Breathless (2008

Alfred Schnittke's Second Concerto Grosso is a different creature than his First. While the 1977 Concerto Grosso No. 1 for 2 Violins, Strings and Keyboards is a lithe, vicious, often comical work, the Second, finished five years later, is a weightier affair. The soloists are now violin and cello; the Baroque band is now a full orchestra with electric guitar, drum kit, and brake drum; there are four large movements rather than six smaller ones; the entire work is imbued with an air of sincere tragedy, albeit with mud on its shoes. Schnittke dedicated the work to its premiere soloists, husband-and-wife duo Oleg Kagan (violin) and Natalia Gutman (cello); famed for their flawless ensemble, the couple inspired in Schnittke a musical air of companionship – a single soul in two instruments.

Playlist: The Very Best of Quiet Riot features 15 tracks defined on the back jacket as "the life-changing songs, the out-of-print tracks, the hits, the fan favorites everyone loves, and the songs that make the artists who they are." While it may boast little in the way of rare, live, unreleased, or "out-of-print" material, it certainly eclipses 1996's Greatest Hits collection as the most listenable Quiet Riot overview on the market. All 14 tracks (15 is a CD-ROM cut) are culled from the group's three biggest albums – Metal Health (1983), Condition Critical (1984), and QR III (1986) – and while many listeners may only know the group's breakout hit, a cover of Slade's "Cum on Feel the Noize," the band consistently turned out its own quality pop-metal during its mid-'80s heydays.

A little known group, I Leoni, from Tortona (Piemonte, north-west Italy), had a short career that has just left us two singles and an album, all very rare, produced between 1970 and 1971. They were a trio, led by keyboardist/singer Carlo Riccardi, but all their compositions were by another Riccardi, Enrico, that was not a member of the group and was later an important producer (with popular Italian artists like Patty Pravo and Loredana Bertè). Despite being mostly in the melodic prog field, the ten-track album includes some good instrumental breaks, like in the hypnotic "Lo Stregone" (with organ, percussion and latin-sung vocals in a Jacula style) and interesting progressive arrangements like in "Jena Ridens" or the closing "Il Tramonto"…