The only true Purcell opera – the others considered to be semi-operas, a format closer to musical theatre – Dido & Aeneas is a masterpiece that offers such musical density that the piece was destined to radically influence the tastes of English society, which quickly embraced the arrival of entirely sung operas. The work was created in London in 1896, in a version that was surely more complete than the one that we possess today, according to the libretto by Nahum Tate which mentions a prologue of music that has since been lost. Taking on the myth of The Aeneid, the opera is a loose adaptation of Book IV of the work by Virgil. The British ensemble La Nuova Musica – whose recording of Couperin’s “Tenebrae Readings for Holy Wednesday” on harmonia mundi we so admired in 2016 – offers us a luminous and balanced version of the work, accompanied by a cast of top-notch soloists, Fleur Barron and Matthew Brook being first in line. A record released by PentaTone, this sneak preview is presented exclusively by Qobuz for download until September 21, 2023. © Pierre Lamy/Qobuz

Many observers were prepared to write off the B-52's after the release of Bouncing Off the Satellites. Granted, the album was completed in the wake of Ricky Wilson's death, but the group appeared bereft of new musical ideas and were sounding rather stale. In other words, the last thing anyone expected was a first-class return to form, which is what they got with Cosmic Thing. Working with producers Don Was and Nile Rodgers, the B-52's updated their sound with shiny new surfaces and deep, funky grooves -- it was the same basic pattern as before, only refurbished and contemporized. Just as importantly, they had their best set of songs since at least Wild Planet, possibly since their debut. "Cosmic Thing" and "Channel Z" were great up-tempo rockers; "Roam" had a groovy beat blessed with a great Cindy Wilson vocal; and "Deadbeat Club" was one of their rare successful reflective numbers. Then there was "Love Shack," an irresistible dance number with delightfully silly lyrics and hooks as big as a whale that unbelievably gave the group a long-awaited Top Ten hit. The thing is, Cosmic Thing would already have been considered a triumphant return without its commercial success. The big sales were just the icing on the cake.© Stephen Thomas Erlewine /TiVo

Purcell’s The Fairy Queen is based on Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, a play not frequently performed in the late 17th century, nor very well regarded (“the most insipid ridiculous play that ever I saw in my life” – Samuel Pepys’ diary, 1662). Despite this, the play would go on to work well within an opera, as the characters of Pyramus and Thisbe could conjure up singing and dancing accomplices. Purcell’s masterful composition, Gabrieli’s first-class performance, and McCreesh’s superb interpretation demonstrate why their recordings are seen as some of the best in classical music today. Gabrieli are world-renowned interpreters of great vocal and instrumental repertoire, from the Renaissance to the present day. Founded by Paul McCreesh in 1982, Gabrieli have both outgrown and remained true to their original identity: whilst the ensemble’s repertoire has expanded beyond any expectation, McCreesh’s ever-questioning spirit, expressive musicianship and a healthy degree of iconoclasm remain constant and are reflected in the ensemble’s dynamic performances. Gabrieli’s repertoire includes major works of the oratorio tradition, virtuosic a cappella programmes and mould-breaking reconstructions of music for historical events. Above all, Gabrieli aims to create thought-provoking performances which stand out from the crowd. © Signum Records

1985 was the apex of a remarkable period of transition for Sonic Youth. In late 1984, the band had made an explicit decision to abandon the approach and material of their previous three years of existence and determine a new path forward. While their early performances were rooted in a confrontational, noise-for-noise's-sake ethos that endeared them to the denizens of New York City's Lower East Side, the band knew that they had the ability and inclination to create something weirder and more transgressive: fusing avant-garde dissonance, punk rock aggression, and melodically strong compositions. Legend has it that Sonic Youth detuned all of their guitars and junked all of their early equipment so they would be unable to play their old material and would be forced to start from scratch. The result of that rebirth was 1985's Bad Moon Rising, the first truly "song-based" record from Sonic Youth; while there was still plenty of feedback and unformed noise on the record, cuts like "I Love Her All the Time" and "Brave Men Run (In My Family)" were undoubtedly the most "normal" songs the band had ever made, while the album-closing "Death Valley '69" with Lydia Lunch gamely proved that they were also unashamed to indulge in some four-on-the-floor punk rock. Bad Moon Rising also was the band's first release via the UK label Blast First–a subsidiary of Mute Records founded by Paul Smith to give UK releases to US underground artists like Sonic Youth, Butthole Surfers, Big Black, and others. Blast First would eventually release five albums by Sonic Youth but  Smith would release an additional one—Walls Have Ears, a collection of live performances from the band's 1985 UK tour—on a "subsidiary" label called Not Records. Walls was released in 1986 (just before EVOL), and the band had no idea it was coming. That lack of permission—and, one would imagine, the relative rawness of the recordings—led to Sonic Youth demanding the album be immediately withdrawn. It was, but not before a few copies leaked out, which, of course led to actual bootleggers, which led to its status as a legendary release coveted by mid-'80s noise-rockers. The three shows represented here—at the University of London Union, Brighton Beach, and Hammersmith Palais—are flecked with the unrepentant, abrasive energy of the group's earliest days, but you can also hear the band working through the dynamics of reshaping their sound to their new approach. Weirdly, the album is chronologically flipped, leading with material from the later autumn shows, with an earlier spring show opening for Nick Cave taking up the second half, making it sound like Sonic Youth is devolving, when in fact the opposite is true. Those Palais songs were the last to feature drummer Bob Bert, who would be replaced by Steve Shelley. The older material like "Making the Nature Scene" (presented here as "Blood on Brighton Beach"), "Kill Yr. Idols," and "Burning Spear" is still quite noisy, but also much more focused, while newer, more dynamic songs like EVOL's "Green Light" (presented here as "Green Love") and "Expressway to Your Skull" are noisier than they would ever be again. While its provenance and scarcity are a big part of its appeal, musically, Walls Have Ears is a remarkable document of the band's transition into the Sonic Youth most people know, making it an essential (re-)addition to the band's discography. © Jason Ferguson/Qobuz

