Tinariwen's tracks often begin with a meandering and suggestive guitar solo, in the style of John Lee Hooker. Then comes the husky and rugged voice of lead singer, Ibrahim ag Alhabib. The song then quickly takes shape, picking up the pace and gaining momentum with hand claps, pulsating drums, backing vocals and more guitars pumping up the power. This Tuareg electric music, invented by Tinariwen more than twenty years ago, is particularly ritualistic, with its own customs and conventions. On this Tinariwen album, the two come together as one. The Tuareg group had intended to record it in Nashville at Jack White's studios, together with local musicians, but due to the pandemic they had to take refuge near Djanet, in the Algerian Sahara Desert. The American contributors then added their remote input. On this recording, produced by Daniel Lanois, we are treated to the steel-guitar, piano, banjo, and American fiddle. Nothing improper; simply an echo of rural music and the traditional Tamasheq imzad, a violin-esque instrument presented by the group on the album. Amatssou does not sound like a Saharan country album. It's 80% classic Tinariwen, altered only by a few pensive and melancholic country touches brought in by Lanois' sensibility. The correspondence is fantasised, imagined. It's often been thought that this hypnotic music could have originated in Oklahoma during the great drought, when cracked earth and scarcity drove out its heavy hearted residents, despite the impending homesickness and desire to return home. For Tinariwen, it comes at the end of the recording with the tindé track, the traditional music of Tuareg women. It represents an immense moment of mystical music. © Stéphane Deschamps/Qobuz

Tinariwen's tracks often begin with a meandering and suggestive guitar solo, in the style of John Lee Hooker. Then comes the husky and rugged voice of lead singer, Ibrahim ag Alhabib. The song then quickly takes shape, picking up the pace and gaining momentum with hand claps, pulsating drums, backing vocals and more guitars pumping up the power. This Tuareg electric music, invented by Tinariwen more than twenty years ago, is particularly ritualistic, with its own customs and conventions. On this Tinariwen album, the two come together as one. The Tuareg group had intended to record it in Nashville at Jack White's studios, together with local musicians, but due to the pandemic they had to take refuge near Djanet, in the Algerian Sahara Desert. The American contributors then added their remote input. On this recording, produced by Daniel Lanois, we are treated to the steel-guitar, piano, banjo, and American fiddle. Nothing improper; simply an echo of rural music and the traditional Tamasheq imzad, a violin-esque instrument presented by the group on the album. Amatssou does not sound like a Saharan country album. It's 80% classic Tinariwen, altered only by a few pensive and melancholic country touches brought in by Lanois' sensibility. The correspondence is fantasised, imagined. It's often been thought that this hypnotic music could have originated in Oklahoma during the great drought, when cracked earth and scarcity drove out its heavy hearted residents, despite the impending homesickness and desire to return home. For Tinariwen, it comes at the end of the recording with the tindé track, the traditional music of Tuareg women. It represents an immense moment of mystical music. © Stéphane Deschamps/Qobuz

There's an element of Zen that's involved when listening to Nightwish -- you don't question the pageantry or analyze the music; you just let go and enjoy the experience. Perhaps it's no surprise then that End of an Era beings with "Red Warrior" from The Last Samurai booming over arena speakers while thousands of fans roar their approval. It's a dramatic introduction for a band that specializes in theatrics, all of which are captured on the album. There's the crowd, the blast of pyrotechnics, the echo of the music filling a cavernous arena. Recording a band this layered (Guitars! Drums! Vocals! Keyboards! Backing tracks!) in a setting like this is always a risky venture, but the sound quality on End of an Era is exceptional; it manages to capture the vastness of both the venue and the act without being marred by reverberation or uneven tone. Vocalists Tarja Turunen and Marco Hietala soar above it all, their delivery all the more impressive considering that this would be their last concert together -- Turunen was dismissed from the band after the show. Fortunately, Nightwish don't appear to have brought their internal tensions on-stage. The group is in its element here, and its energy doesn't diminish a bit over the course of the two discs it takes to capture the tour-ending show. The biggest strength of End of an Era is its ability to re-create the concert experience; the band is at the forefront, but the cheering, clapping, and chanting of the crowd are included as an integral element of the music, not a separate entity. There are points on the album when this becomes a detriment (particularly during slower, quiet numbers like "Stone People"), but there's nothing more authentic on a live recording than capturing the requisite concertgoer whose duty it is to break the mood by shouting at inappropriate times. In the end, this dedication to realism is a minor complaint when compared to the benefits, as demonstrated to great effect with the opening number, "Dark Chest of Wonders." This piece brings it all together -- the song itself, dark, theatrical and operatic, with Turunen's rich voice floating over power chords, a charging rhythm section, an orchestral backing track, and the enthusiastic crowd at her feet. It's a fine choice to open the concert, and the recording re-creates everything but the visuals. The vibe continues on "Planet Hell," the first of several songs to showcase a Turunen/Hietala duet and solos by keyboardist Tuomas Holopainen and guitarist Emppu Vuorinen. Powerful performances and dark, romantic themes continue to dominate throughout End of an Era, but this does not mean that the album slows down or becomes monotonous. Instead, each song plays to the band's strength and uses the crowd's energy and enthusiasm to drive forward and craft memorable moments. As in the beginning of the concert, the final songs are rousing, passionate, and dramatic. "Creek Mary's Blood," a lament inspired by Dee Brown's novel of the same name, benefits from the talent of Native American musician John Two Hawks, who also appeared on the studio version of the song. After an extended flute solo (the above-mentioned "Stone People"), Two Hawks sings and plays in a striking duet with Turunen, whose operatic tremolo stands in contrast to her partner's straighter tone. The proceedings take an abrupt turn immediately afterward as Nightwish launch into a rollicking cover of Gary Moore's "Over the Hills and Far Away," transformed into a power metal epic as Holopainen and Vuorinen trade riffs between verses and choruses. The disc comes to a close with the sprawling, gothic "Wish I Had an Angel," a looser and more straightforward rock song that sees Turunen and Hietala alternating their vocal duties for what would be the last time. It's a satisfying ending for a symphonic metal extravaganza, but the real pleasure comes in knowing that it can be experienced all over again.© Katherine Fulton /TiVo

