Latest stories
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Introducing Presto Instruments & Accessories
20th Oct 2020
We are very pleased to be able to announce the latest development on the Presto website: a new department dedicated to musical instruments and accessories.
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New Music Book Publications - 19th October 2020
19th Oct 2020
Biographies of Thomas Tallis and Michael Tippett; a celebration of 150 years of the Royal Albert Hall; a collection of essays in honour of early music scholar Christopher Page; books on the guitar in Georgian England and music in North-East England; the importance of music-making to people on the autism spectrum; and an analysis of performance practice issues in nineteenth-century violin repertoire.
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Giovanni Antonini conducts Haydn's Die Schöpfung
9th Oct 2020
The Italian conductor makes a slight detour from his project to record all of Haydn's symphonies with an incisive, characterful account of the Creation oratorio.
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New Music Book Publications - 5th October 2020
5th Oct 2020
Several volumes marking the 250th anniversary of Beethoven's birth; an analysis of Brahms's violin sonatas; the history and construction of minimalist music; a guide to making your own bassoon reeds; the life and legacy of jazz saxophonist Dexter Gordon; the latest edition of the Rare Record Price Guide; and a handbook on teaching music to students with autism.
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New Music Book Publications - 21st September 2020
21st Sep 2020
Two volumes on Richard Wagner, including the latest book from best-selling author, Alex Ross; an updated biography of Bach from the Master Musicians series; the memoirs of song accompanist, Helmut Deutsch; a companion to more than 400 orchestral works; an historical survey of the Renaissance flute; a collection of essays discussing the concept of rhythm; and a guide to singing in Mandarin.
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New Music Book Publications - 7th September 2020
7th Sep 2020
An introdution to Renaissance polyphony; a memoir by Kadiatu Kanneh-Mason on raising a family of musicians; an examination of the position of music in Tudor and Stuart England; a study of the songs of Johanna Kinkel; the life and music of Nat King Cole; the stories behind the songs of Jimi Hendrix; and collections of photographs of David Bowie and The Beatles.
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Simon Rattle conducts Janáček's Sinfonietta and The Cunning Little Vixen
4th Sep 2020
Simon Rattle conducts the London Symphony Orchestra and a cast including Lucy Crowe and Gerald Finley in an exquisitely characterful performance of Janáček's opera.
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New Music Book Publications - 24th August 2020
24th Aug 2020
Books on the life and music of Beethoven and Chopin; the history of the flageolet in England; a guide to compositional techniques in twenty-first century music; an analysis of the power of the singing voice; an overview of percussion music in the twentieth century; the story of popular music in Japan; punk rock as a reaction to 1980s America; and a look at the economics of the music industry.
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John Williams conducts the Vienna Philharmonic
14th Aug 2020
Joined by violinist Anne-Sophie Mutter, John Williams conducts excerpts from scores such as Star Wars, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, War Horse, Hook, Jurassic Park, Jaws, The Witches of Eastwick, and more.
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New Music Book Publications - 10th August 2020
10th Aug 2020
A biography of Hollywood composer, Max Steiner; essays on the music of James MacMillan; a pair of books on Nadia Boulanger; an exploration of the popularity of Bizet's opera, Carmen; a guide to improvisation at the piano; an examination of the performances of gospel singer, Mahalia Jackson; and a new paperback edition of a biography of Gershwin.
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John Wilson and Sinfonia of London perform Respighi's Roman Trilogy
31st Jul 2020
For his third album with Sinfonia of London, John Wilson turns to Respighi's dazzling triptych of orchestral works depicting the city of Rome through the ages.
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New Music Book Publications - 27th July 2020
27th Jul 2020
An exploration of the life of Beethoven through nine of his pieces; a compendium of composers and their works; a guide to John Cage's Concert for Piano and Orchestra; an analysis of form and harmony in rock music; the autobiography of Don Black; a biography of Peggy Lee; and a new edition of the Very Short Introduction to World Music.
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New Music Book Publications - 13th July 2020
13th Jul 2020
Books on the music of Poulenc, Mendelssohn, Sibelius, Georges Auric, and John Cage; an assessment of the legacy of Bach's music; thoughts on listening to music by conductor John Mauceri; an examination of the Codex Buranus; an analysis of chromatic harmony and desire; a handbook of yoga as a teaching aid; a study of the compositions of Charlie Parker; and books on Latin jazz and Latin-American music.
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New Music Book Publications - 29th June 2020
29th Jun 2020
A companion to Beethoven's Eroica symphony; a look at the making of the film version of West Side Story; biographies of Florence Price and Isaac Stern; a new paperback edition of Stephen Hough's reflections on music; a guide to tuba technique; the history of the symphonic poem in Britain from 1850-1950; and a handbook on teaching singing.
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New Music Book Publications - 15th June 2020
15th Jun 2020
Biographies of composers Alma Mahler and Engelbert Humperdinck; analyses of Allegri's Miserere, Bizet's Carmen, and Beethoven's Piano Sonatas; a handbook of music and medievalism; a survey of music and drama in Early Modern English schools; an examination of the relationship between music and time; a biography of pop sensation, Billie Eilish; and a collection of essays exploring music in India.
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New Music Book Publications - 1st June 2020
1st Jun 2020
An analysis of self-quotation in the music of Schubert; a biography of American composer Augusta Browne; an examination of gender politics in French Baroque opera; a consideration of the cultural context of the polyphonic Mass; a study of the relationship between music and the sublime; and a guide for singers on various mind-body awareness techniques including yoga, Alexander Technique, and the Feldenkrais Method.
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New Music Book Publications - 18th May 2020
18th May 2020
A exploration of Wagner's final opera, Parsifal; books on the music of Shostakovich and Brahms; the long-awaited final volume of Henry-Louis de La Grange's monumental biography of Gustav Mahler; a collection of the writings of Peter Maxwell Davies; and essays on the impact of Benjamin Britten on contemporary British music.
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Grigory Sokolov performs music by Beethoven, Brahms, & Mozart
8th May 2020
The Russian pianist presents a collection of sublime performances of music by Beethoven, Brahms, and Mozart, recorded live at recitals across Europe in 2019.
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New Music Book Publications - 4th May 2020
4th May 2020
A guide to the instruments of the orchestra courtesy of Sir Simon Rattle and the LSO; a biography of American composer Samuel Barber; a collection of essays by Richard Taruskin; the first biography of Ravi Shankar; the history of the Eurovision Song Contest; and an overview of British musical films between 1929 and 1945.
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New Music Book Publications - 20th April 2020
20th Apr 2020
A biography of Poulenc; the memoirs of pianist András Schiff; essays looking at British music after Benjamin Britten; music in theory and practice during the fourteenth century; the impact of changing copyright laws on performance; a guide to buying pianos; and an exploration of music and sound in the films of Charlie Chaplin.
