This month brings one of the most lavish collections devoted to a single artist which any of us in the Presto office can remember (Herbert von Karajan’s complete legacy on Decca and Deutsche Grammophon, comprising a whopping 330 CDs and 24 DVDs!), plus an early celebration of next year’s Leonard Bernstein centenary from Sony – do watch the video-trailer for this one if you’ve five minutes to spare, as it offers some fascinating insights into the remastering process. It’s also a great month for French rarities, with a long-overdue survey of Alkan’s keyboard works on Brilliant Classics and a collection of late nineteenth-century repertoire from Jacques Mercier and the Orchestre national d'Île-de-France.
The John Adams Edition
Berliner Philharmoniker, Simon Rattle, Gustavo Dudamel, Alan Gilbert, Kirill Petrenko
These live recordings were made during Adams’s residency at the Berlin Philharmonic last season: outgoing chief conductor Simon Rattle conducts The Gospel According To The Other Mary, and his successor Kirill Petrenko takes up the baton for The Wound-Dresser. Also includes City Noir, Lollapalooza, Short Ride in a Fast Machine, Scheherazade.2 and Harmonielehre.
Available Formats: 4 CDs + 2 Blu-ray Videos, Hi-Res FLAC/ALAC/WAV, FLAC/ALAC/WAV, MP3
Charles‐Valentin Alkan Edition
Vincenzo Maltempo, Mark Viner, Laurent Martin, Costantino Mastroprimiano, Giovanni Bellucci, Kevin Bowyer, Alkan Trio
A comprehensive survey of the idiosyncratic pianist-composer’s keyboard output and chamber music, including the mammoth Grande Sonata (also known as ‘Les quatre âges’) and the complete studies Opp. 35 and 39 plus the operatic variations and a selection of organ works.
Available Formats: FLAC/ALAC/WAV, MP3
Victor de Sabata: The Deutsche Grammophon & Decca Recordings
Berliner Philharmoniker, London Philharmonic Orchestra, Orchestra Sinfonica della Radio Italiana, Victor de Sabata
Marking the fiftieth anniversary of the conductor’s death, this 4-CD collection brings together the recordings which he made between 1939 and 1946 – repertoire includes Brahms’s Fourth Symphony, Strauss’s Tod und Verklärung, Beethoven’s Eroica Symphony and (appearing for the first time on CD for Deutsche Grammophon) Mozart’s Requiem.
Available Formats: FLAC/ALAC/WAV, MP3
A 30-CD box marking the 70th birthday of the American conductor, documenting his transformative relationship with the Seattle Symphony Orchestra and commitment to contemporary American music – repertoire includes works by Elliott Carter, David Diamond, Howard Hanson and Walter Piston as well as a generous helping of Strauss, Brahms and Dvořák.
Available Formats: FLAC/ALAC/WAV, MP3