Born in northern Niger, Bombino is an ethnic Tuareg, a nomadic tribe spread out across the Sahara Desert, and if he inherited a steady urge for going, it shows in his guitar playing, which is informed by the fluid, melodic, and graceful style of so many great African guitarists. But he's also listened and studied the playing of Jimi Hendrix and Mark Knopfler closely, and maybe a little of J.J. Cale, too, another man whose guitar style embraces a sharp, dusty-tinged desert tone, and somehow out of all this, Bombino emerges as a sort of Dick Dale of the Sahara, with a guitar style that is uniquely all his own. For this, his second album, Bombino traveled to Nashville to record with the Black Keys' Dan Auerbach, and the result is a marvelous set, full of grit and funky elegance, a kind of mesh of Tuareg rhythms with Deep South delta country trance blues, and psychedelic, too, as if Jimi Hendrix and John Lee Hooker somehow got spliced together. It's a wonderful listen from start to finish, with heavily echoed vocals, and layers of snaky, sinewy guitar lines that build and weave, separate and expand as each track goes on, until everything seems to burst transformed into the immense sonic space of an ocean, or a desert, for that matter. Although Bombino is a very political songwriter, he keeps his lyrics and melodies taut, giving his graceful, spiraling, and relentless guitar riffs plenty of room to do their thing. Highlights include the thickly chugging garage guitar epic "Amidine" that opens the set, the amazing serpentine guitar lines of "Imuhar," the back porch Sahara country sound of "Imidwan," and the lovely "Tamiditine," which closes things out, but everything here certainly belongs and contributes to the rich, gritty, and ultimately joyous tone of this wonderful album.© Steve Leggett /TiVo

The countertenor Tim Mead leads an all-star cast in the Early Opera Company’s recording of Handel’s Amadigi di Gaula, conducted by Christian Curnyn. The opera was first performed, in London, in 1715, in the first season under the reign of George I, at the King’s Theatre on the Haymarket. The complex, twisting plot features the lovers Amadigi and Oriana, imprisoned by the sorceress Melissa (who seeks Amadigi’s love). His ally Dardano turns against Amadigi, his former friend, when he realises that they both love Oriana and he sides with Melissa. Her plans are repeatedly foiled, and true love triumphs at the final curtain! Amadigi is considered the finest of Handel’s early London operas in terms of musical sophistication, theatrical pacing, and a perfectly balanced exploration of the interconnected relationships, motivations, and emotional divergences among just four dissimilar yet equally arresting characters. © Chandos

