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James Longstaffe
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James is a conductor, répétiteur, arranger, and tuba player. His musical interests include opera, film music, late-Romantic orchestral works (especially Mahler and Richard Strauss), and twentieth-century American composers such as Copland, John Adams, and John Williams. He read Music at Christ Church, Oxford, writing his postgraduate dissertation on the music of Star Wars.
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New Music Book Publications - June 2025
A selection of Hector Berlioz's music criticism, a paperback edition of a book exploring Rachmaninoff's life after moving to the USA, books on composers including Brahms, Purcell, Manuel de Falla and Margaret Bonds, an examination of the musicals of Cole Porter, a survey of the classical concert scene in Nazi Germany, plus a selection of recent music fiction books by Martha Jean Johnson, Michael Ball, and Will Fraser.
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Edward Gardner on the LPO, Tippett, and Britten
The British conductor talks about his memories of conducting the London Philharmonic Orchestra for the very first time, why he chose an opera by Tippett for his first concert as their Principal Conductor back in 2021, and his new album of works by Benjamin Britten.
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Klaus Mäkelä conducts Berlioz and Ravel
The Finnish conductor and the Orchestre de Paris present an incredibly colourful and terrifying reading of Berlioz's Symphonie fantastique alongside a riotously chaotic account of Ravel's La valse.
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John Wilson completes his cycle of Rachmaninoff symphonies
John Wilson and Sinfonia of London present the third and final album in their survey of Rachmaninoff’s symphonies, offering a dramatic reading of the early Symphony No. 1 (notoriously a disaster at its first performance in 1895) alongside an exquisite account of the Symphonic Dances.
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New Music Book Publications - May 2025
The official guide to this summer's BBC Proms season, two books by cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason, a memoir by Sheku's mother Kadiatu about what it means to grow up as a Black artist today, paperback reissues of Harvey Sachs's book on Schoenberg and Susan Tomes's exploration of women at the piano, a collection of essays on Wagner, a book telling the story of Polish music during and after the Holocaust, and a limited edition volume reproducing issues of the 1960s Californian rock music newspaper, World Countdown.
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Simon Rattle conducts Janáček's Jenůfa
Continuing their survey of Janáček's operas, Simon Rattle and the London Symphony Orchestra bring out the tenderness present throughout much of the score, alongside exceptional performances by Agneta Eichenholz, Nicky Spence, Aleš Briscein, and Katarina Karnéus.
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Janáček: Jenůfa
Agneta Eichenholz (Jenůfa), Katarina Karnéus (Kostelnička), Aleš Briscein (Laca), Nicky Spence (Števa), Jan Martiník (Starek, the Foreman/Mayor), Carole Wilson (Grandmother Buryjovka) London Symphony Orchestra & Chorus, Sir Simon Rattle
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New Music Book Publications - April 2025
Biographies of composer Gustav Mahler and choreographer Martha Graham, a book telling the story of the Women's Orchestra of Auschwitz, a new paperback edition of Robert Philip's A Little History of Music, a guide to JS Bach's Well-Tempered Clavier, an analysis of Beethoven's violin sonatas, two books on medieval music, a new edition of Kofi Agawu's classic text on musical semiotics, and an exploration of the music of Duke Ellington.
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Shostakovich Concertos and Symphonies from Andris Nelsons
For the fiftieth anniversary of Shostakovich's death, Deutsche Grammophon have gathered together all fifteen of the composer's symphonies performed by the Boston Symphony Orchestra and their music director, alongside new recordings of all six concertos and the opera, Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk District.
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New Music Book Publications - March 2025
An exploration of the relationship between Edward Elgar and Adrian Boult, a biography of pianist Myra Hess, a memoir from Thomas W. Morris, former chief executive of major American orchestras, a primer on the liturgical traditions of early medieval Spain, a cultural history of the violin and its importance in nineteenth-century London, an examination of the impact of artificial intelligence on music, and books on jazz artists such as Ella Fitzgerald and Miles Davis.
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Paavo Järvi on Mahler
As he embarks upon a cycle of Mahler’s symphonies with the Tonhalle Orchester Zürich, Estonian conductor Paavo Järvi talks about his early exposure to the composer’s music listening at home to recordings with his father, and how Mahler’s own experience as a conductor helps inform interpreters of his music today.
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John Wilson and Sinfonia of London perform works by William Walton
A characterful collection of works including a suite from Troilus and Cressida alongside the overture Portsmouth Point and a dazzling account of the Violin Concerto performed by the orchestra's leader, Charlie Lovell-Jones.
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New Music Book Publications - February 2025
An analysis of Mahler's symphonies, a paperback reissue of a biography of Sibelius, an exploration of the role of music in the Third Reich, a limited edition book collecting press releases of records from the 1960s and 70s, a guide to cello repertoire, an introduction to the orchestra for young children, a collection of writings by Hungarian musician Ernst von Dohnányi, an exploration of how David Lynch's films engaged with musical traditions, and the history and aesthetics of the musical avant-garde.
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Simon Rattle conducts Mahler's Seventh Symphony
The Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra and their Chief Conductor continue their survey of Mahler’s symphonies with this live recording of the Seventh Symphony, replete with characterful, vivid woodwind playing and gloriously majestic contributions from the trumpets.
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New Music Book Publications - January 2025
A biography of John Dowland, a companion to Leonard Bernstein's West Side Story, an exploration of the history of Benjamin Britten's The Turn of the Screw on stage and screen, a guide to the 2016 film musical La La Land, the reception history of Bach's Goldberg Variations, and an examination of the importance of the therapeutic power of music as medicine.
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New Music Book Publications - 11th December 2024
A biography of lyricist Ira Gershwin, an exploration of the relationship of Wagner's music dramas to the philosophical and cultural ideas of his time, a companion to music in Australia, a study of Robert Schumann's chamber music, and a collection of essays questioning the concept of the composer in the middle ages.
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Music Book Publications of the Year - Winners 2024
After our awards ceremony in Leamington Spa last night, we are delighted to announce the five winners of our music book publications of 2024.
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Music Book Publications of the Year - Finalists 2024
In anticipation of our upcoming Presto Music Awards on 5th December, we have released our shortlist of ten music book finalists in contention for an award.
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Christmas Gift Ideas for Readers
Not sure what to get the music-loving reader in your life as a Christmas present? Here are our gift suggestions from books published within the past twelve months, including composer biographies, publications on opera and music history, and books about Christmas carols.
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Florian Sempey sings of medieval knights and legends
The French baritone explores his family's lineage of blacksmithery to present an eclectic album centred around the theme of knights from the Middle Ages, with pieces by Wagner, Donizetti, and Carl Orff sitting alongside more unfamiliar works by Meyerbeer, Grétry, Vincent d'Indy, and Ambroise Thomas.
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New Music Book Publications - 13th November 2024
The story behind the composition of one of the great operatic masterpieces of the nineteenth century, Wagner's Der Ring des Nibelungen; an appraisal of Elgar's choral work, The Music Makers; a compilation of letters between composer John McCabe and various eminent composers and performers around the world; a companion to the electric guitar; and the latest edition of The Rare Record Price Guide.