These two guitarists -- one an elder statesman, the other still a relatively young man in the midst of a stellar career -- are such a natural fit that it's amazing no one's thought of getting them together for a duo album before. Both play with a gentle touch and sweet tone, and both are capable of challenging experimentation, though each have spent most of their time in one mainstream tradition or another (Jim Hall in straight-ahead jazz, Pat Metheny in jazz-rock fusion). On this disc they focus on original compositions (Metheny's "Farmer's Trust" and "Into the Dream," Hall's "Cold Spring" and "Waiting to Dance"), but there are also tunes by Jerome Kern and Steve Swallow as well as the inevitable rendition of "Summertime." Their interplay is nothing short of astounding, and the five improvisational pieces scattered throughout the program sometimes sound as organized as the standards. The mood does get a little bit samey after a while, and the complete lack of high frequencies in both guitarists' tones might leave you wondering if you've got water in your ear. But overall, this really is a wonderful album.© Rick Anderson /TiVo

It was at the Haute École de Musique de Genève (where he studied with Nathalie Stutzmann) that countertenor Jonas Descotte founded Les Argonautes, an ensemble specialising in Baroque music. Although Descotte structures the core of the interpretations, he aims to give his musicians maximum musical freedom in their search for meaningful detail.The name of his ensemble wasn’t chosen at random. It pays homage to the Argos—celebrated as the first ship to sail the seas—and refers to his own family's six-year epic voyage around the Atlantic on a catamaran. The story behind the Argonauts seems to be a perfect metaphor for the philosophy of the ensemble and its leader's own experience: strong-willed heroes with their own individual achievements, whose resources are channelled and are themselves guided by Jonas.Jonas Descotte and his Argonauts have crossed the Channel, at least symbolically, for this very lively version of Dido and Aeneas, which is considered to be the first opera, or semi-opera, composed in England. Recorded in Geneva at the Temple de Chêne-Bougeries in 2021, Purcell's masterpiece condenses the full range of human emotion into less than an hour, employing multiple forms and combining comedy with tragedy. Jonas Descottes has constructed his programme judiciously and follows this short opera with extracts from Circe, where the evocation of hell provides an excellent epilogue to the tragedy of the lovers of Carthage. © François Hudry/Qobuz