Famous for its aria “Ombra mai fu”, known as “Handel’s Largo”, Serse (or Xerxes) is one of this German composer’s most original and varied operas. It’s one of his rare “comic” works, containing a great deal of facetiousness and humour whilst still being grounded in reality.This version was recorded live in 2019 across two evenings at the Teatro Romollo Valli de Reggio Emilia. Ottavio Dantone favoured mainly Baroque Italian voices without resorting to falsettists who, in his opinion, are too often used to replace the castrati of the past. The tendency to use countertenors for every purpose seems to be declining in favour of offering a better historical perspective. As such, Ottavio Dantone gave the main role of Serse to Arianna Vendittelli and her beautiful soprano voice, whose tone really captures the character’s fragility.Under the direction of its conductor, the Accademia Bizantina perfectly reflects the varied colours of this well-known work thanks to their clear attacks which beautifully emphasize the score’s many bravura arias. As for the young cast assembled for the occasion, they’re simply perfect. Monica Piccini excels in the role of Monica whilst the bright, clear voice of Francesca Aspromonte is perfect for the role of Atlanta. Alto Delphine Galou shines as Amaster, and the hilarious Elviro is flawlessly interpreted by Biagio Pizzuti. © François Hudry/Qobuz

Tinariwen strip rock down to its basic building blocks of rhythm, guitars, and voice. On their second CD there are no fancy studio tricks or multiple overdubs. They stick to what they've shown they do well -- keep the music raw and emotional. While there are similarities to the desert blues of Mali, these Tuareg nomads from the Western Sahara are as much as rock band as the Stones at their best, capable of conjuring up magic with a guitar riff or lick. Oftentimes, the music has the same bluesy, undulating, hypnotic rhythm of a camel crossing the sand, as on "Aldhechen Manin." But they can also crank the amps and unleash something to tingle the spine and feet, which they do on "Oualahila Ar Tesninam," as frantic and primal a piece of rock & roll as you're likely to find. There's even a touch of rap on "Arawan." But there's a complexity in their basic approach, the interlocking layers of electric guitars and the plaintive, defiant voices. To listen to Tinariwen is to believe once more in rock and its power. This is angry and passionate; it's dangerous music in the very best sense. Western bands might have forgotten how to rock as if their lives depended on it; Tinariwen can teach them. © Chris Nickson /TiVo

Conductor Leonard Slatkin has recorded Aaron Copland's much-loved Rodeo before, with the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra for Angel in the early 1990s. That recording was quite popular in its day, but this new collection of four dance pieces, representative of Slatkin's late-career flowering in Detroit, is at least its equal. One advantage is the inclusion of the little-performed Dance Panels (1959/1962), a transitional work between Copland's populist manner and his full-scale capitulation to modernist diktat. Slatkin actually makes a good case for it here, with vigorous rhythms cutting through the extended harmonies piled atop the composer's characteristic infectious tunes. Slatkin and the Detroit Symphony also do very well with Rodeo. Slatkin fills in a lot of the musical spaces with small details that add spiky, angular rhythms, reserving the full payoff for the final Hoe Down movement. El Salón México also receives an attractive performance, with only the Danzón Cubano of 1942 lacking something in the way of rhythmic zip. The work of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, an organization that reached the brink of disaster and has returned, is also worthy of note; there are few junctures where you can know that you are dealing with a group of preponderantly young players. No doubt Slatkin deserves the lion's share of the credit for this: he has forged an interpretation attuned to the capabilities of the organization he's working with: urgent, a bit rough. The ensemble sounds great in its longstanding home, downtown Detroit's Orchestra Hall, with contributions from the hall's house engineer, Matt Pons. Well worth the time even of those wondering whether they need yet more Copland. © TiVo

First issued in 2004, the Finnish metallers' fifth album, and most successful to date, was the last to feature vocalist Tarja Turunen (before she was replaced by Annette Olzon on 2007's Dark Passion Play) and saw the band continue to move away from their power metal origins toward a more symphonic sound. 2021's deluxe, remastered, and expanded reissue includes an instrumental version of the album, demos, and alternate versions, and a live set from the 2005 Taubertal Festival in Rothenburg, Germany.© John D. Buchanan /TiVo

Hand it to Tinariwen. Like the nomads they are, they don't stand still musically. On their third album (the title translates as Water Is Life), they keep the root intact, the desert blues still at the heart of all they do, but this builds upon what they achieved on their superb sophomore disc, happily restless and unafraid of walking down new paths. However, although they're rightly lauded for their widescreen blues sound, what emerges most here is something they hinted at on the last record -- they're a remarkable rock & roll band, too. The guitars, locked together in rhythm and lead, create a glorious syncopated noise that puts most rockers to shame. But there's a wonderful looseness to the sound (kudos to producer Justin Adams), in part due to the fact that these tracks were all recorded over just two weeks, a tiny time frame by today's standards. Recorded in the Malian capital of Bamako, these songs arrive with dust on their boots and a little thirsty. The studio touches are subtle, a little on the effects here and there, but never detract from the music -- which even features old member Mohammed Ag Itlale, whose voice and guitar can be heard on several tracks.© Chris Nickson /TiVo