Classical Recommendations
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The Presto Chart - December 2025
6th Jan 2026
Our 25 best-selling titles across all formats for December, with Víkingur Ólafsson's recital centring on Beethoven's Piano Sonata Op. 109 occupying the top spot for the second month running...
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BBC Music Magazine - January 2026 Choices
5th Jan 2026
Chris introduces this month's selection, headed by a 'compelling pairing' of works by Shostakovich and Henriëtte Bosmans from South Korean violinist Hyeyoon Park, the WDR Sinfonieorchester and Gergely Madaras on Linn.
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New Release Round-Up - 2nd January 2026
2nd Jan 2026
Brahms from Edward Gardner in Bergen, a third Joan Sutherland box-set on Decca, Max Richter's score for the new film adaptation of Maggie O'Farrell's Hamnet, and Rachmaninoff and Tchaikovsky from Nobuyuki Tsujii.
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Boxed Set Selections - Winter 2025
29th Dec 2025
Heavyweight highlights from the last couple of months include anthologies dedicated to Sir Charles Mackerras, Lorin Maazel and the late Christoph von Dohnányi, plus the Calidore Quartet's acclaimed Beethoven cycle and John Williams's collected recordings with the Boston Pops Orchestra.
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Yunchan Lim's Goldberg Variations and other forthcoming highlights
22nd Dec 2025
The Van Cliburn Competition-winning South Korean pianist tackles one of the cornerstones of the repertoire, with other stand-outs for early 2026 including The Dream of Gerontius from Martyn Brabbins in Huddersfield, Schumann and Moscheles from Steven Isserlis and Connie Shih, and a prayerful operatic recital from French-Danish soprano Elsa Dreisig.
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New Releases from Winter 2025
19th Dec 2025
A nature-themed concept-album from The Hermes Experiment, a 150th-birthday tribute to Ravel from Cristian Măcelaru in Paris, an homage to trailblazing cellist Lise Cristiani from Sol Gabetta, and Beethoven from Jordan-born pianist Karim Said.
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Gramophone Editor's Choices - December 2025
16th Dec 2025
Chris introduces this month's selection, headed by a studio recording of Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor from Catania with a 'tremendous' Lisette Oropesa in the title-role and Donizetti specialist Fabrizio Maria Carminati at the helm.
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New Release Round-Up - 12th December 2025
12th Dec 2025
A Mozart Requiem with a difference from Manfred Honeck in Pittsburgh, André Tchaikowsky from Peter Jablonski, Mahler from Gianandrea Noseda in Washington, and Chopin & Scriabin from Mikhail Pletnev.
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Requiem: Mozart's Death in Words and Music
F. Murray Abraham, Jeanine De Bique (soprano), Catriona Morison (mezzo), Ben Bliss (tenor), Tareq Nazmi (bass); Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, Westminster Choir, The Mendelssohn Choir of Pittsburgh, Manfred Honeck
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BBC Music Magazine - Christmas 2025 Choices
9th Dec 2025
Chris introduces this issue's selection, headed by a 'mesmerising and disturbing' Mahler recital from mezzo Anna Lucia Richter with the Gürzenich-Orchester Köln under Jordan de Souza on Myrios.
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Christmas New Releases 2025
5th Dec 2025
Festive releases from the Choir of St John's College Cambridge, the Miró Quartet, Il Pomo d'Oro, and the brass section of the Berlin Philharmonic.
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O Holy Night
Alexander Robson, Montague Tatnell (soprano), Arthur Cobb (soprano), Bryony Macleod-Jones (soprano), Alice Markham (vocalist), Theodore Horch (tenor), Alexander Semple (bass-baritone), Nicholas Garcia (soprano), Matthew Monaghan (vocalist), Anna Morgan (vocalist), William Collison (tenor), Garbhán McEnoy (tenor), Simon Hall (bass-baritone), John Moore (bass-baritone), Amelia Crichton-Stuart (soprano), Alexander Weiss (bass-baritone), George Henty (soprano), Choir of St John's College Cambridge, Christopher Gray
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Recordings of the Year 2025 - Our Top 10
4th Dec 2025
The winners revealed - ten fantastic recordings which really stood out from the crowd for us over the past twelve months, plus the results of our six special category awards...
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The Presto Chart - November 2025
1st Dec 2025
Our 25 best-selling titles across all formats for November, headed by Víkingur Ólafsson's illuminating recital centring on Beethoven's Piano Sonata Op. 109 on Deutsche Grammophon.
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Presto Team Choices - November 2025
30th Nov 2025
Bracing Brahms from Kirill Petrenko in Berlin, Florence Price organ works from Tom Winpenny, the world premiere recording of Thomas Adès's The Exterminating Angel Symphony, and a compelling pasticcio on the Orpheus myth from Rolando Villazón, L'Arpeggiata and Christina Pluhar.
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New Release Round-Up - 28th November 2025
28th Nov 2025
Haydn from Giovanni Antonini and the Kammerorchester Basel, Bach from Sébastien Daucé and Ensemble Correspondances, Ravel from the Nash Ensemble, and previously unreleased recordings by the late Radu Lupu.
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Early Music Round-Up - Autumn 2025
27th Nov 2025
World premieres from the Peterhouse Partbooks, a unique fusion of Baroque and Middle Eastern traditions from sweet-toned tenor Haitham Haidar, a rich collection of Jenkins viol consort music from Fretwork, a Venetian preview of Christmas from Il Pomo d'Oro, and more.
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New Release Round-Up - 21st November 2025
21st Nov 2025
Elgar's The Dream of Gerontius from Edward Gardner and the LPO, Brahms's Symphony No. 1 from Kirill Petrenko and the Berliner Philharmoniker, a portrait of Avril Coleridge-Taylor, and Schubert from Leif Ove Andsnes & Bertrand Chamayou.
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Classical Recordings of the Year - Finalists 2025
20th Nov 2025
The first meeting of the Presto Awards committee is over, and it's time to reveal the 100 recordings which have most impressed our editorial team this year...
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New Release Round-Up - 14th November 2025
14th Nov 2025
Adès from Thomas Søndergård in Minnesota, Kapustin from young British pianist Ophelia Gordon, the complete works of Louis Couperin from Jean Rondeau, and a Sibelius anthology from the late Leif Segerstam in Helsinki.
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Grammy Nominations 2026
10th Nov 2025
The shortlist for next year's Awards was revealed on Friday - read on for full details of the contenders in the nine classical categories...
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New Release Round-Up - 7th November 2025
7th Nov 2025
Mahler from Paavo Järvi and the Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich, Grace Williams from the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Mendelssohn & Bruch from Johan Dalene, and Bach from Pierre-Laurent Aimard.
