Latest stories
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New Release Round-Up - 15th May 2026
15th May 2026
This week sees a reissue of Tomasz Stanko’s Balladyna on ECM, as well as a harmonica and guitar collaboration in Unfiltered, and the narrative world of author Haruki Murakami brought to life in music in Between Here and Nowhere.
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Composer Spotlight: Samuel Adler
15th May 2026
Composer of over four hundred published works, Samuel Adler's music is considered 'midstream modernism', blending traditional Western classical music structures with more experimental techniques such as serialism, diatonicism, and atonality.
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Presto Presents... Timothy Ridout and Jonathan Ware
14th May 2026
In the latest episode of Presto Presents, viola-player Timothy Ridout and pianist Jonathan Ware perform and discuss music from their new album Alto Appassionato, released on Harmonia Mundi last month.
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Sir Donald Runnicles on Mahler and the Grand Teton Music Festival Orchestra
13th May 2026
The conductor and music director of the Grand Teton Music Festival speaks about his latest recording of Mahler's Symphony No. 5, his early experiences of hearing the composer's music, and how his association with the festival came about.
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New Music Book Publications - May 2026
12th May 2026
A biography of Bellini, a guide to the 2026 BBC Proms season, a toolkit for composers to help with Classical techniques and style, paperback editions of Michael Downes's book on Wagner's Ring cycle and cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason's reflections on the power of music, discussions of minimalist music and the history of the microphone, and a handbook for teachers offering support for students with special educational needs.
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María Dueñas's Homage to Heifetz and other forthcoming highlights
12th May 2026
The young Spanish violinist pays tribute to her role-model, with other highlights for the summer including Copland and Walker from Pappano and the LSO, Mel Bonis from the BBCSSO and Rumon Gamba, and musical postcards from Stephen Hough.
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Bows and Arrows
11th May 2026
In the latest of our new monthly book reviews, Katherine delves into Julian Lloyd Webber's 'engaging, forthright and often laugh-out-loud funny' autobiography, taking in his childhood in a chaotic, ever-expanding household filled with music, collaborations with the great and not-so-good, and the devastating health issue which led to his premature retirement from performing and a second career as a music educator.
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Nico Muhly and Peter Phillips on No Resting Place
11th May 2026
The composer, and the conductor of The Tallis Scholars, talk about their latest collaboration on an album of Nico's choral works.
Featured product
Nico Muhly: No Resting Place
The Tallis Scholars, Peter Phillips
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William Basinski’s The Disintegration Loops
11th May 2026
Originally an archival project, The Disintegration Loops transforms the sound of old tapes decaying in real time into a moving meditation on loss, impermanence, and the aftermath of September 11.
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Chris Potter - Alive With Ghosts Today
8th May 2026
The saxophonist traces the enigmatic narrative of abolitionist John Brown in his latest album, exploring a nuanced soundworld firmly rooted in America.
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Inferno from Behzod Abduraimov
8th May 2026
Uzbek pianist Behzod Abduraimov combines the fire and virtuosity suggested by the title and cover of his new album, with a level of poetry and communication which explores the full potential of a varied and engaging solo recital.
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New Release Round-Up - 8th May 2026
8th May 2026
Elegiac Haydn from Giovanni Antonini, Brahms and Dora Pejačević from the Kaleidoscope Chamber Collective, Florence Price from Ted Black & Sascha El Mouissi, and a Heine-themed recital from Helen Charlston and Sholto Kynoch.
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New Release Round-Up - 8th May 2026
8th May 2026
Pianist Sharon Minemoto reflects on her family history, capturing Japanese experiences through WWII and beyond, guitarist Eric Escanes brings the ambience in Slo-fi, and a new unreleased Art Blakey recording is sure to be an essential for the record shelf.
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Tamsin Waley-Cohen and Huw Watkins reflect on 'Reflection'
6th May 2026
The violinist and composer-pianist discuss their album of music by Prokofiev, Stravinsky, the late Oliver Knussen and Watkins himself, released in February on Signum Classics.
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Contemporary Music Round-Up - Spring 2026
5th May 2026
In our latest round-up of contemporary music releases, Ben celebrates Michael Finnissy's eightieth birthday and explores albums devoted to the music of Huw Watkins, Unsuk Chin, John Casken, Augusta Read Thomas and Morton Feldman.
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Author Focus: Melanie Spanswick - Early Beginnings
5th May 2026
Welcome back to our Author Focus series! Our next author collaboration is with award-winning, best-selling piano teacher, composer, and author Melanie Spanswick. Listen to Melanie introduce herself and her work here.
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New Sheet Music Titles - 5th May
5th May 2026
Organ arrangements of Bruckner's orchestral works, Pop Hits for Adults, vocal and choral music by Anna Lapwood, Richard Wagner, Giuseppe Verdi, Johannes Brahms, and Ludwig van Beethoven, guides for composers and teaching music for special educational needs, Omni Music Publishing's edition of Peter Pan, and a new edition of Shostakovich's Suite No. 2 for Jazz Orchestra from Sikorski and Boosey & Hawkes.
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The Presto Chart - April 2026
4th May 2026
Our 25 best-selling titles across all formats for April, with Arvo Pärt's complete symphonies from the Iceland Symphony Orchestra and Eva Ollikainen in the No. 1 spot.
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French orchestral favourites from John Wilson and Sinfonia of London
1st May 2026
A beautifully chosen and vividly performed collection of popular French pieces including Dukas's L'Apprenti sorcier, Saint-Saëns’s Danse macabre, suites from Bizet's Carmen, and Wilson's own orchestral transcription of Debussy's Clair de lune.
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Gabrielle Cavassa - Diavola
1st May 2026
The vocalist makes her debut on the prestigious Blue Note label, blending captivating originals alongside carefully crafted arrangements.
