Latest News: Classical
-
Interview,
Sir Mark Elder on Debussy 16th July 2020In the wake of his recording of Images and Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune with the Hallé, the conductor talks to Katherine about his relationship with Debussy's music, and Colin Matthews's evocative orchestrations of the piano Préludes.
-
BBC Music Magazine Choices,
BBC Music Magazine - August 2020 Choices 15th July 2020Chris introduces this month's selection, with Jean-Efflam Bavouzet's survey of piano works by Beethoven's contemporaries Hummel, Dussek, Clementi and Wölfl as Recording of the Month.
-
Interview,
Sarah Willis on Mozart, Mambo and Cuba 13th July 2020Horn player Sarah Willis talks about her new cross-cultural album that explores connections between Mozart and the music of Cuba, and her initiative to support Cuban musicians.
-
Presto CD,
New Deutsche Grammophon titles added to Presto CD 11th July 2020Including recordings from Maurizio Pollini, Claudio Abbado, Leonard Bernstein, Emil Gilels and Herbert von Karajan.
-
Recording of the Week,
Paul Lewis plays Beethoven's Bagatelles 10th July 2020The British pianist's survey of Beethoven's complete output in the genre (plus the Fantasia Op. 77 and three opus-less Klavierstücke) radiates wit, warmth and wisdom.
-
Interview,
Paul Lewis on Beethoven 10th July 2020The British pianist talks to Katherine about his recording of the Bagatelles (out today on Harmonia Mundi), and about the composer's often 'uncompromisingly uncomfortable' writing for the piano.
-
New Release Round-up,
New Release Round-Up - 10th July 2020 10th July 2020Elgar from Vasily Petrenko and Kathryn Rudge, Beethoven from James Ehnes and Andrew Armstrong, and Mozart with a Cuban accent from horn-player Sarah Willis and the Havana Lyceum Orchestra.
-
Interview,
Piotr Beczała on Verismo 9th July 2020The Polish tenor talks to Katherine about Vincerò!, his debut recording on Pentatone, featuring arias by Puccini, Mascagni, Leoncavallo, Giordano and Cilea.
-
Interview,
Francis Pott on 'Word' 8th July 2020Composer Francis Pott talks about his new album of larger-scale choral works with Oxford choir Commotio, released on Naxos this Friday.
-
Obituary,
Ennio Morricone (1928-2020) 6th July 2020The Oscar-winning Italian composer, whose iconic film scores included A Fistful of Dollars, Cinema Paradiso and The Hateful Eight, has died aged 91.
-
Obituary,
Nikolai Girshevich Kapustin (1937-2020) 6th July 2020Nikolai Kapustin, pianist-composer known for fusing jazz with classical idioms in works of incredible virtuosic showmanship, has died aged 82.
-
Presto Music Classical Podcast,
Episode 1: Confessions of a Bartók Salesman with Rob Cowan 4th July 2020The first episode in the brand new Presto Music Podcast series finds our Product Manager Paul Thomas in conversation with radio presenter and critic Rob Cowan, discussing recent releases and unearthing some juicy nuggets from Rob's past.
-
Recording of the Week,
William Alwyn's Miss Julie from Sakari Oramo and the BBC Symphony Orchestra 3rd July 2020Real-life husband-and-wife Anna Patalong and Benedict Nelson star in the English composer's 1977 opera, based on Strindberg's great naturalistic drama from 1888.
-
New Release Round-up,
New Release Round-Up 3rd July 2020 3rd July 2020Bohemian Tales from Augustin Hadelich, Mahler 7 from Osmo Vänskä, Schubert from Kevin John Edusei, and Debussy from Sir Mark Elder and the Hallé.
-
Presto Chart,
The Presto Chart - June 2020 2nd July 2020Our 25 best-selling titles across all formats for June, with Alina Ibragimova's Shostakovich concertos with Vladimir Jurowski and the State Academic Symphony Orchestra of Russia 'Evgeny Svetlanov' on Hyperion in first place...
-
Interview,
Opera Rara at 50 2nd July 2020As the label celebrates its half-century, Chief Executive Henry Little talks to Katherine about adventures in 'live operatic archaeology' and upcoming recording projects.
-
Obituary,
Ida Haendel (1928-2020) 1st July 2020Ida Haendel, the Polish-born child prodigy who became known as the 'grande dame of the violin', has died aged 91.
-
Presto Editor's Choices,
Presto Editor's Choices - June 2020 1st July 2020Thomas Adès's treatment of the Creation myth rivals Haydn's for inventiveness, whilst Arabella Steinbacher smoulders in Piazzolla, and Antonio Pappano whips up a storm in a new studio recording of Verdi's Otello.
-
Interview,
Joseph Fort on Holst's Cloud Messenger 30th June 2020Conductor Joseph Fort talks about his recently-released new recording of Holst's Himalayan-inspired work, in Fort's own arrangement for chamber orchestra.
-
New Release Round-up,
Digital New Release Round-Up - 29th June 2020 29th June 2020Handel's Semele from Sir John Eliot Gardiner (with Louise Alder in the title-role), Bach from Anna Prohaska and Lautten Compagney, Gershwin from Wayne Marshall, and a Pythagoras-inspired programme from Aurora Orchestra.