Latest stories
-
Presto Editor's Choices - September 2019
8th Oct 2019by Katherine Cooper
Sumptuous Elgar from Canadian contralto Marie-Nicole Lemieux, fiery Falla from Pablo Heras-Casado and the Mahler Chamber Orchestra, and lightly-worn virtuosity from the sweet-toned Chinese violinist Ning Feng.
-
Simon Fischer: Transcriptions for Violin and Piano
8th Oct 2019by Ellena Spirrett
Violinist Simon Fischer is known throughout the world for his acclaimed violin methods published by Edition Peters. Now available to buy in one volume are his brilliant and idiomatic transcriptions for violin and piano of famous works from the classical repertoire. Find out more here.
-
Marcello Giordani (1963-2019)
7th Oct 2019by Chris O'Reilly
The Italian spinto tenor, who was particularly famed for his Verdi and Puccini roles, has died aged 56.
-
O'Higgins & Luft Play Monk & Trane
4th Oct 2019by Matt Groom
Some albums are an enjoyable challenge, some are pure joy from start to finish, and Dave O'Higgins and Rob Luft's tribute to Monk and Coltrane on the Ubuntu label is firmly in the latter category.
-
Handel's Brockes-Passion from Richard Egarr and the Academy of Ancient Music
4th Oct 2019by Katherine Cooper
Using a new performing edition by oboist Leo Duarte, the Academy of Ancient Music and some exceptional young soloists make a compelling case for Handel's visceral 'Passion-Oratorio' on the 300th anniversary of its premiere.
-
New Release Round-Up - 4th October 2019
4th Oct 2019by Chris O'Reilly
A complete Beethoven cycle from Andris Nelsons and the Wiener Philharmoniker, plus new albums from Quatuor Arod, Ann Hallenberg, Lucas Debargue, and Christophe Coin.
-
Jazz New Release Round-Up - 4th October 2019
4th Oct 2019by Matt Groom
A couple of this week's releases draw inspiration from classical models, and do it convincingly! There's also further proof of talent coming out of London at the moment, and Matt manages to slip some Japanese noise under the radar because it's on a jazz label. Happy days.
-
Ralph Couzens on Chandos
3rd Oct 2019by Katherine Cooper
To mark their fortieth anniversary, the British independent record-label's Managing Director talks to Katherine about their evolution and plans for the future...
Featured product
Landmarks: 40 Years of Chandos
Dmitri Shostakovich Jr. (piano), James Thompson (trumpet), Stephen Hough (piano), Lynne Dawson (soprano), Ian Partridge (tenor), Michael George (bass), Lydia Mordkovitch (violin), Christopher Plummer (narrator), Celia Nicklin (oboe), Ian Watson (organ), Nigel Kennedy (violin), Peter Pettinger (piano), Sarah Connolly (Dido), Gerald Finley (Aeneas), Lucy Crowe (Belinda), Patricia Bardon (Sorceress), William Purefoy (Spirit), Sarah Tynan (2nd Woman), John Mark Ainsley (Sailor), Carys Lane & Rebecca Outram (Witches), Gerald Finley (bass-baritone), Jean-Efflam Bavouzet (piano), Doric String Quartet, Xiayin Wang (piano), Tasmin Little (violin), Jennifer Pike (violin), Cpl Jonathan Hill (trombone), Martin Roscoe (piano), Louis Lortie (piano), Ivan Ilić (piano), Wojciech Switala (piano), Szymon Krzeszowiec (violin), Krzysztof Lasoń (violin), Małgorzata Wasiucionek (violin), Arkadiusz Kubica (violin), Federico Colli (piano) Ulster Orchestra, Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra, Borodin Trio, I Musici de Montréal, Royal Scottish National Orchestra, The Philharmonia, English Chamber Orchestra, The Sixteen, Academy of St Martin in the Fields, Academy of St Martin in the Fields Chorus, Choristers of Westminster Cathedral, Black Dyke Mills Band, The King's Singers, BBC Philharmonic, Collegium Musicum 90, City of Birmingham Symphony Chorus, London Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, Choir of the Age of Enlightenment, Aquarelle Guitar Quartet, BBC Symphony Orchestra, Phoenix Chorale, Brodsky Quartet, Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra, The Central Band of the Royal Air Force, Manchester Camerata, Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, Silesian Quartet, Polish Cello Quartet, BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Bryden Thomson, Mariss Jansons, Maxim Shostakovich, Yuli Turovsky, Neeme Järvi, Geoffrey Simon, Harry Christophers, Sir Neville Marriner, Major Peter Parkes, Richard Hickox, Yan Pascal Tortelier, Steven Devine, Elizabeth Kenny, Charles Bruffy, Peter Oundjian, Sir Andrew Davis, Wing Commander Duncan Stubbs, John Wilson, Edward Gardner, Juanjo Mena, Gábor Takács-Nagy, Kirill Karabits, Rumon Gamba
More products from this article -
The Presto Chart - September 2019
2nd Oct 2019by Chris O'Reilly
Our 25 best-selling titles across all formats for September, with John Wilson and the newly reformed Sinfonia of London's debut album of Korngold on Chandos in first place...
