Latest stories
-
Paavo Järvi on the NHK Symphony Orchestra
13th Feb 2020
Ahead of the release of their album of Bartók on Sony Classical tomorrow, the Japanese orchestra's Chief Conductor talks to Katherine about expanding their twentieth-century and contemporary repertoire and his plans for their future together.
-
Kate Lindsey on Arianna
11th Feb 2020
The American mezzo (currently starring as Nerone in Handel's Agrippina at the Metropolitan Opera) talks to Katherine about her new recording of cantatas by Alessandro Scarlatti, Handel and Haydn, released last month on Alpha.
-
Nello Santi (1931-2020)
10th Feb 2020
The Italian opera conductor, who was one of the finest Verdi and Puccini interpreters of the twentieth century, has died aged 88.
Featured product
Mascagni: Cavalleria rusticana & Leoncavallo: Pagliacci
Eileen Farrell (Santuzza), Richard Tucker (Turiddu), Cesare Bardelli (Alfio), Mildred Miller (Lola), Lili Chookasian (Mamma Lucia), Franco Corelli (Canio), Lucine Amara (Nedda), Anselmo Colzani (Tonio), Franco Ghitti (Beppe), Calvin Marsh (Silvio) Orchestra and Chorus of the Metropolitan Opera, Nello Santi
More products from this article -
Mirella Freni (1935-2020)
10th Feb 2020
The Italian soprano, who was widely recognised as one of the finest Verdi and Puccini singers of the twentieth century, has died aged 84.
Featured product
Puccini: La Bohème
Mirella Freni (Mimi), Luciano Pavarotti (Rodolfo), Nicolai Ghiaurov (Colline), Elizabeth Harwood (Musetta), Rolando Panerai (Marcello), Gianni Maffeo (Schaunard), Michel Sénéchal (Alcindoro/Benoit), Gernot Pietsch (Parpignol) Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, Herbert von Karajan
More products from this article -
Cherubini from Riccardo Chailly and Filarmonica della Scala
7th Feb 2020
The Italian conductor and orchestra present nine world premiere recordings of occasional marches alongside energetic accounts of the Overture in G minor and Symphony.
-
Peter Serkin (1947-2020)
6th Feb 2020
The American pianist, who was as renowned for his work with contemporary composers as for his period-instrument performances of Mozart and Beethoven, has died aged 72.
-
Presto Editor's Choices - January 2020
31st Jan 2020
An eloquent, gently moving debut from the young Swedish violinist Johan Dalene, French connections from John Wilson, and a terrific triptych of Ariannas from American mezzo Kate Lindsey.
-
Handel's Agrippina starring Joyce DiDonato
31st Jan 2020
The American mezzo sings the title role of the scheming Roman matriarch in a starrily-cast recording of Handel's early opera with Il Pomo d'Oro, conducted by Maxim Emelyanychev.
-
Franz Mazura (1924-2020)
25th Jan 2020
The Austrian bass-baritone, who was especially renowned for his Wagner roles and made his final appearance in Die Meistersinger only last April, has died aged 95.
Featured product
Berg: Lulu
Teresa Stratas (Lulu), Yvonne Minton (Gräfin Geschwitz), Franz Mazura (Dr Schön), Kenneth Riegel (Alwa), Toni Blankenheim (Schigolch/Der Medizinalrat/Ein Polizeikommissär), Robert Tear (Der Maler/Der Neger) Orchestre de l'Opéra de Paris, Pierre Boulez
More products from this article -
Xavier Sabata on Winterreise
20th Jan 2020
The Catalan countertenor talks to Katherine about taking 'a trip into the darkness of the mind' on his recording of Schubert's great song-cycle, released before Christmas on Berlin Classics.
-
Charpentier from Vox Luminis, A Nocte Temporis and Reinoud Van Mechelen
17th Jan 2020
The two Belgian early music ensembles pool their resources for two very different works depicting Orpheus's descent to the underworld, with Van Mechelen on outstanding form as the intrepid hero in each case.
-
Lines Written During a Sleepless Night: The Russian Connection
3rd Jan 2020
The young British soprano Louise Alder traces her family history through a programme of Rachmaninov, Grieg, Medtner, Sibelius, Tchaikovsky and Britten, with superb support from Joseph Middleton.
-
James Hall on Elegy
11th Dec 2019
The young British countertenor talks to Katherine about his career to date and his recent album of duets by Purcell and Blow with Iestyn Davies and The King's Consort.
-
Angela Gheorghiu on Plaisir d'amour
8th Dec 2019
On the 25th anniversary of the BBC broadcast of her landmark Traviata from Covent Garden, the Romanian soprano reminisces about the production with Katherine and discusses her new recording on Decca Classics.
-
Beethoven's Leonore from René Jacobs and the Freiburger Barockorchester
6th Dec 2019
The original 1805 version of Beethoven's only opera is a high-adrenaline experience in the hands of the Belgian conductor and his period-instrument band, with Marlis Petersen in the title-role and Maximilian Schmitt as her imprisoned husband.
-
Presto Editor's Choices - November 2019
1st Dec 2019
Arresting debut albums from tenor Benjamin Bernheim, violinist Diana Tishchenko and mezzo Adèle Charvet, plus fleet-footed Schubert from Maxim Emelyanychev in his first recording with the Scottish Chamber Orchestra.
-
La damnation de Faust from John Nelson
22nd Nov 2019
Starring Michael Spyres and Joyce DiDonato, this live recording of Berlioz's légende dramatique from Strasbourg is a worthy successor to the American conductor's hugely acclaimed Les Troyens from 2017.
-
Christophe Rousset on Lully and Gounod
14th Nov 2019
The French harpsichordist and conductor talks to Katherine about recording Lully's 1677 opera Isis (out now on Aparté) and the original 1859 version of Gounod's Faust, released in September on Bru Zane.
-
Bliss from Sarah Connolly, Sir Andrew Davis and the BBC Symphony Orchestra
8th Nov 2019
Davis continues his advocacy for the English composer with three relatively late works - the dramatic scena The Enchantress (written for Kathleen Ferrier), the Meditations on a Theme by John Blow, and the 1963 cantata Mary of Magdala.
-
Christoph Croisé on his Russian Album
4th Nov 2019
The award-winning young cellist talks to Katherine about his second album on Avie, featuring sonatas by Rachmaninov and Shostakovich.
