Classical Recommendations
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New Release Round-Up - 20th February 2026
20th Feb 2026
Schubert from Christian Blackshaw, Johann Ludwig Bach from Capella Sollertia, late Beethoven from Imogen Cooper, and choral Bruckner from Pablo Heras-Casado.
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Johann Ludwig Bach: The Leipzig Cantatas
Sebastian Myrus, Richard Resch (tenor), William Shelton, Flore Van Meerssche, Carine Tinney (soprano), Michael Mogl, Tabea Mitterbauer, Anna-Lena Elbert, Micha Matthäus, Tobias Knaus, Capella Sollertia, Johanna Soller
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New Release Round-Up - 13th February 2026
13th Feb 2026
Alfvén & Rautavaara from Neeme Järvi in Gothenburg, early Rachmaninoff from Boris Giltburg, accordion works from the Baltic States courtesy of Ksenija Sidorova, and a phantasy-inspired programme from the Piatti Quartet.
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Boxed Set Selections - January/February 2026
11th Feb 2026
Early 2026 heavyweights include Sir Adrian Boult's stereo recordings on Warner, four operas from the 1954 Bayreuth Festival, Angela Hewitt's complete Bach series on Hyperion, and Nikolaus Harnoncourt's collected recordings with the Chamber Orchestra of Europe.
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Sir Adrian Boult: Complete Warner Recordings
Sir Adrian Boult, London Philharmonic Orchestra, London Symphony Orchestra, New Philharmonia Orchestra, Philharmonia Orchestra, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Scottish National Orchestra, London Philharmonic Choir, John Alldis Choir
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Bach's St John Passion from Pygmalion and other forthcoming highlights
9th Feb 2026
Raphaël Pichon and his crack ensemble continue their award-winning Bach journey, with other spring stand-outs including a new series from Anne-Sophie Mutter, Holst's The Planets from Pappano & the LSO, and Mendelssohn from Andris Nelsons in Leipzig.
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JS Bach: Johannes-Passion
Julian Prégardien (Evangelist), Huw Montague Rendall (Jesus), Ying Fang (soprano), Lucile Richardot (mezzo-soprano), Laurence Kilsby (tenor), Christian Immler (bass-baritone), Etienne Bazola (baritone), Pygmalion, Raphaël Pichon
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New Release Round-Up - 6th February 2026
6th Feb 2026
Tchaikovsky from Gianandrea Noseda and the LSO, a musical autobiography from Alexandra Dariescu, Poulenc from Pascal Rogé, and Clara Schumann, Dora Pejačević and Cécile Chaminade from the Neave Trio.
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BBC Music Magazine - February 2026 Choices
4th Feb 2026
Chris introduces this month's selection, headed by a recording from Víkingur Ólafsson which 'continues his progress as one of the great individual pianists of our time'.
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The Presto Chart - January 2026
3rd Feb 2026
Our 25 best-selling titles across all formats for January, with Mendelssohn and Enescu from the combined forces of the Quatuor Ébène and Belcea Quartet occupying the top spot.
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Grammy Winners 2026
2nd Feb 2026
The classical winners from this year's ceremony included new works by Jake Heggie, Donnacha Dennehy and Gabriela Ortiz, and albums from Yo-Yo Ma, Amanda Forsythe and Sandbox Percussion.
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New Release Round-Up - 30th January 2026
30th Jan 2026
A gallery of piano heroines from Claire Huangci, Elgar's Dream of Gerontius from Martyn Brabbins in Huddersfield, Schumann and Moscheles from Steven Isserlis and Connie Shih, and Lully's Atys with Mathias Vidal and Véronique Gens.
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BBC Music Magazine Awards 2026: Shortlist
29th Jan 2026
The nominations are just in and voting is open...
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Presto Team Choices - January 2026
28th Jan 2026
A vivid portrait of Kurt Weill from Katie Bray and friends, an autobiographical concerto from Chinese composer and pipa virtuoso Gao Hong, a barnstorming account of Havergal Brian's Gothic Symphony from the BBC archives, and Vítězslav Novák's Piano Concerto from Oliver Triendl and the Janáček Philharmonic Ostrava.
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Royal Philharmonic Society Awards - The Shortlist for 2026
27th Jan 2026
The contenders for this year's Awards (announced yesterday) include conductors Ellie Slorach, Domingo Hindoyan and John Wilson, and composers Richard Causton, Bushra El-Turk and Mark-Anthony Turnage.
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Gramophone Editor's Choices - February 2026
26th Jan 2026
Chris introduces next month's selection, headed by a 'revelatory' album of Johann Ludwig Bach's cantatas from Capella Sollertia on Ricercar.
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Johann Ludwig Bach: The Leipzig Cantatas
Sebastian Myrus, Richard Resch (tenor), William Shelton, Flore Van Meerssche, Carine Tinney (soprano), Michael Mogl, Tabea Mitterbauer, Anna-Lena Elbert, Micha Matthäus, Tobias Knaus, Capella Sollertia, Johanna Soller
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New Release Round-Up - 23rd January 2026
23rd Jan 2026
Mahler from Vladimir Jurowski and François-Xavier Roth, Bach's Clavier-Übung III from British organist James McVinnie, and a compline-inspired EP from The King's Singers.
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Palmarès des Diapason d'Or 2025
21st Jan 2026
Following last week's gala concert from some of the victors, we revisit the complete list of winning recordings - including Monteverdi from Le Poème Harmonique, Smetana from Petr Popelka in Prague, and a portrait of Vítězslava Kaprálová.
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New Release Round-Up - 16th January 2026
16th Jan 2026
The New Year's Day concert from Vienna (conducted by Yannick Nézet-Séguin), late Brahms from Piotr Anderszewski, a second volume of Edward MacDowell's orchestral works from the BBC Philharmonic and John Wilson, and a box-set of Angela Hewitt's complete Bach recordings.
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International Classical Music Awards 2026 - The Winners
14th Jan 2026
The results were announced yesterday, with winners including Jakub Hrůša, Stephen Kovacevich, Alice Sara Ott, and the Pavel Haas Quartet.
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Gramophone Editor's Choices - January 2026
13th Jan 2026
Chris introduces this month's selection, headed by a 'very special collaboration album' of Schubert from Leif Ove Andsnes and Bertrand Chamayou on Erato.
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New Release Round-Up - 9th January 2026
9th Jan 2026
Schubert Impromptus from Eric Lu, Verdi's Simon Boccanegra starring Ludovic Tézier and Marina Rebeka, songs by Kurt Weill from Katie Bray and friends, and the final instalment of the Cuarteto Casals's Shostakovich cycle.
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Verdi: Simon Boccanegra
Ludovic Tézier (Simon Boccanegra), Marina Rebeka (Amelia), Francesco Meli (Gabriele Adorno), Michele Pertusi (Fiesco), Mattia Olivieri (Paolo), Andrea Pellegrini (Pietro) Orchestra e Coro del Teatro di San Carlo di Napoli, Michele Spotti
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The Presto Chart - 2025
7th Jan 2026
Our 50 best-selling titles across all formats for the whole of last year, with Víkingur Ólafsson's Op. 109 on Deutsche Grammophon leading the pack...
