Latest News: Classical
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Interview,
Christophe Rousset on Lully's Atys 16th January 2024As his masterly survey of Lully's complete operas with Les Talens Lyriques nears the finishing-line, the French harpsichordist and conductor reflects on the legacy of the 'incredible arriviste' who rose from humble beginnings in Florence to captivate Louis XIV and his court...
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Gramophone Choices,
Gramophone Editor's Choices - January 2024 15th January 2024Chris introduces this month's selection, headed by a Franco-Belgian programme from French cellist Bruno Philippe (with Tanguy de Williencourt, Christoph Eschenbach & the Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra) on Harmonia Mundi.
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Recording of the Week,
Shadows of My Ancestors from Behzod Abduraimov 12th January 2024The Uzbek pianist presents a dazzlingly evocative album of virtuosic piano works by Prokofieff, Ravel, and his compatriot Dilorom Saidaminova.
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New Release Round-up,
New Release Round-Up - 12th January 2024 12th January 2024A second volume of variations from Cédric Tiberghien, Charpentier's Médée from Le Concert Spirituel & Hervé Niquet, French song from Sandrine Piau, and Schumann and Grieg piano concertos from Elisabeth Leonskaja.
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Favourites,
Carl Friedrich Abel at 300 11th January 2024A selection of some of the best recordings of music by perhaps the last of the great viola da gamba players, in a slightly belated celebration of the 300th anniversary of his birth.
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Coming Soon,
Katya Kabanova from Simon Rattle and other forthcoming highlights 11th January 2024Amanda Majeski and Katarina Dalayman go head-to-head in Janáček's opera from the Barbican, Elīna Garanča makes her Wagner debut on a live Parsifal from Vienna, and Domingo Hindoyan and the Liverpool Philharmonic mark this year's Bruckner bicentenary.
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BBC Music Magazine Choices,
BBC Music Magazine - January 2024 Choices 9th January 2024Chris introduces this month's selection, headed by a programme of Penderecki from the Latvian Radio Choir which demonstrates 'a palpable grasp of the music’s emotional heart'.
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Interview,
Raphaël Pichon on Monteverdi's Vespers 8th January 2024The conductor talks about his new recording of Monteverdi's unique sacred masterpiece, plus recent and upcoming Delibes and Mozart projects.
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Recording of the Week,
Puccini Songs from Charles Castronovo 5th January 2024Johannes X. Schachtner's idiomatic new orchestrations of the composer's sixteen published songs inspire some ardent, full-throated singing from the American tenor - with the Münchner Rundfunkorchester on incendiary form under Ivan Repušić.
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New Release Round-up,
New Release Round-Up - 5th January 2024 5th January 2024Stravinsky from James Ehnes & Sir Andrew Davis, Bruckner from Markus Poschner and the late Bernard Haitink, and a starry revival of Laurent Pelly's classic production of Rameau's Platée (with Lawrence Brownlee in the title-role).
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Presto Chart,
The Presto Chart - 2023 4th January 2024Our 50 best-selling titles across all formats for the whole of last year, with Víkingur Ólafsson's recording of Bach's Goldberg Variations on Deutsche Grammophon leading the pack...
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Obituary,
2023 Goodbyes 3rd January 2024A short video-tribute to some of the artists and creatives who died in 2023.
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Presto Chart,
The Presto Chart - December 2023 2nd January 2024Our 25 best-selling titles across all formats for December, with John Nelson's live recording of Handel's Messiah from Coventry Cathedral (released on Erato at the end of November) in first place...
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Presto Music Classical Podcast,
Episode 46: La Divina - Rob Cowan and Alain Lanceron on the centenary of Maria Callas's birth 31st December 2023Host Rob Cowan is joined by the President of Warner Classics & Erato, Alain Lanceron, to discuss La Divina’s legacy on record – picking out some highlights from her vast discography on his label along the way…
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Recording of the Week,
Presto Personal Favourites from 2023 29th December 2023Recordings of works by Franz Schreker, Shawn E. Okpebholo, Andrew Poppy and the late Einojuhani Rautavaara feature among the editorial team's individual picks of the year.
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Interview,
Carlo Rizzi on Mercadante, Leoncavallo and Donizetti 28th December 2023The Italian conductor looks back on his first few years as Artistic Director of Opera Rara, including recordings of Leoncavallo's Zingari and Mercadante's Il Proscritto - plus a new mission to record the complete Donizetti songs with singers including Lawrence Brownlee and William Thomas.
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Interview,
Charles Owen & Katya Apekisheva on the art of the piano duo 27th December 2023The curators of the London Piano Festival reflect on what makes the perfect partner on the piano-bench, and discuss their new album of music by Poulenc, Milhaud and Debussy (released on Orchid Classics last month).
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Box Set Selections,
Boxed Set Selections - December 2023 26th December 2023José Carreras's complete recitals on Philips, Bruckner cycles from Marek Janowski and Rémy Ballot, and collections celebrating the long histories of the Wiener Sängerknaben and Sächsische Staatskapelle Dresden.
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Recording of the Week,
Handel's Messiah from John Nelson 22nd December 2023Devotion and drama work hand-in-glove on the American conductor's live recording from Coventry Cathedral with The English Concert and soloists Lucy Crowe, Alex Potter, Michael Spyres & Matthew Brook.
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New Release Round-up,
New Releases from Winter 2023 22nd December 2023Mahler from Santtu-Matias Rouvali & the Philharmonia, Mendelssohn from Jordi Savall, the conclusion of Sarah Willis's Mozart y Mambo project with the Havana Lyceum Orchestra, and a third helping of Sturm und Drang from Ian Page & The Mozartists.