Opera virtuoso Andra Bocelli's first ever album of popular music, Amore, was a resounding success when it came out last year. Featuring songs from a range of artists (Edith Piaf, Luis Miguel, Elvis Presley, Frank Sinatra) and eras, and performed by Bocelli in Italian, Spanish and French, the album also featured a stellar lineup of musicians and oozed not a little charm and romance. Under ...
Bond is back. The all-girl string quartet which rocked the classical establishment back in 2000 has returned with a second album, Shine. Bond's first disc, Born, was famously banned from the classical charts--it was crossover alright, but crossed over a bit too much to still be considered a classical release. Shine, however, is unashamedly popular from start to finish. Don't ...
The cheesy title may raise a smile and may make you slightly dubious about this two-disc set. But The Only Choral Album You'll Ever Need is a combination of fine vintage recordings and (sometimes) cheeky programming. For example, Mahler's Symphony No. 8--the ultimate in late-romantic hyperbole--is followed by the opening of Monteverdi's Vespers, effectively a baroque composer's ...