A breath of fresh air this year - the No. 1 spot going not to an established big hitter with legions of devoted fans, but to a debut recording. Yunchan Lim's recording of Chopin's two sets of Études, with its cover evoking Decca recordings of decades past, swept all before it. Also performing well were Paul McCreesh's jaw-dropping account of Elgar's Dream of Gerontius, an early English-focused collection from Rachel Podger and Brecon Baroque, and concerto recordings from Steven Isserlis and Janine Jansen. The musical force of nature that is Víkingur Ólafsson made it in at No. 6 with his seemingly unstoppable Goldberg Variations - even though they came out in late 2023!
Not surprisingly, many of these best-sellers featured as Presto Recordings of the Year - do head over to our YouTube Channel to view acceptance-videos from some of the featured artists (including Vladimir Jurowski, Pablo Heras-Casado and Paavo Järvi), or check out our promotion on the 100 classical finalists (which runs until 25th January).
No. 1
Yunchan Lim (piano)
Available formats: CD, Download & Streaming (up to 192 kHz, 24 bit)
No. 2
Rachel Podger (violin), Brecon Baroque
Available formats: CD, Download & Streaming (up to 192 kHz, 24 bit)
No. 3
Steven Isserlis (cello), Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment
Available formats: CD, Download & Streaming (up to 192 kHz, 24 bit)
No. 4
Janine Jansen (violin), Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra, Klaus Mäkelä
Available formats: CD, Download & Streaming (up to 96 kHz, 24 bit)
No. 5
Nicky Spence (Gerontius), Anna Stéphany (The Angel), Andrew Foster-Williams (The Priest/Angel of the Agony)
Polish National Youth Choir, Gabrieli, Paul McCreesh
Available formats: 2 CDs, Download & Streaming (up to 96 kHz, 24 bit)
No. 6
Víkingur Ólafsson (piano)
Available formats: CD, Download & Streaming (up to 192 kHz, 24 bit)
No. 7
Nathaniel Hackmann (Billy Bigelow), Mikaela Bennett (Julie Jordan), Sierra Boggess (Carrie Pipperidge), Julian Ovenden (Enoch Snow), Francesca Chiejina (Nettie Fowler), David Seadon-Young (Jigger Craigin)
Sinfonia of London, ‘Carousel’ Ensemble, John Wilson
Available formats: 2 SACDs, Download & Streaming (up to 96 kHz, 24 bit)
No. 8
Chadi Lazreq (treble), Ying Fang (soprano), Beth Taylor (mezzo), Laurence Kilsby (tenor), Alex Rosen (bass)
Pygmalion, Raphaël Pichon
Available formats: CD, Download & Streaming (up to 96 kHz, 24 bit)
No. 9
Nicola Benedetti (violin), Sheku Kanneh-Mason (cello), Benjamin Grosvenor (piano), Gerald Finley (bass-baritone), Philharmonia Orchestra, Santtu-Matias Rouvali
Available formats: CD, Download & Streaming (up to 96 kHz, 24 bit)
No. 10
Czech Philharmonic, Semyon Bychkov
Available formats: CD, Download & Streaming (up to 96 kHz, 24 bit)
No. 11
Vilde Frang (violin), Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, Robin Ticciati
Available formats: CD, Download & Streaming (up to 192 kHz, 24 bit)
No. 12
Théotime Langlois de Swarte (violin/director), Le Consort
Available formats: 2 CDs, Download & Streaming (up to 96 kHz, 24 bit)
No. 13
Sheffield Philharmonic Chorus, Black Dyke Band, Darius Battiwalla, Nicholas Childs
Available formats: CD, Download & Streaming (up to 96 kHz, 24 bit)
No. 14
Oslo Philharmonic, Klaus Mäkelä
Available formats: 2 CDs, Download & Streaming (up to 96 kHz, 24 bit)
No. 15
Katharine Mehrling (Anna), Konzerthausorchester Berlin, Joana Mallwitz
Available formats: CD, Download & Streaming (up to 96 kHz, 24 bit)
No. 16
Winner of Channel 4's The Piano
Available format: Download & Streaming (up to 96 kHz, 24 bit)
No. 17
Alison Balsom (trumpet), Pinnock's Players, Trevor Pinnock
Available formats: CD, Download & Streaming (up to 192 kHz, 24 bit)
No. 18
Sinfonia of London, John Wilson
Available formats: SACD, Download & Streaming (up to 96 kHz, 24 bit)
No. 19
Symphonie-Orchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks, Sir Simon Rattle
Available formats: CD, Download & Streaming (up to 96 kHz, 24 bit)
No. 20
Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich, Paavo Järvi
Available formats: 4 CDs, Download & Streaming (up to 96 kHz, 24 bit)
No. 21
Kammerorchester Basel, Giovanni Antonini
Available formats: CD, Download & Streaming (up to 192 kHz, 24 bit)
No. 22
