Bbc Concert

This disc presents a survey of music by Finnish composer Toivo Kuula, a pupil of Sibelius. Best-known for his songs and choral music, Kuula s arresting orchestral music draws heavily on folk influences and constitutes some of the most striking Finnish music of its time. Renowned soprano Susan Gritton and the BBC Concert Orchestra under the inspired baton of Martyn Brabbins give spellbinding accounts of this gloriously colorful repertoire.

Gary Boyle formed the jazz-rock band, Isotope, in 1973, recruiting three other stalwarts from the jazz field; Nigel Morris, Brian Miller & Jeff Clyne (ex Nucleus). Gary and Nigel had previously been part of Stomu Yamash'ta's band, East Wind. Prior to that, Gary had worked with Dusty Springfield, Brian Auger & Julie Driscoll. Isotope released three albums during the mid 70s, which gained wide acclaim and favourable comparisons with John McLaughlin's Mahavishnu Orchestra. This compilation is comprised of an Isotope BBC concert and an Old Grey Whistle Test show, plus a Gary Boyle session recorded for John Peel. None of these recordings have ever been released before…

BBC in Concert is one of those miraculous archival finds that one just can't anticipate and dares not hope for. Apart from Yes (always the exception to a lot of rules), very few progressive rock bands managed to get themselves recorded live under optimum conditions, much less so early in their careers…

Paice Ashton Lord was a short-lived British rock band featuring Deep Purple band members Ian Paice and Jon Lord with singer Tony Ashton. The band was formed in 1976, released its only album in 1977 and broke up in 1978. Recorded in 1977, on the tails of the post-Deep Purple supergroup's Malice In Wonderland album, this extremely well-recorded broadcast catches the trio (and friends) stretching out in directions that the album itself never managed. On vinyl, after all, PAL sounded constricted, forever teetering on the brink of a no-holds-barred jam, but never quite mustering the strength to leap in. On stage, however, the improvisational instincts that Paice and Lord had built their very reputations upon were given full rein to spread and stretch…

Katie Derham introduces this year's traditional spectacular concert from the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra in the gardens of Schonbrunn Palace. There's a distinctly French flavour to the evening with music from Bizet, Berlioz, Poulenc and Ravel, and a special appearance from the world-renowned French piano duo the Labeque sisters. The concert is conducted for the first time by Semyon Bychkov who, though Russian-born, is an honorary Frenchman on account of his being married to Marielle Labeque.