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Though it's perhaps Henry's best-known work, Messe Pour le Temps Présent isn't the best display of the powers of musique concrète. Similar to the glut of crossover Moog rock albums around the same time, Henry's occasional bursts of searing computer static are accompanied by a faux '60s go-go beat. It's an intriguing release, but works better for novelty fans and beginners who would rather have a gradual immersion into musique concrète. It earns its stars, however, for its reissue on a French CD that also includes several of Henry's other compositions, including "Variations Pour une Porte et un Soupir."© John Bush /TiVo

The musical world owes a debt of gratitude to French conductor Christophe Rousset not only for the vital, exquisite performances he delivers with the ensembles Les Talens Lyriques and Choeur de Chambre de Namur, but for his work in bringing to light neglected masterpieces of Baroque opera. Lully's Bellérophon, premiered in 1679, was a huge success in its time, with an initial run of nine months. Part of its popularity was doubtless due to the parallels that could be drawn between its plot and certain recent exploits of Louis XV, but even the earliest critics recognized the score's uniqueness and exceptional quality within Lully's oeuvre, so it's perhaps surprising that it has never been recorded before. The distinctiveness of the music was likely a result at least in part of the fact that Lully's preferred librettist Philippe Quinault was out of favor at the court of Louis XV at the time, so the composer turned to Thomas Corneille for the libretto, and Corneille's literary and dramatic styles were so different from Quinault's that Lully was nudged out of his comfort zone and had to develop new solutions to questions of structure and the marrying of music to text. It is the first opera for which Lully composed fully accompanied recitatives, and that alone gives it a textural richness that surpasses his earlier works. The composer also allows soloists to sing together, something that was still a rarity in Baroque opera. There are several duets and larger ensembles; the love duet, "Que tout parle à l'envie de notre amour extreme!," is a ravishing expression of passion and happiness, as rhapsodic as anything in 19th century Italian opera. The level of musical inventiveness throughout is exceptional even for Lully; the expressiveness of the recitatives, the charm of the instrumental interludes, the originality of the choruses, and the limpid loveliness of the airs make this an opera that demands attention. Rousset and his forces give an outstanding performance that's exuberantly spirited, musically polished, rhythmically springy, and charged with dramatic urgency. The soloists are consistently of the highest order. Cyril Auvity brings a large, virile, passionate tenor to the title role and Céline Scheen is warmly lyrical as his lover Philonoë. Ingrid Perruche is fiercely powerful as the villain, Stéenobée, and Jean Teitgen is a secure, authoritative Apollo. Soloists, chorus, and orchestra are fluent in the subtle inflections of French middle Baroque ornamentation. The sound of the live recording is very fine, with a clean, immediate, realistic ambience. This is a release that fans of Baroque opera will not want to miss. Highly recommended. © TiVo

The prestigious Lucerne Festival, which has seen, and still today showcases, the very best conductors, soloists and orchestras on the planet, continues to publish its exceptional archives. This new offering displays the sumptuous return of Armin Jordan who led the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande between 1985 and 1997 and gave a second “golden age” to the Genovese ensemble after the fruitful years of Ansermet (1918-1967).With his Germanic and Latin cultural heritage, Armin Jordan took pleasure in gracing works with a generous and tormented lyricism. His only two appearances at the podium of the ancient Kunsthaus at the festival of his birth town are brought together here with his superb recordings created in 1988 and 1994. Here we find his stunning sense of colour and unique mix of fluidity, transparence and vigour which he made his own.After Prelude to the afternoon of a Faun with its hazy poeticism, we discover the Second Suite of Bacchus and Arriadne by Albert Roussel led by a beating drum with a touring OSR at the top of its game. The strength of this interpretation perfectly fills a gap as Jordan had never recorded this flamboyant work in studio. Such is not the case with Poème de l’amour et de la mer which was recorded in Monte-Carlo for Erato with Jessye Norman.In this 1994 Lucerne concert, he directed his dear companion Felicity Lott. While the voice of this English cantata singer doesn’t have the amber-scented and sensual colour of her American colleague, she nevertheless possesses a timbre of perfect harmony with the style and colour of the Chausson conductor. Finally, one can admire Ansermet’s beautiful orchestration recorded in 1932 with Claude Debussy’s Six Épigraphes Antiques where he displayed the most intricate of details as much as Jordan perfectly translates its flourishes and subtleties. © François Hudry/Qobuz

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Further establishing his credentials as one of Europe's most well-respected urban artists, former Lunatic MC Booba's sixth studio album, named after the hip-hop duo he formed with Ali, boasts an impressive, star-studded array of guest artists. Recorded in his adopted hometown of Miami, the French-Senegalese rapper's follow-up to 0.9 includes collaborations with Diddy ("Caesar Palace"), Akon (the title track), and T-Pain ("Reel"), alongside songs featuring lesser-known home-grown acts like Dosseh ("45 Scientific") and 92i ("Si Tu Savais").© Jon O'Brien /TiVo

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French rapper Rohff released this, his fifth album, in 2006. While having already established himself as one of his home country's leading hip-hop artists, Rohff continued to exceed expectations and this two-disc, 31-track collection is proof of all that work. It includes the favorites "Starfuckeuze," "La Puissance," and "Toujours."© Chris True /TiVo

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For their third studio album, Karkwa put together a batch of atmospheric, well-crafted rock songs that mirrored the music of Radiohead and Coldplay. Le Volume du Vent opens with a soft melody that moves into a grandiose, sweeping arrangement centered around lead vocalist Louis-Jean Cormier's melodies. The music only gets more sweeping and grandiose from there. String sections sway wildly, compositional styles are played with, and Cormier croons in French in front of it all. The singsong format of "Oublie Pas" contrasts strongly with the grandeur of "Deux Lampadaires," and the nearly acoustic balladry of the title track sits apart from them both. The compositions are solid throughout. They're full of basic hooks and riffs with an apparent eye toward marketability, but those hooks and riffs aren't entirely gratuitous. Twinkling pianos in "Le Solstice" mirror elements of the Police, and the melancholy directions in "Dormir le Jour" echo portions of Soundgarden's darkness. There's a lot tucked away in this album, packed extremely densely. It's likely to take a couple of listens to get it all. © Adam Greenberg /TiVo

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Featuring narration from 1950s legendary French actor Gérard Philipe and child star Georges Poujouly in the lead role, Le Petit Prince is an audio adaptation of Antoine de Saint-Exupéry's best-selling children's novella. The six-track CD features a 33-minute version of the tale based on the aviator's experiences in the Sahara Desert, and is accompanied by five other short stories and poems, including Alfred de Vigny's "La Mort du Loup" and Jean de la Fontaine's fable "Les Deux Pigeons."© Jon O'Brien /TiVo