Katy Perry achieved maturation with Prism, the 2013 album anchored on the self-empowerment anthem "Roar" and the club smash "Dark Horse." Considering how "Roar" scored the closing stages of Hillary Clinton's 2016 campaign, it would've seemed like a logical move for Perry to build upon its adult alternative affirmation but she's instead chosen to use "Dark Horse" as a blueprint for Witness, the long-awaited 2017 successor to Prism. Perhaps Perry shifted her approach after "Rise," the "Roar"-alike written for the 2016 Olympics that she also performed at that year's Democratic National Convention, failed to crack the Top Ten, perhaps she always planned to construct this album with electronic beats and synths, but Witness is so slick with synths it seems slippery.

With Revolver, the Beatles made the Great Leap Forward, reaching a previously unheard-of level of sophistication and fearless experimentation. Sgt. Pepper, in many ways, refines that breakthrough, as the Beatles consciously synthesized such disparate influences as psychedelia, art song, classical music, rock & roll, and music hall, often in the course of one song. Not once does the diversity seem forced – the genius of the record is how the vaudevillian "When I'm 64" seems like a logical extension of "Within You Without You" and how it provides a gateway to the chiming guitars of "Lovely Rita." There's no discounting the individual contributions of each member or their producer, George Martin, but the preponderance of whimsy and self-conscious art gives the impression that Paul McCartney is the leader of the Lonely Hearts Club Band.

EuroArts presents a spectacular musical event featuring Daniel Barenboim, one of the most prolific and high-profile artists performing on international stages today. He introduced this concert, which was recorded live at the famous Teatro alla Scala Milan in May 2007 as “A concert dedicated to Italy, but not by a conductor”. It is a highly personal tribute to a country he has toured regularly as a conductor and the first ever live instrumental recital recording at this internationally renowned venue. For his solo piano recital he chose Franz Liszt's Années de pèlerinage (Years of Pilgrimage), composed 1837–1849, which contains some of the composer’s most beautiful piano music - a feast not only for piano lovers.

Inspired by avant / art rock bands like Arts Bears and Henry Cow and classic 70s progressive rock, as well as by contemporary classical composers, Thinking Plague has earned an avid international following by forging a singular synthesis of art-rock with 20th century classical. Rigorously constructed and passionately played, the music makes a compelling case for rock's relevance as a forum for creative composition. A new album by Thinking Plague is always an event; working slowly and unwaveringly, the group has released a handful of brilliant, art-rock classics. Hoping Against Hope is their 7th and the latest of them. Founded in 1982 by guitarist/composer Mike Johnson and bass guitarist/drummer/engineer Bob Drake, Thinking Plague built its following the old-fashioned way, though word of mouth and recordings passed around by fellow musicians and fans. For fans of: Tori Amos, Art Bears, Kate Bush, Henry Cow, King Crimson.

Esoteric Recordings label is proud to announce the release of the very first 4CD collection of every album and single track recorded by the legendary Atomic Rooster between 1970-1974. Sleeping for Years is a clamshell boxed set anthologising all the recordings made by the band on the classic albums Atomic Rooster, Death Walks Behind You, In Hearing of Atomic Rooster, Made In England and Nice n’ Greasy and on such hit singles as Tomorrow Night and Devil’s Answer.
Atomic Rooster was formed by former Crazy World of Arthur Brown members Vincent Crane (Organ, Piano, Keyboards) and Carl Palmer (drums)…

In November 2007, Daniel Barenboim completed a cycle of Beethoven's piano concertos. Recorded live at the prestigious Klavier-Festival Ruhr in May 2007, this DVD recording reflects both a very individual and special reading of Beethoven’s music and the artist’s life-long dedication to the composer. Daniel Barenboim is one of the most prolific and high-profile artists performing on international stages today and Beethoven’s masterpieces have been a key part of his repertoire throughout his career, both as conductor and as pianist. Beethoven himself was a keyboard virtuoso of almost awesome abilities who created a sensation wherever he played. It is no wonder, therefore, that the piano was central to Beethoven’s overall output.

Recorded live at Navaro in Kumamoto, Japan - 20th December 2016.

The SPACELORDS started in April 2008, when Marcus SCHNITZLER (drums, djembe, percussion, special effects) joined Matthias WETTSTEIN (guitars) and Klaus WERZ (bass) for a first session. Matthias and Klaus already had a few song-ideas and after a couple of weeks almost half of the first CD was arranged…

In November 2007, Daniel Barenboim completed a cycle of Beethoven's piano concertos. Recorded live at the prestigious Klavier-Festival Ruhr in May 2007, this DVD recording reflects both a very individual and special reading of Beethoven’s music and the artist’s life-long dedication to the composer. Daniel Barenboim is one of the most prolific and high-profile artists performing on international stages today and Beethoven’s masterpieces have been a key part of his repertoire throughout his career, both as conductor and as pianist. Beethoven himself was a keyboard virtuoso of almost awesome abilities who created a sensation wherever he played. It is no wonder, therefore, that the piano was central to Beethoven’s overall output.

Era is the 2017 album by guitarist Mike Dawes. This was released by Qten.

Light Flux was released as companion to the long-awaited autobiography by Edgar Froese. It comes in two versions: as a full length album with six tracks and as a EP featuring only three of the six tracks.

After the success of the Vol 1 Box comes Vol 2 of the Classic Album Collection. Spanning from "Old New Borrowed and Blue" to 2013's classic soul themed collection "Rain or Shine" the box comes in a slipcase and contains 5 albums housed in mini LP type sleeves. Paul Carrack, the hugely respected singer-songwriter who is the voice of many of the landmark British pop songs of the past 40 years, released a stunning new album, Soul Shadows, on January 15, 2016. The record sees him at the absolute peak of his powers as a vocalist, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. Paul Carrack surely deserves the latter-day title of the hardest-working man in showbusiness.

This marks the first release with Robin Ticciati leading the Deutsches Symphonie Orchester Berlin, and it makes the requisite splash. There's a world premiere: even if you're not on board with the trend of enlarging the repertory through arrangements of works that are perfectly good in their original form, you will likely be seduced by mezzo-soprano Magdalena Kozená's ravishing reading of Debussy's voice-and-piano Ariettes oubliées, inventively arranged by Brett Dean. There's a little-known work: the opening one, Fauré's Prelude to Pénélope (a sparsely performed opera, with a slightly less sparsely performed prelude) is a lush and beautifully controlled arc. Controlled and detailed are two words that come to mind for Ticciati's interpretation of La mer, the warhorse work on the program; it may seem a bit deliberate, but there are many hues in his performance. The two Debussy works are balanced by two of Fauré's: the fourth work is the suite from Fauré's incidental music to Pélleas et Mélisande (in Charles Koechlin's version), also deliberate and lush. Linn recorded the performance in Berlin's Jesus Christus Kirche, which allows the full spectrum of orchestral colors to come through. Worth the money for Kozená fans for her turn alone, and a fine French program for all.

ETC is the 2017 album by Slovakian vocalist Darina Gambošová, who was known as Darina Rolincová but now known as Dara Rolins. This project was self-released, which means it was made for her fans.

The music of Joonas Kokkonen (1921–96), one of the most important Finnish composers after Sibelius, radiates warmth and light. His limited output is largely introvert in character but also contains moments of grandeur and rhythmic energy. Kokkonen’s Requiem (1980–81), written in memory of his first wife, is both a powerful choral symphony and a tender, moving embodiment of consolation. Originally scored for large orchestra, the Requiem is heard here in a new version for organ intended to bring the work within the reach of smaller forces. This first recording is complemented by the first complete recording of Kokkonen’s four works for solo organ.