Presto Team Choices - February 2026

'An impressive account of Bartók’s The Miraculous Mandarin from Gustavo Gimeno and the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, heard here in its full ballet version. One of the reasons I always prefer this to the shorter suite is the latter’s omission of the extraordinary passage towards the end where, according to the stage directions, “the body of the Mandarin begins to glow with a greenish-blue light”, which Bartók illustrates with a wordless chorus. It’s a wonderfully eerie moment that is fantastically performed here. Indeed, this recording is full of vivid playing from the whole orchestra, with special mentions for the biting, menacing trombones, macabre violas, and agile clarinets.' (James Longstaffe)

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'The world-premiere recording of the earliest known complete opera by a Black American - Morgiane is a unique work in every way. Fleeing the intensifying racism of the southern United States, in Paris Edmond Dédé came into contact with the operas of Massenet and Saint-Saëns, and ultimately penned his own operatic work - the tale of an Arabian merchant and his family who fall foul of the attentions of a Persian sultan, only for virtue to triumph via a classic comic-opera case of mistaken identity. Lost in an archive until 2008, it’s not overstating things much to say that the rediscovery of Morgiane rewrites operatic history.' (David Smith)

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'This hugely impressive debut solo recital from the prize-winning bass-baritone centres on the songs of German-Jewish composer Robert Kahn (1865-1951), who fled his homeland for England in the late 1930s: there are shades of his contemporary Richard Strauss in songs like 'Es war der Tag der weißen Chrysanthemen', whilst his compelling response to Schiller's Nänie recalls Schubert in epic ballad mode. Störtz is a vivid story-teller, and the sheer power on display in Hindemith's German-language setting of Walt Whitman's 'Beat! Beat, drums!' suggests that Wagner may figure in his long-term future...' (Katherine Cooper)

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'This live recording of the Pathetique captures a fresh and vivid interpretation of one of Tchaikovsky’s proudest achievements, combining wide-ranging expression from the balletic touch of the second movement to the darkness at the opening of the first movement and the anguished despair of the finale. Noseda draws every conceivable colour from the exacting players of the LSO and finds clarity and control alongside all the expansiveness it needs, and this grasp of orchestral textures also perfectly serves the Mussorgsky which closes the album. The LSO Live sound is excellent, as usual.' (Matthew Ash)

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'Given the enormous importance of opera in nineteenth-century Italy, composers who chose not to engage with the genre can easily be overlooked. One such example is Giuseppe Martucci, whose Symphony No. 1 is given an outstanding reading by Riccardo Frizza and the Bamberger Symphoniker. The stormy drama of the first movement contrasts with the eloquently Brahmsian second movement, whilst the triumphant final movement is thrillingly performed. Although Martucci’s compatriot, Ottorino Respighi, did write several operas, he too is primarily known for his orchestral works, including the charming Trittico botticelliano. From the breezy gentleness of La Primavera to the reverent woodwind in L'adorazione dei Magi and the sonorous richness of the strings in La nascita di Venere, it’s a delight from start to finish.' (James Longstaffe)

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'Works that are unashamedly ‘charming’ and little more often get a bad press from some quarters - music-lovers who inexplicably seem to want everything to be cosmic questioning or painful Angst. Personally I’ve always had a soft spot for a more intimate, modest kind of music - and Danzi’s three trios for flute, violin and cello are exactly that. The musical style itself pushes no boundaries, but each trio is a substantial work and each instrument is, even if genially, put through its paces. The languid larghetto of the first trio and the sprightly closing All’ungarese of the second are particularly enjoyable.' (David Smith)

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'The headline attraction here is Zoe Martlew's dark and delicious Hotel Babylon, a sort of rogues gallery based on the Seven Deadly Sins which sees Booth taking on roles including a Yorkshire madame, a deranged French chef and a hard-selling, fast-talking beautician with uproarious aplomb. The rarely-recorded songs by Hanns Eisler are beautifully done, and Coleman's sparkling accounts of the Gershwin songs in transcriptions by Earl Wild would be worth the price of the album on their own.' (Katherine Cooper)

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Snider writes music which speaks on its own terms, with a contemporary and original voice, which had me hooked from the first notes of the title work Forward Into Light, in which she utilises all the tonal and rhythmic colours at her disposal to wordlessly narrate the light and shade of the American suffragette movement. Eye of Mnemosyne draws on Greek mythology and was composed as part of a multimedia collaboration exploring the role of photography in capturing American life. Snider’s music beautifully captures atmospheres of everyday life, creativity, war and loss, and piques further interest in the composer’s work. (Matthew Ash)

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