiece of sacred music. They are joined here by a relative newcomer to Les Talens Lyriques who has also become a regular partner with the ensemble, the American countertenor Christopher Lowrey (already heard on an Alpha disc devoted to Monteverdi, Alpha 216).

The Eroica Trio's recording career has been cleverly managed, starting with three albums of relatively lightweight, very well played music before finally arriving at major repertory. Tackling these two Brahms masterpieces, the Eroica proves thoroughly up to the task. They handle Brahms's difficult writing with confidence (especially the tricky syncopations), and they can produce large climaxes to compete with the best ensembles.

While not altogether uncommon, a coupling of Dvorák's Piano Quintet, Op. 81, with his Bagatelles, Op. 47, is still rare enough to make the prospect of this Harmonia Mundi release with Roel Dieltiens' Ensemble Explorations interesting. Listening to it, however, elevates it to fascinating. The immense power and passion not to mention the strong tone, tight ensemble, and in-the-pocket tempos -of Dieltiens' group plus pianist Frank Braley make a compelling case for the quintet.