Latest News: Classical
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Presto Editor's Choices,
Presto Editor's Choices - May 2023 1st June 2023
A spine-tingling programme of macabre ballads from Georg Nigl and Olga Pashchenko, weird and wonderful Royer from Christophe Rousset and Les Talens Lyriques, and a swashbuckling quartet of Venetian violin concertos from Chouchane Siranossian and the Venice Baroque Orchestra.
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Interview,
Isata Kanneh-Mason's Childhood Tales 31st May 2023
The pianist discusses growing up in a 'house full of music' in Nottingham, and her new album of works by Mozart, Schumann, Debussy and Dohnányi (out now on Decca Classics).
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Box Set Selections,
Boxed Set Selections - May 2023 30th May 2023
May heavyweights include Herbert Blomstedt's collected recordings on Decca, a comprehensive Smetana anthology on Brilliant, and Lorin Maazel's complete recordings on Deutsche Grammophon.
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Recording of the Week,
A new Haydn symphony series from Paavo Järvi 26th May 2023
Paavo Järvi and the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie launch an exciting new Haydn project, embracing music that's peppered with moments of wry humour.
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New Release Round-up,
New Release Round-Up - 26th May 2023 26th May 2023
Shostakovich from Gianandrea Noseda and the LSO, Childhood Tales from Isata Kanneh-Mason, spirituals and songs by Black composers from American countertenor Reginald Mobley, and Schubert from Marek Janowski in Dresden.
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Interview,
María Dueñas on Beethoven and Beyond 25th May 2023
The Spanish violinist discusses her debut recording of the Beethoven concerto (plus shorter pieces by Spohr, Kreisler, Saint-Saëns, Ysaÿe and Wieniawski), and explains why she felt it was important to bring 'something of herself' to the work by writing her own cadenzas.
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Interview,
Cecilia McDowall on her Da Vinci Requiem and Seventy Degrees below Zero 24th May 2023
The composer discusses two of her new large-scale choral works, her approaches to matching words to music, and her aims as a contemporary composer.
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BBC Music Magazine Choices,
BBC Music Magazine - May 2023 Choices 23rd May 2023
Chris introduces this month's choices, headed by a Turandot of 'passion and intelligence' from Sir Antonio Pappano on Warner Classics, starring Sondra Radvanovsky, Jonas Kaufmann and Ermonela Jaho.
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Video Interview,
Michael Waldron on Sword in the Soul 22nd May 2023
Conductor Michael Waldron shares some of his thoughts on Francis Grier's contemporary Passion oratorio 'Sword in the Soul', which he conducts on a new recording with the London Choral Sinfonia alongside works by Park, Bednall and Elgar.
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Recording of the Week,
Christophe Rousset conducts Spontini's La vestale 19th May 2023
The first-ever period-instrument recording of Spontini's 1807 opera emphasises the score's debt to the French declamatory tradition, with Marina Rebeka on ravishing form in the title-role and Stanislas de Barbeyrac showing his true heroic colours as the Roman soldier Licinius.
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New Release Round-up,
New Release Round-Up - 19th May 2023 19th May 2023
Bruch & Price concertos from Randall Goosby, a snapshot of Mozart's time in Mannheim from the Freiburger Barockorchester, Liszt orchestral songs from Thomas Hampson and friends, and the Bevan Family Consort's debut album of sacred choral music (including works by Palestrina, Tallis, Holst & Stanford).
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Interview,
Lara Downes on Love at Last 18th May 2023
The pianist and activist talks about her new album, pulling together piano miniatures from all around the world, past and present, in response to challenging times.
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Obituary,
Ingrid Haebler (1929-2023) 17th May 2023
The Salzburger Nachrichten newspaper broke the news on Sunday that the Austrian pianist and early pioneer of period instrument performance had died at the age of 93.
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Interview,
Missy Mazzoli on Dark with Excessive Bright 16th May 2023
In the wake of the first full-length album of her orchestral music on BIS, the American composer talks about the writers and musicians who've inspired her work...
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Gramophone Choices,
Gramophone Editor's Choices - May 2023 15th May 2023
Chris introduces this month's selection, headed by the final instalment of Les Arts Florissants & Paul Agnew's 'compelling' Gesualdo series on Harmonia Mundi...
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Recording of the Week,
Broken Branches from Karim Sulayman and Sean Shibe 12th May 2023
The Lebanese-American tenor and Scottish guitarist join forces for a multifaceted yet deeply personal recital, that ranges across cultural and geographical boundaries and explores the idea of diaspora in music.
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New Release Round-up,
New Release Round-Up - 12th May 2023 12th May 2023
Legrenzi motets from Rinaldo Alessandrini, Nielsen from Edward Gardner & James Ehnes, Beethoven's complete piano concertos from Garrick Ohlsson & Donald Runnicles, and orchestral works & Lieder by Franz Schreker from Christoph Eschenbach (with soloists Chen Reiss & Matthias Goerne) in Berlin.
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Interview,
Tessa Lark on The Stradgrass Sessions 11th May 2023
The violinist talks about her new album, which sees her collaborate with an eclectic mix of musicians and explore everything from Ysaÿe's Solo Sonata No. 5 to Michael Cleveland's infectious fiddle-tunes.
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Obituary,
Menahem Pressler (1923-2023) 10th May 2023
The German-born Israeli-American pianist, who co-founded the enormously successful Beaux Arts Trio and remained its lynchpin for over half a century, has died aged 99.
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Obituary,
Grace Bumbry (1937-2023) 9th May 2023
The trailblazing American dramatic mezzo, who was the first Black singer to perform at the Bayreuth Festival, has died aged 86.