In the program notes for this recording of Dido and Aeneas, conductor Leonardo García Alarcón makes a persuasive scholarly and analytical case for his many unconventional performance choices, but listeners should be forewarned that this is not a version of the opera for the faint of heart or for committed traditionalists. Most noticeably, this performance, which features the Geneva-based ensembles La Nouvelle Ménestrandie and Cappella Mediterranea, makes Dido and Aeneas seem like a very big opera, something on the order of Il Trovatore in its wrenching intensity, if not in its length. Alarcón's augmentation of the orchestra with oboes and bassoons doubling the strings in some places, as he argues Purcell would have done, is partly accountable for its enlarged sense of scale. Equally significant is the ferocity with which both the singers and players tear into their parts and the extremity of some of the characterizations. Dido and the Sorceress, for instance, express their anguish and hatred, respectively, by bending pitches to a degree rarely heard in "classical" music settings, and the Witches sing in creaky, crone-like character voices. It should be remembered that "baroque" was originally a term of derision meaning something misshapen or distorted, the equivalent of wagging the finger and saying, "you've gone too far this time!" That may be exactly the reaction of some listeners, but whether you're appalled or beguiled, this is a Dido and Aeneas that's likely to keep you on the edge of your seat with suspense. Few performances of the opera have so clearly delineated its arch-shaped trajectory; it opens with Dido lamenting the possibility of Aeneas' inconstancy and ends with her lamenting its actuality, and in this recording just about everything that transpires between the laments happens at a fever pitch of musical and dramatic tension. The fact that Alarcón is able to create and sustain the performance's intensity is a testimony not only to his vision and skill but to the willingness of the musicians to throw themselves so wholeheartedly into the venture. Every role, even the smallest, demonstrates the singers' investment in their parts. They all sing beautifully and powerfully, and manage to convey a verismo-like theatricality while operating (more or less) within the bounds of accepted Baroque performance practice. Aeneas can easily come across as a cipher, but Alejandro Meerapfel gives him substance, someone about whom the Queen of Carthage could believably get worked up. Countertenor Fabián Schofrin is a weird, sinister Sorceress. As Belinda, Yeree Suh sings with exceptional warmth, clarity, and sweetness. Solenn' Lavanant Linke's soprano is sumptuous and creamy, and she makes a regal but womanly Dido. The orchestra plays with aching expressivity and the continuo realizations are marvelously inventive. The recording is vividly present and is miked at a high level for a classical album, which also contributes to its unusually large sense of scale. Highly recommended.© TiVo

Since 2020, Margret Koell, a proven specialist in historical harps, has been in possession of a Welsh triple harp. It is a copy of an instrument by the famous harp maker Evans, whose original from 1736 is kept in the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. This wonderful harp was the occasion for the present recording with works by the two famous British composers John Dowland and Henry Purcell. Despite the long harp tradition on the British Isles, there is no original literature for the harp from this period. Margret Koell had to resort to literature for lute or keyboard instruments, which she makes sound on the harp without major changes. The pieces by Dowland and Purcell are characterised by a melancholy that was popular in their time, often combined with a light, dance-like impression. Margret Koell takes us on a "silent dance", into the mood of a fading early autumn summer day. © Accent

With keyboardist Skolnick gone, FZ continued as a trio, recording this wonderfully dark album filled with political intrigue and emotional hang-ups (making personal feelings political and vice versa). Eschewing some of their earlier quirkiness, Watts and Co. were far more direct and serious. Whether he was portraying the crazed fan ("Marliese"), the guilty survivor of a suicide ("Wristcutter's Lullabye"), or providing social and political commentary ("Berlin," "Red Skies Over Paradise," "Cruise Missiles"), Watts' lyrics were biting, but the melodies didn't hit home quite as often as the previous album. The overwhelming response that this album received in Europe paved the way for Watts to leave home and go solo. Thus endeth Fischer-Z's original lineup.© Steve Schnee /TiVo

A French Touch icon thanks to the track Starlight, The Supermen Lovers’ first album is above all a disco record that landed just at the right time. At least this is what we can take from the story behind the aforementioned hit, told by the man behind the project, Guillaume Atman: “I felt that I had a very strong track but it lacked a voice. The things that started to work in French Touch all had gimmicks and I thought that the next step should be a song. I composed the vocal melodies in gibberish and then called a friend, Mani Hoffman, who had never sang but had a good voice, we wrote and recorded the lyrics in the bathroom.” The track was a worldwide hit, from Norway to New Zealand, and the rest of the album naturally followed suit. An augmented disco free ride, between funky bass, soul vocals and dance floor tracks (Hard Stuff (Get Your Ticket for a Ride), Party’z Up). There’s a nod towards Daft Punk on the ten minute (mostly house due to its thump) Dance With You where his voice uses a talk box. A whole era condensed into one record. © Smaël Bouaici/Qobuz

Until the late 1680s, Henry Purcell composed almost exclusively for the royal court. But when the monarchy decided to reduce its expenditure on music in 1690, he joined the United Company, a London theatre company, and devoted himself to composing for its productions. These took varied forms, with operas such as King Arthur (1691), The Fairy Queen (1692) and The Indian Queen (1695) but also spoken plays with music, such as The Virtuous Wife (1695). Some excerpts from these works are presented in "Tyrannic Love". Compositions by Purcell’s colleagues or followers John Blow, John Eccles, Jeremiah Clarke and Daniel Purcell complete the programme. This recording marks the beginning of the collaboration between Alpha and the ensemble Les Surprises, founded in 2010, which takes its name from Les Surprises de l’Amour by Rameau, the group’s emblematic composer. Under the artistic direction of Louis-Noël Bestion de Camboulas, who is also an organist and harpsichordist, the ensemble presents innovative interpretations and explores the rich orchestral sonorities made possible by the use of Baroque instruments. © Alpha Classics