-
Giya Alexandrovich Kancheli (1935-2019)
2nd Oct 2019by David Smith
The Georgian composer, known for his film music, sweeping orchestral laments and finely-wrought instrumental miniatures, has died at the age of 84.
-
Gwilym Simcock
2nd Oct 2019by Matt Groom
Matt talks to pianist Gwilym Simcock about his latest album Near and Now, and the album's live London debut at King's Place.
-
Gramophone Awards 2019: The Winners!
1st Oct 2019by Chris O'Reilly
This year's victors in each of the ten categories were revealed this morning.
Featured product
Debussy: Les Trois Sonates, The Late Works
Isabelle Faust (violin), Alexander Melnikov (piano), Tanguy de Williencourt (piano), Magali Mosnier (flute), Antoine Tamestit viola), Xavier de Maistre (harp), Jean-Guihen Queyras (cello), Javier Perianes (piano)
More products from this article -
Jessye Norman (1945-2019)
1st Oct 2019by Chris O'Reilly
The magnificent American soprano, widely recognised as one of the great Strauss and Wagner singers of the late twentieth century, has died aged 74.
-
Ivana Gavrić on Origins
30th Sep 2019by David Smith
The Bosnian-born pianist talks Haydn, Frances-Hoad and Sarajevan folklore – just some of the ingredients going into the melting-pot of her latest album.
-
The Notebooks for Anna Magdalena Bach 1722 & 1725
30th Sep 2019by Ellena Spirrett
For the first time, Edition Peters present a new hard cover premium Urtext edition of the Notebooks for Anna Magdalena Bach, containing all the material from the 1722 and 1725 notebooks together in one volume, in their original landscape format. Find out more about the publication here.
-
New Music Book Publications - 30th September 2019
30th Sep 2019by James Longstaffe
A biography of George Gershwin; a paperback edition of Cambridge's Encyclopedia of Brass Instruments; a collection of essays looking at the impact of digital technology on musical culture; a compendium of documents relating to the life of Handel between 1742 and 1750; and a musical puzzle book from Classic FM.
-
Ethel Smyth's Mass in D from Sakari Oramo and the BBC Symphony Orchestra
27th Sep 2019by David Smith
Sakari Oramo conducts the BBC Symphony Orchestra and Chorus in a magnificent performance of Dame Ethel Smyth's Mass in D and overture to The Wreckers.
-
New Release Round-Up - 27th September 2019
27th Sep 2019by Chris O'Reilly
New albums include Schubert from Francesco Piemontesi, Chopin from Pavel Kolesnikov and Brahms from Edward Gardner, plus the first volume in a planned Eric Coates series from John Wilson.
-
Jazz New Release Round-Up - 27th September 2019
27th Sep 2019by Matt Groom
Abdullah Ibrahim leads a strong brace of new releases this week, with excellent offerings from ECM, Edition, Conchord Records and Enja.
-
Ed Lyon on his 17th-Century Playlist
26th Sep 2019by Katherine Cooper
The English tenor talks to Katherine about his debut solo album of songs by Landi, Dowland, Lambert, Cavalli and more with Theatre of the Ayre, released tomorrow on Delphian.