Classical Recommendations
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Gramophone Editor's Choices - July 2026
18th Jun 2026
Chris introduces next month's selection, headed by a 'consistently luminous and assured' set of Bohuslav Martinů's symphonies from the Bamberger Symphoniker and Jakub Hrůša on Deutsche Grammophon.
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New Release Round-Up - 12th June 2026
12th Jun 2026
Bach from Mahan Esfahani and the Britten Sinfonia, Rachmaninoff from Karina Canellakis and the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra, a 70th birthday celebration with Sally Beamish, and a return to CPE Bach from Arte Dei Suonatori and Marcin Świątkiewicz.
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Boxed Set Selections - May/June 2026
11th Jun 2026
Late spring heavyweights include the London Haydn Quartet's complete set of music by their namesake, a survey of Colin Davis's time in Boston, a collection celebrating the legacy of early music pioneer David Munrow, and an anthology marking the bicentenary of Weber's death.
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New Release Round-Up - 5th June 2026
5th Jun 2026
Copland and Walker from the LSO and Antonio Pappano, Schubert from Roderick Williams and the Carducci Quartet, Vasks from the Latvian Radio Choir, and Beethoven from Alina Ibragimova and Cédric Tiberghien.
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The Presto Chart - May 2026
1st Jun 2026
Our 25 best-selling titles across all formats for May, with Bohuslav Martinů's complete symphonies from the Bamberger Symphoniker and Jakub Hrůša in the No. 1 spot.
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New Release Round-Up - 29th May 2026
29th May 2026
Barber's 'Vanessa' from the National Symphony Orchestra and Gianandrea Noseda, Dvořák and Wagenaar from Lahav Shani and the Rotterdam Philharmonic, Bach from Aapo Häkkinen, and microscopic Schubert from Rudolf Buchbinder.
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Presto Team Choices - May 2026
28th May 2026
Saint-Georges and Pécou from Romuald Grimbert-Barré and the Orchestre national de Cannes, Reicha from Trio Bohémo, a smorgasbord of Americana from Barbara Hannigan, and Beethoven from Paul Watkins and Alessio Bax.
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BBC Music Magazine - June 2026 Choices
26th May 2026
Chris introduces next month's selection, headed by a portrait of 'a composer and choir in complete harmony' - namely The Tallis Scholars' album of works written for them by Nico Muhly on Linn.
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New Release Round-Up - 22nd May 2026
22nd May 2026
Mahler's Symphony No. 3 from Vasily Petrenko and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, an American Dream from Barbara Hannigan in Gothenburg, Wagner's Ring Cycle from Fabio Luisi in Dallas, and Celtic nocturnes and folksongs from Barry Douglas.
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Early Music Round-Up - Spring 2026
21st May 2026
Soulfully penitent Couperin from Le Concert Spirituel and Hervé Niquet, Bach from Le Banquet Céleste with cellist Julien Barre, solo vocal favourites by Purcell, Handel and others from Jakub Józef Orliński and Michał Biel, Alon Sariel's third album of 'plucked Bach', and more.
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Gramophone Editor's Choices - June 2026
19th May 2026
Chris introduces next month's selection, headed by 'a new Beethoven cello sonatas benchmark' from Paul Watkins and Alessio Bax on Signum.
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New Release Round-Up - 15th May 2026
15th May 2026
Lutosławski from Jean-Guihen Queyras and Gustavo Gimeno, Mozart horn concertos from Martin Owen and Manchester Camerata, choral works by Nico Muhly from the Choir of Magdalen College Oxford, and Charles Wood from the London Chamber Ensemble Quartet and Madeleine Mitchell.
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María Dueñas's Homage to Heifetz and other forthcoming highlights
12th May 2026
The young Spanish violinist pays tribute to her role-model, with other highlights for the summer including Copland and Walker from Pappano and the LSO, Mel Bonis from the BBCSSO and Rumon Gamba, and musical postcards from Stephen Hough.
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New Release Round-Up - 8th May 2026
8th May 2026
Elegiac Haydn from Giovanni Antonini, Brahms and Dora Pejačević from the Kaleidoscope Chamber Collective, Florence Price from Ted Black & Sascha El Mouissi, and a Heine-themed recital from Helen Charlston and Sholto Kynoch.
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The Presto Chart - April 2026
4th May 2026
Our 25 best-selling titles across all formats for April, with Arvo Pärt's complete symphonies from the Iceland Symphony Orchestra and Eva Ollikainen in the No. 1 spot.
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New Release Round-Up - 1st May 2026
1st May 2026
Schubert and Schumann from Arcadi Volodos, Beethoven from Paul Watkins and Alessio Bax, Reicha from Trio Bohémo, and Morales from De Profundis.
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Presto Team Choices - April 2026
30th Apr 2026
Steve Reich from the Colin Currie Group, orchestrated mélodies from Cyrille Dubois and the Brussels Philharmonic, songs by Goossens, Bliss & Howells from James Geer and Ronald Woodley, and Glazunov from the Tippett Quartet.
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BBC Music Magazine - May 2026 Choices
29th Apr 2026
Chris introduces next month's selection, headed by a 'brilliantly subtle and irresistibly seductive' debut album on Sony from the young Moscow-born pianist Alexander Malofeev.
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New Release Round-Up - 24th April 2026
24th Apr 2026
Late nineteenth century viola works from Timothy Ridout, a French opera premiere from György Vashegyi and the Hungarian National Philharmonic Orchestra and Choir, Britten from Julie Roset, the Orchestre Philharmonique de Monte-Carlo and Lawrence Foster, and Vaughan Williams from Roderick Williams and friends.
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BBC Music Magazine Awards 2026: The Winners!
23rd Apr 2026
Exciting news from last night's glittering ceremony at Kings Place, including details of the well-deserved Recording of the Year and Personality of the Year Awards...
