Latest stories
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Ruby Hughes on Clytemnestra
4th Mar 2020
The British soprano talks to Katherine about her new album featuring Rhian Samuel's Aeschylus-inspired monodrama and song-cycles by Mahler and Berg, out now on BIS.
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Presto Editor's Choices - February 2020
1st Mar 2020
A captivating collection of English song from Carolyn Sampson and Joseph Middleton, a Spanish postcard from Offenbach, and a weird and wonderful Skalkottas anthology from Athens.
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New Release Round-Up - 28th February 2020
28th Feb 2020
Schoenberg from Isabelle Faust and friends, Beethoven from the Capuçon Brothers and Frank Braley, Offenbach’s Spanish operetta Maître Péronilla, and an all-star Porgy & Bess from the Metropolitan Opera.
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Charles Hubert Parry's Judith from William Vann and the London Mozart Players
21st Feb 2020
Parry’s 1888 oratorio on the Apocryphal tale of an avenging Jewish widow emerges as a worthy successor to Mendelssohn’s Elijah in this gripping world premiere recording with Sarah Fox, Kathryn Rudge and Toby Spence.
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Hamish Milne (1939-2020)
18th Feb 2020
The British pianist, who was particularly associated with the music of Nikolai Medtner, has died aged 80.
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Reinbert de Leeuw (1938-2020)
17th Feb 2020
The Dutch pianist, conductor and composer has died aged 81.
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Kurtág: Complete Works for Ensemble and Choir
Netherlands Radio Choir (chorus), Natalia Zagorinskaya (soprano), Gerrie de Vries (mezzo-soprano), Yves Saelens (tenor), Harry van der Kamp (bass), Jean-Guihen Queyras (cello), Elliott Simpson (guitar), Tamara Stefanovich (piano), Csaba Király (pianino, spoken word) Asko | Schoenberg Ensemble, Reinbert de Leeuw
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Paavo Järvi on the NHK Symphony Orchestra
13th Feb 2020
Ahead of the release of their album of Bartók on Sony Classical tomorrow, the Japanese orchestra's Chief Conductor talks to Katherine about expanding their twentieth-century and contemporary repertoire and his plans for their future together.
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Kate Lindsey on Arianna
11th Feb 2020
The American mezzo (currently starring as Nerone in Handel's Agrippina at the Metropolitan Opera) talks to Katherine about her new recording of cantatas by Alessandro Scarlatti, Handel and Haydn, released last month on Alpha.
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Nello Santi (1931-2020)
10th Feb 2020
The Italian opera conductor, who was one of the finest Verdi and Puccini interpreters of the twentieth century, has died aged 88.
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Mascagni: Cavalleria rusticana & Leoncavallo: Pagliacci
Eileen Farrell (Santuzza), Richard Tucker (Turiddu), Cesare Bardelli (Alfio), Mildred Miller (Lola), Lili Chookasian (Mamma Lucia), Franco Corelli (Canio), Lucine Amara (Nedda), Anselmo Colzani (Tonio), Franco Ghitti (Beppe), Calvin Marsh (Silvio) Orchestra and Chorus of the Metropolitan Opera, Nello Santi
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Mirella Freni (1935-2020)
10th Feb 2020
The Italian soprano, who was widely recognised as one of the finest Verdi and Puccini singers of the twentieth century, has died aged 84.
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Puccini: La Bohème
Mirella Freni (Mimi), Luciano Pavarotti (Rodolfo), Nicolai Ghiaurov (Colline), Elizabeth Harwood (Musetta), Rolando Panerai (Marcello), Gianni Maffeo (Schaunard), Michel Sénéchal (Alcindoro/Benoit), Gernot Pietsch (Parpignol) Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, Herbert von Karajan
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Cherubini from Riccardo Chailly and Filarmonica della Scala
7th Feb 2020
The Italian conductor and orchestra present nine world premiere recordings of occasional marches alongside energetic accounts of the Overture in G minor and Symphony.
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Peter Serkin (1947-2020)
6th Feb 2020
The American pianist, who was as renowned for his work with contemporary composers as for his period-instrument performances of Mozart and Beethoven, has died aged 72.
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Presto Editor's Choices - January 2020
31st Jan 2020
An eloquent, gently moving debut from the young Swedish violinist Johan Dalene, French connections from John Wilson, and a terrific triptych of Ariannas from American mezzo Kate Lindsey.
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Handel's Agrippina starring Joyce DiDonato
31st Jan 2020
The American mezzo sings the title role of the scheming Roman matriarch in a starrily-cast recording of Handel's early opera with Il Pomo d'Oro, conducted by Maxim Emelyanychev.
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Franz Mazura (1924-2020)
25th Jan 2020
The Austrian bass-baritone, who was especially renowned for his Wagner roles and made his final appearance in Die Meistersinger only last April, has died aged 95.
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Berg: Lulu
Teresa Stratas (Lulu), Yvonne Minton (Gräfin Geschwitz), Franz Mazura (Dr Schön), Kenneth Riegel (Alwa), Toni Blankenheim (Schigolch/Der Medizinalrat/Ein Polizeikommissär), Robert Tear (Der Maler/Der Neger) Orchestre de l'Opéra de Paris, Pierre Boulez
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Xavier Sabata on Winterreise
20th Jan 2020
The Catalan countertenor talks to Katherine about taking 'a trip into the darkness of the mind' on his recording of Schubert's great song-cycle, released before Christmas on Berlin Classics.
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Charpentier from Vox Luminis, A Nocte Temporis and Reinoud Van Mechelen
17th Jan 2020
The two Belgian early music ensembles pool their resources for two very different works depicting Orpheus's descent to the underworld, with Van Mechelen on outstanding form as the intrepid hero in each case.
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Lines Written During a Sleepless Night: The Russian Connection
3rd Jan 2020
The young British soprano Louise Alder traces her family history through a programme of Rachmaninov, Grieg, Medtner, Sibelius, Tchaikovsky and Britten, with superb support from Joseph Middleton.
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James Hall on Elegy
11th Dec 2019
The young British countertenor talks to Katherine about his career to date and his recent album of duets by Purcell and Blow with Iestyn Davies and The King's Consort.
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Angela Gheorghiu on Plaisir d'amour
8th Dec 2019
On the 25th anniversary of the BBC broadcast of her landmark Traviata from Covent Garden, the Romanian soprano reminisces about the production with Katherine and discusses her new recording on Decca Classics.