Isabelle Faust (violin), Alexander Melnikov (piano), Boris Faust (viola), Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks, Jakub Hrůša
Available format: Download & Streaming (up to 96 kHz, 24 bit)
No. 23
Hilary Hahn (violin)
Available formats: CD, Download & Streaming (up to 96 kHz, 24 bit)
No. 24
Yuja Wang (piano)
Available formats: CD, Download & Streaming (up to 96 kHz, 24 bit)
No. 25
Marc-André Hamelin (piano)
Available formats: CD, Download & Streaming (up to 192 kHz, 24 bit)
No. 26
Quatuor Ebène, Antoine Tamestit (viola)
Available formats: CD, Download & Streaming (up to 96 kHz, 24 bit)
No. 27
Veronika Jarůšková (violin), Peter Jarůšek (cello), Boris Giltburg (piano)
Available formats: 2 CDs, Download & Streaming (up to 192 kHz, 24 bit)
No. 28
Chopin & Beethoven: Sonatas
Funeral March & Hammerklavier
Beatrice Rana (piano)
Available formats: CD, Download & Streaming (up to 192 kHz, 24 bit)
No. 29
Reformation
Byrd - Gibbons - Bull - Sweelinck
Mishka Rushdie Momen (piano)
Available formats: CD, Download & Streaming (up to 96 kHz, 24 bit)
No. 30
Marc-André Hamelin (piano)
Available formats: CD, Download & Streaming (up to 192 kHz, 24 bit)
No. 31
Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, Manfred Honeck
Available formats: SACD, Download & Streaming (up to 96 kHz, 24 bit)
No. 32
BBC Philharmonic, Philharmonia Orchestra, BBC Philharmonic (Brass Section), Albany Symphony Orchestra, George Lloyd
Available formats: 4 CDs, Download & Streaming (up to 44.1 kHz, 16 bit)
No. 33
BBC Philharmonic, Albany Symphony Orchestra, George Lloyd
Available formats: 4 CDs, Download & Streaming (up to 44.1 kHz, 16 bit)
No. 34
Víkingur Ólafsson (piano)
Available formats: CD, Download & Streaming (up to 96 kHz, 24 bit)
No. 35
Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, Manfred Honeck
Available formats: SACD, Download & Streaming (up to 96 kHz, 24 bit)
No. 36
Isabelle Faust (violin), Anne-Katharina Schreiber (violin, Antoine Tamestit (viola), Jean-Guihen Queyras (cello), Alexander Melnikov (piano)
Available formats: CD, Download & Streaming (up to 192 kHz, 24 bit)
No. 37
BBC Philharmonic, John Wilson
Available formats: CD, Download & Streaming (up to 96 kHz, 24 bit)
No. 38
Magdalena Kožená (mezzo), Czech Philharmonic Orchestra, Sir Simon Rattle
Available formats: CD, Download & Streaming (up to 96 kHz, 24 bit)
No. 39
Víkingur Ólafsson (piano)
Available formats: 2 Vinyl Records, Download & Streaming (up to 192 kHz, 24 bit)
No. 40
I Fagiolini, Robert Hollingworth
Available formats: CD, Download & Streaming (up to 96 kHz, 24 bit)
No. 41
Czech Philharmonic, Semyon Bychkov
Available formats: 2 CDs, Download & Streaming (up to 96 kHz, 24 bit)
No. 42
BBC Concert Orchestra, Rebecca Miller
Available formats: CD, Download & Streaming (up to 96 kHz, 24 bit)
No. 43
Benjamin Appl (baritone), Regensburger Domspatzen, Münchner Rundfunkorchester, Florian Helgath
Available formats: CD, Download & Streaming (up to 48 kHz, 24 bit)
No. 44
John Osborn (Jean de Leyde), Elizabeth DeShong (Fidès), Mané Galoyan (Berthe), Edwin Crossley-Mercer (Count Oberthal)
London Symphony Orchestra, Mediterranean Youth Orchestra, Maîtrise des Bouches-du-Rhône, Lyon Opera Chorus, Sir Mark Elder
Available format: Download & Streaming (up to 192 kHz, 24 bit)
No. 45
Pumeza Matshikiza (soprano), Dame Sarah Connolly (mezzo), Joshua Stewart (tenor), Ashley Riches (bass-baritone)
BBC Symphony Orchestra & Chorus, Sir Andrew Davis
Available formats: SACD, Download & Streaming (up to 96 kHz, 24 bit)
No. 46
Estonian National Symphony Orchestra, Neeme Järvi
Available formats: CD, Download & Streaming (up to 96 kHz, 24 bit)
No. 47
L'Arpeggiata, Christina Pluhar
Available formats: CD, Download & Streaming (up to 96 kHz, 24 bit)
No. 48
Daniil Trifonov (piano), Sergei Babayan (piano)
Available formats: 2 CDs, Download & Streaming (up to 96 kHz, 24 bit)
No. 49
Magdalena Kožená (Alcina), Anna Bonitatibus (Ruggiero), Erin Morley (Morgana), Elizabeth DeShong (Bradamante), Alois Mühlbacher (Oberto), Alex Rosen (Melisso), Valerio Contaldo (Oronte)
Les Musiciens du Louvre, Marc Minkowski
Available formats: 3 CDs, Download & Streaming (up to 96 kHz, 24 bit)
No. 50
Behzod Abduraimov (piano)
Available formats: CD, Download & Streaming (up to 96 kHz, 24 bit)
