Latest News: Classical
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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.
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Announcement,
Is Beethoven worth eight times Mahler? 8th May 2023
Both composers have left an indelible mark on the world of music. However, when it comes to music streaming, are they equally valuable?
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Favourites,
Music for the Coronation of His Majesty King Charles III 6th May 2023
A selection of music for royal occasions, and recordings from the composers and artists featured at the King's Coronation - from Parry and Purcell to Weir and Williams.
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Recording of the Week,
Beethoven & Beyond from María Dueñas 5th May 2023
The 20-year-old Spanish violinist combines a sense of almost childlike wonder with absolute technical mastery on her debut recording of the Beethoven concerto with the Wiener Symphoniker & Manfred Honeck, supplemented with shorter pieces by composers who wrote cadenzas to the work.
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New Release Round-up,
New Release Round-Up - 5th May 2023 5th May 2023
Mahler's Das Lied von der Erde from Piotr Beczala, Christian Gerhaher & Gerold Huber, Spontini's La vestale from Les Talens Lyriques & Christophe Rousset, Stanford's Requiem from Martyn Brabbins, and an eclectic East-meets-West recital from Karim Sulayman & Sean Shibe.
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Interview,
Jocelyn Freeman on The Poet's Echo 4th May 2023
The pianist discusses her album of works with a Pushkin connection (including a new version of Britten's eponymous song-cycle, Shostakovich's Cello Sonata and Prokofiev's Three Romances), recently released on Rubicon and also featuring soprano Gemma Summerfield, baritone Gareth Brynmor John & cellist Abi Hyde-Smith.
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Video Interview,
Matilda Lloyd on 'Casta Diva' 3rd May 2023
In an exclusive post-concert interview for Presto Music following her launch recital at London's Wigmore Hall, trumpeter Matilda Lloyd talks about her new album of opera-inspired variations for trumpet and ensemble, 'Casta Diva' - featuring arrangements of works by Bellini, Rossini, Donizetti, Viardot and more, and showcasing the instrument's more lyrical side.
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Presto Chart,
The Presto Chart - April 2023 2nd May 2023
Our 25 best-selling titles across all formats for April, with Rachmaninoff's Symphony No. 2 from John Wilson & Sinfonia of London in first place...
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Presto Editor's Choices,
Presto Editor's Choices - April 2023 1st May 2023
An irresistible collection of Roberto Sierra's orchestral music from Domingo Hindoyan and the Liverpool Philharmonic, Baroque fireworks from vocal chameleon Michael Spyres, and a ravishing debut album from young British countertenor Alexander Chance with lutenist Toby Carr.
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Box Set Selections,
Boxed Set Selections - April 2023 29th April 2023
Two anthologies celebrating the ninetieth birthday of 'Dutch Nightingale' Elly Ameling, a fiftieth-anniversary collection of The English Concert's recordings with founder Trevor Pinnock, and Rachel Podger's complete Vivaldi recordings on Channel Classics.
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Recording of the Week,
Fantasie from Alexander Melnikov 28th April 2023
The Russian pianist performs seven fantasias by composers from JS Bach to Schnittke on seven historically-appropriate instruments, including an extraordinary tangent piano from 1790 and two fortepianos from his own personal collection.
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New Release Round-up,
New Release Round-Up - 28th April 2023 28th April 2023
CPE Bach from Rachel Podger & Kristian Bezuidenhout, Roberto Sierra from Domingo Hindoyan and the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, English lute songs from Alexander Chance & Toby Carr, and Schnittke from Cappella Amsterdam.
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Interview,
Raider of the Lost Archives - Michael Spyres on Contra-Tenor 27th April 2023
The American singer discusses becoming 'the Indiana Jones of the tenor voice' on his latest album for Erato, which charts the evolution of the Baroque tenore assoluto and features rarities by composers including Latilla, Mazzoni & Piccinni...
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Early Music Round-up,
Early Music Round-Up - Spring 2023 27th April 2023
A Baroque programme mirroring the texts of Brahms's German Requiem from Vox Luminis, Schütz's jubilant Easter Oratorio from Ensemble Polyharmonique, transcriptions of Bach organ works from Holland Baroque, a retracing of Telemann's wanderings through Central and Eastern Europe from Les Musiciens de Saint-Julien, and more.
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Interview,
Eric Whitacre at... 30! 26th April 2023
Looking back over three decades of music, the world-renowned composer talks Whitman, musical hits and misses, and the correlation between a piece's length and the age of the composer's children...
