Latest News: Classical
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Awards,
Gramophone Awards 2023 - Finalists Revealed 8th September 2023
The final contenders in each of the eleven categories were revealed this morning, with Rachel Podger, Mahan Esfahani, Marc-André Hamelin and Quatuor Ebène among those in the running…
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New Release Round-up,
New Release Round-Up - 8th September 2023 8th September 2023
Virtuosic Locatelli concertos from Isabelle Faust and Il Giardino Armonico, regal Haydn symphonies from the Kammerorchester Basel under Giovanni Antonini, finely-shaded Mahler from Semyon Bychkov and the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra, and the world premiere recording of John Corigliano’s complex opera blending Gothic horror and Greek tragedy.
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Interview,
John Wilson on Oklahoma! 7th September 2023
In the run-up to the release of his new recording of Rodgers & Hammerstein's first musical, the conductor explains how a chance encounter with the piece at the age of fourteen changed his life - and why he considers it to be 'the Marriage of Figaro of the twentieth century'.
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Interview,
Jonathan Sells on motets by two Bachs 6th September 2023
The founder and director of early music collective Solomon's Knot talks about the group's new album of motets, pairing Johann Sebastian Bach's six motets with those of his ancestor and precursor Johann Christoph.
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Presto Chart,
The Presto Chart - August 2023 4th September 2023
Our 25 best-selling titles across all formats for August, with Finnish overtures from the Oulu Symphony Orchestra and Rumon Gamba in first place...
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Recording of the Week,
Monteverdi's Vespers from Raphaël Pichon and Pygmalion 1st September 2023
Raphaël Pichon and his Pygmalion ensemble offer a vivid, contrast-filled account of Monteverdi's sacred masterwork. A new benchmark recording of the Vespers? Quite possibly.
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New Release Round-up,
New Release Round-Up - 1st September 2023 1st September 2023
A Shakespeare Songbook from Carolyn Sampson, Roderick Williams and Joseph Middleton, Fauré from Marc-André Hamelin, Mozart from the late Lars Vogt in Paris, and Rachmaninoff concertos from Yuja Wang, Gustavo Dudamel and the Los Angeles Philharmonic.
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Presto Editor's Choices,
Presto Editor's Choices - August 2023 31st August 2023
Early music meets French cabaret in an intriguing collaboration between Stéphanie d'Oustrac and Le Poème Harmonique, Liam Bonthrone and Benjamin Mead explore salon-culture in Paris and New York, and Antoni Wit champions the music of his compatriot Zygmunt Noskowski.
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Presto Presents…,
Presto Presents...Kerson Leong's Bruch and Britten 30th August 2023
The Canadian violinist celebrated the release of his recent album of Britten and Bruch concertos on Alpha with a short recital of works by both composers followed by a Q&A session at our store last month - highlights from which are now available to view on our YouTube channel.
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Coming Soon,
Satie & Cage from Bertrand Chamayou and other forthcoming highlights 29th August 2023
Stand-out releases for the autumn also include French repertoire from Steven Osborne, Alexandre Tharaud and Bruce Liu, Baroque albums from Miloš Karadaglić and Avi Avital, and the final instalment of Andris Nelsons's Shostakovich cycle from Boston.
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Interview,
Suzi Digby on Sanctissima 28th August 2023
The founder and director of the ORA Singers talks about her new album of music inspired by Vespers, and her ongoing mission to celebrate choral music from two Golden Ages centuries apart.
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Recording of the Week,
Russian Romances from Piotr Beczała and Helmut Deutsch 25th August 2023
The Polish tenor and German pianist are both at the top of their considerable games in an eloquent and imaginative recital of songs by Tchaikovsky and Rachmaninoff, released today on Pentatone.
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New Release Round-up,
New Release Round-Up - 25th August 2023 25th August 2023
Nielsen concertos from Fabio Luisi, Bruckner's Eighth Symphony from Paavo Järvi, Janáček's Káťa Kabanová from the Salzburg Festival, and an intriguing fusion of early music and cabaret-songs from Stéphanie d'Oustrac & Le Poème Harmonique.
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Interview,
Tim Parker-Langston on Fanny Hensel's Lieder 24th August 2023
The tenor and musicologist discusses his mission to make Hensel's complete songs readily available to audiences and performers alike - and explains why her music 'just never stops surprising us'...
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Presto CD,
53 new titles added to our Presto CD range from Sony Classical 23rd August 2023
Musicals from Irving Berlin, Cole Porter & Stephen Sondheim and the music of J.S. Bach feature in the latest additions to our Presto CD range.
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Gramophone Choices,
Gramophone Editor's Choices - September 2023 22nd August 2023
Chris introduces next month's selection, with 'an absolute belter' of a Tchaikovsky Five from Manfred Honeck and the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra in pride of place as Recording of the Month...
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Recollections,
Introducing our Recollections project 21st August 2023
Presto Music is a company run by music-lovers, for music-lovers, so this is a call-out for your own personal stories - if you have an interesting tale behind a much-loved recording, we would love you to share it with us...
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Recording of the Week,
Sanctissima from the ORA Singers 18th August 2023
The London-based vocal ensemble's 'Vespers and Benediction for the Feast of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary' features striking commissions by Giles Swayne, Julian Anderson, Matthew Martin and the late Sven-David Sandström.
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New Release Round-up,
New Release Round-Up - 18th August 2023 18th August 2023
The debut solo recording of Scottish tenor Liam Bonthrone, a tribute to Tebaldi from American soprano Melody Moore, Rubinstein piano concertos from Anna Shelest & Neeme Järvi, and Liszt's Faust Symphony from Kirill Karabits in Weimar.
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BBC Music Magazine Choices,
BBC Music Magazine - September 2023 Choices 17th August 2023
Chris introduces next month's selection, headed by 'stunningly recorded' account of Hans Sørensen’s suite of excerpts from Bernard Herrmann's only opera Wuthering Heights (starring Keri Fuge as Cathy and Roderick Williams as Heathcliff).
