Latest stories
-
New Music Book Publications - 25th January 2021
25th Jan 2021
An updated biography of Mozart; an exploration of Puccini's La bohème; an analysis of the ballet collaborations between Leonard Bernstein and Jerome Robbins; a discussion of the issues facing pianists when performing historical repertoire on modern instruments; an examination of fugue in the sixteenth century; and books on music and liturgy in the Iberian Peninsula and fourteenth-century northern France.
-
New Generation Gig Bags from Tom & Will
19th Jan 2021
For the past fifteen years, Tom & Will's colourful gig bags have been providing reliable protection for a broad range of instruments from orchestral, concert and brass band as well as folk. We take a look at some bags from their New Generation series.
-
New Music Book Publications - 11th January 2021
11th Jan 2021
Biographies of Mozart and Chinese composer Chen Yi; essays on the organ works of Bach; a handbook illustrating the essential nature of singing through the millennia; philosophical discourse in relation to music in the Roman Empire; an analysis of the solfeggio tradition in the eighteenth century; the politics of opera from Monteverdi to Mozart; a collection of interviews with prominent oboists; and a critique of music and musicians in modern Turkey.
-
New Music Book Publications - 14th December 2020
14th Dec 2020
Books on composers including Mahler, Arvo Pärt, Stravinsky, Thomas Adès, and George Frederick Bristow; a guide to the Baroque Violin & Viola; examinations of Occitanian Crusade Songs and American Hymnody in the antebellum period of the United States; an exploration of the Big Band years of Louis Armstrong's career; and an account of the revitalisation of Broadway in the mid-1970s.
-
Presto Book Awards 2020
10th Dec 2020
We are very pleased to announce our inaugural Presto Music Book Awards! We have chosen five of the most outstanding publications from the past twelve months.
-
Christmas Gift Ideas - Music Education & History Books
7th Dec 2020
For our final Christmas gift guide for 2020, we offer some suggestions for children's educational books, alongside reference guides and companions to the history of music.
-
Mark Simpson's Geysir and Mozart's Gran Partita for Winds
4th Dec 2020
Mark Simpson leads an ensemble in radiant performances of two works for wind instruments: his own composition, Geysir, alongside Mozart's Gran Partita.
-
Christmas Gift Ideas - Books on Popular, Jazz, & World Artists
3rd Dec 2020
Our second gift guide offers suggestions of books published this year on jazz & world music artists, famous names from musical theatre and songwriting, and rock & pop icons.
-
Christmas Gift Ideas - Books on Classical Composers & Performers
30th Nov 2020
A selection of Christmas gift suggestions, focusing on recent composer biographies and books about and written by Classical performers.
-
New Music Book Publications - 16th November 2020
16th Nov 2020
Three introductions to music history for children; a study of how music creates emotion; a guide to twenty-first century vocal repertoire; an examination of the compositions of Johann Joseph Fux; handbooks on music in social media and the operatic canon; and a biography of dancing legend Gene Kelly.
-
New Music Book Publications - 2nd November 2020
2nd Nov 2020
Books on composers such as Richard Strauss, Delius, Britten, and Fauré; tips and techniques on producing classical recordings in the Decca tradition; a biography of experimental musician Wendy Carlos; a guide to writing music for video games; and a discusson of Bolivian popular music.
-
Introducing Presto Instruments & Accessories
20th Oct 2020
We are very pleased to be able to announce the latest development on the Presto website: a new department dedicated to musical instruments and accessories.
-
New Music Book Publications - 19th October 2020
19th Oct 2020
Biographies of Thomas Tallis and Michael Tippett; a celebration of 150 years of the Royal Albert Hall; a collection of essays in honour of early music scholar Christopher Page; books on the guitar in Georgian England and music in North-East England; the importance of music-making to people on the autism spectrum; and an analysis of performance practice issues in nineteenth-century violin repertoire.
-
Giovanni Antonini conducts Haydn's Die Schöpfung
9th Oct 2020
The Italian conductor makes a slight detour from his project to record all of Haydn's symphonies with an incisive, characterful account of the Creation oratorio.
-
New Music Book Publications - 5th October 2020
5th Oct 2020
Several volumes marking the 250th anniversary of Beethoven's birth; an analysis of Brahms's violin sonatas; the history and construction of minimalist music; a guide to making your own bassoon reeds; the life and legacy of jazz saxophonist Dexter Gordon; the latest edition of the Rare Record Price Guide; and a handbook on teaching music to students with autism.
-
New Music Book Publications - 21st September 2020
21st Sep 2020
Two volumes on Richard Wagner, including the latest book from best-selling author, Alex Ross; an updated biography of Bach from the Master Musicians series; the memoirs of song accompanist, Helmut Deutsch; a companion to more than 400 orchestral works; an historical survey of the Renaissance flute; a collection of essays discussing the concept of rhythm; and a guide to singing in Mandarin.
-
New Music Book Publications - 7th September 2020
7th Sep 2020
An introdution to Renaissance polyphony; a memoir by Kadiatu Kanneh-Mason on raising a family of musicians; an examination of the position of music in Tudor and Stuart England; a study of the songs of Johanna Kinkel; the life and music of Nat King Cole; the stories behind the songs of Jimi Hendrix; and collections of photographs of David Bowie and The Beatles.
-
Simon Rattle conducts Janáček's Sinfonietta and The Cunning Little Vixen
4th Sep 2020
Simon Rattle conducts the London Symphony Orchestra and a cast including Lucy Crowe and Gerald Finley in an exquisitely characterful performance of Janáček's opera.
-
New Music Book Publications - 24th August 2020
24th Aug 2020
Books on the life and music of Beethoven and Chopin; the history of the flageolet in England; a guide to compositional techniques in twenty-first century music; an analysis of the power of the singing voice; an overview of percussion music in the twentieth century; the story of popular music in Japan; punk rock as a reaction to 1980s America; and a look at the economics of the music industry.
-
John Williams conducts the Vienna Philharmonic
14th Aug 2020
Joined by violinist Anne-Sophie Mutter, John Williams conducts excerpts from scores such as Star Wars, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, War Horse, Hook, Jurassic Park, Jaws, The Witches of Eastwick, and more.
