News of this autumn's headline releases are coming thick and fast at the moment, so here's another brief round-up of a few things which we couldn't keep to ourselves for much longer…High-octane American tenor Michael Spyres features twice, with his role-debut as the hero of Les Troyens following hot on the heels of his first solo disc for Opera Rara, and there's a hugely promising piano recital from one of Warner's newest signings as well as a return to Schubert from a veteran pianist on Deutsche Grammophon…
Espoir (out 1st September)
Michael Spyres (tenor), The Hallé, Carlo Rizzi
As well as nailing the punishing role of Énée on that Troyens, Missouri-born tenor Michael Spyres also has his first solo disc on Opera Rara out in September, focusing on roles written for the pioneering high tenor Gilbert Duprez including Edgardo in Donizetti’s Lucia di Lammermoor, the title-roles in Berlioz’s Benvenuto Cellini and the French version of Rossini's Otello, and rarities by Auber and Halévy.
Available format: Download & Streaming (up to 44.1 kHz, 24 bit)
Rachmaninov: Piano Concerto No. 2 & Études-tableaux, Op. 33 (out 8th September)
Boris Giltburg (piano), Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Carlos Miguel Prieto
The Israeli pianist already has serious form when it comes to this composer – his 2016 recording of the Études-Tableaux Op. 39 prompted The Observer to hail him as ‘a natural Rachmaninov interpreter’ and Gramophone as ‘a pianist whose Rachmaninov is entirely idiomatic yet intensely personal’. Now he turns his attention to a work he has described as ‘one of the greatest pieces of music ever written’.
Available formats: CD, Download & Streaming (up to 96 kHz, 24 bit)
Schubert - Piano Sonatas D959 and D960 (out 8th September)
Krystian Zimerman (piano)
The Polish pianist has been performing Schubert's late, great sonatas on a regular basis over the past couple of years (a recent account of D960 at the Festival Hall was described as 'a compelling journey' by the Financial Times and 'understated alchemy' by Classical Source), so this recording is high on our must-hear list for the coming weeks.
Available formats: CD, Download & Streaming (up to 96 kHz, 24 bit)
Maria Callas – Live (out 15th September)
Remastered Recordings 1949–1964
20 complete operas, from Gluck’s Alceste and Ifigenia in Tauride to an Italian-language Parsifal, including a dozen works which Callas never recorded in the studio and eight live performances which contributed to La Divina's reputation as a stage-animal par excellence. Also includes recitals from Paris, London and Hamburg on blu-ray.
Available format: Download & Streaming (up to 44.1 kHz, 24 bit)
JS Bach: Sonatas and Partitas for solo violin (out 8th September)
Christian Tetzlaff (violin)
The German violinist first recorded Bach's works for unaccompanied violin back in 1993 for Virgin Classics, revisiting them ten years ago for Hänssler in a recording praised by Gramophone as 'full of temperament and fire'; following a decade concentrating on recordings of Romantic repertoire, he returns to them once more on Ondine.
Available formats: 2 CDs, Download & Streaming (up to 96 kHz, 24 bit)
Tchaikovsky: Manfred Symphony (out 25th August)
Czech Philharmonic, Semyon Bychkov
Following the great success of the first volume of his Tchaikovsky Project (a superb Pathétique, which was a Gramophone Editor’s Choice last October), Bychkov and his Czech orchestra turn their attention to the Byron-inspired programme-symphony – a work which they’ll perform at the BBC Proms on 31st August.
Available format: Download & Streaming (up to 96 kHz, 24 bit)
Live at the Mariinsky (out 6th October)
George Li (piano)
The 21-year-old American pianist (a silver medallist at the last International Tchaikovsky Competition) makes his debut on Warner Classics with this live recital of Chopin, Rachmaninov, Haydn and Liszt, recorded last October in St Petersburg. On the basis of the advance copy which we test-drove in the office yesterday, we can promise this is a name to watch!
Available formats: CD, Download & Streaming (up to 96 kHz, 24 bit)
Duets (out 22nd September)
Rolando Villazón (tenor), Ildar Abdrazakov (bass); Orchestre Métropolitain de Montréal, Yannick Nézet-Séguin
The Mexican tenor takes a break from his ongoing Mozart opera project to return to some of the French and Italian roles which made his name, in partnership with charismatic Russian bass Ildar Abdrazakov; includes scenes and duets from Don Pasquale, Simon Boccanegra, Faust, Carmen, and The Pearl Fishers, and an 'encore' from each singer's homeland.
Available format: Download & Streaming (up to 96 kHz, 24 bit)
Handel: Lucio Cornelio Silla (out 1st September)
Sonia Prina, Martina Belli, Sunhae Im, Vivica Genaux, Roberta Invernizzi; Europa Galante, Fabio Biondi
Despite the huge rise in the popularity of Handel operas on stage and in the recording-studio over the past couple of decades, Silla (written in 1713, shortly after the success of Rinaldo with the same librettist) remains comparatively neglected; this mouth-watering line-up of Italian baroque specialists certainly has the goods to turn this ugly duckling into a swan!
Available formats: 2 CDs, Download & Streaming (up to 44.1 kHz, 16 bit)
