Performed for the first time in its original uncut version, this production of Guillaume Tell was the jewel in the crown of the 25-year history of the ‘Rossini in Wildbad’ opera festival. Rossini’s final, great, operatic masterpiece is a story of liberation, the oppressed Swiss attaining their ideal of emancipation by hounding the tyrannical Habsburgs out of their country. Although it was composed for the complex demands of the Paris Opéra, numerous dances, choruses and arias were dropped for reasons of practicality. These are restored in the present recording which also includes the stunning finale of the shorter 1831 version of the opera.

Muse to the Parisian literary scene of the '50s, godmother of songwriter-led '60s French pop, and a self-reinventing torch singer from the '70s until now, Juliette Gréco is one of the great French recording artists of the 20th century. Born in Montpellier in 1929, Gréco was classically trained at the Paris Opera as a youngster. Forced to flee Paris at the outbreak of the Second World War, and practically orphaned when her mother was jailed for her resistance to the Nazis in 1943, Gréco then sought refuge with her former French teacher in the St. Germain des Prés quarter of Paris.

Diva is an entertaining and attractively packaged compilation of Angela Gheorghiu's EMI recordings made between 1996 and 2002. All of the selections have appeared on previous releases, but some of them only in the context of complete operas. As a one-disc snapshot of Gheorghiu's career so far, Diva does pretty well, and it would make a good first choice for anyone looking to get to know her work.

Vocalion's reissue of classic easy-listening album by Paul Mauriat and His Orchestra, originally released in 1976 on the Philips label. Remastered from the original analogue stereo tapes for Vocalion's trademark crystal-clear sound. French composer/conductor Paul Mauriat is a classically trained musician who decided to pursue a career in popular music. His first major success came in 1962, as a co-writer of the European hit "Chariot." In 1963, the song was given English lyrics, renamed "I Will Follow Him," and became a number one American hit for Little Peggy March. Mauriat is best remembered for his 1968 worldwide smash "Love Is Blue."

The motives for leaving a work of music incomplete can be many and they are not always known. Donizetti began working on Le Duc d'Albe in 1839, in view of a staging at the Opéra of Paris. The project, however, was temporarily put aside. Towards the end of 1840, the soprano Rosine Stolz, then the undisputed star of the Opéra, categorically refused to play the role of Hélène in Le Duc d'Albe, which for all intents and purposes marked the demise of the opera. The dispute had even legal consequences, with the impresario of the Opéra, Léon Pillet. Donizetti gradually abandoned the work; then his health deteriorated to the point that he could no longer compose, and the opera was left unfinished, with some parts fully orchestrated and others for which we have no musical indication whatsoever.

Leonard Cohen, who liked to call himself a 'chansonnier,' grew up in French‐speaking Montreal, Canada. He is appreciated both as a poet and for his sensitivity to combining words and music. This project connects Cohen musically and poetically with previous generations of songwriters. Orlando di Lasso's famous 16th century chanson Susanne un jour meets Cohen's Suzanne. Josquin des Prez's Adieu mes amours or courtly dances published by Pierre Attaingnant in Paris in 1529 combine with Cohen's songs and the eras converge. With knowledge of Renaissance musical practices, new diminutions on Cohen's music emerge, including original chordal accompaniments for viola da gamba or lute based on late 16th and 17th century models.

Sings Evergreens is a compilation of recordings by French singer Amanda Lear, released in 2005 by Dance Street. Sings Evergreens contains cover versions recorded between the years 1977 and 2005, including the most recent single "Copacabana" and the re-recorded duet version of "I'll Miss You" with German-Spanish singer Manuel Sanchez from his 2005 album Ambitious (ZYX Music). The only non-cover version is "Dreamer (South Pacific)", recorded by Lear for her album Never Trust a Pretty Face in 1978. The track fades out and finishes at 3:04, although liner notes state it is the full 5:13 album version. The Sings Evergreens compilation was issued shortly before the release of With Love, Lear's 2006 studio album consisting exclusively of new recordings of evergreens and jazz standards, originally performed by some of her favourite female vocalists.

Two classic easy-listening albums by Paul Mauriat and His Orchestra, originally released in 1977 and 1978 on the Philips label, together on one CD and remastered from the original analogue stereo tapes for Vocalion's trademark crystal-clear sound.

On 29 November 1863 Giacomo Meyerbeer noted in his journal, "Worked seven hours: the last scene with Selica is instrumented and revised, and with it the score of Vasco completed. May God bless the work and grant it a dazzling and enduring success." Meyerbeer called the opera completed by him four months prior to his death Vasco de Gama, but it came to be known to posterity as L’Africaine (The African Woman). Now how did this happen? Meyerbeer had been working on the opera since 1837, and L’Africaine was its original title. Eugène Scribe’s libretto told the story of an African princess who unhappily falls in love with a Portuguese naval officer. After some initial enthusiasm Meyerbeer soon had his doubts about the subject.

Iolanda Cristina Gigliotti, professionally known as Dalida, was a French singer and actress, born in Egypt to Italian parents. She won the Miss Egypt beauty contest in 1954 and began a 31-year singing career in 1956, selling 170 million albums and singles worldwide. Dalida earned 45 gold record awards and a pair of platinum records for her sales in Europe, the Middle East, and Japan, and was the first singer to receive a diamond disc.. A superstar in France and much of the rest of Europe, Dalida enjoyed hit records in three different decades.

Two classic easy-listening albums by Paul Mauriat and His Orchestra, originally released in 1966 and 1967 on the Philips label, together on one CD and remastered from the original analogue stereo tapes for Vocalion's trademark crystal-clear sound.