Latest stories
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April Cantelo (1928-2024)
22nd Jul 2024
The English soprano, who created the role of Helena in Britten's A Midsummer Night's Dream, has died aged 96.
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Britten: A Midsummer Night's Dream
Alfred Deller (Oberon), Jennifer Vyvyan (Tytania), Leonide Massine II (Puck), Kevin Platts (Cobweb), Robert McCutcheon (Mustardseed), Barry Ferguson (Moth), Michael Bauer (Peaseblossom), George Maran (Lysander), Thomas Hemsley (Demetrius), Marjorie Thomas (Hermia), April Cantelo (Helena), Forbes Robinson (Theseus), Johanna Peters (Hippolyta), Owen Brannigan (Bottom), Norman Lumsden (Quince), Peter Pears (Flute), David Kelly (Snug), Edward Byles (Snout), Joseph Ward (Starveling) London Symphony Orchestra, Choirs of Downside & Emanuel Schools, Benjamin Britten
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New Presto CD titles from Sony
22nd Jul 2024
We are pleased to add 55 titles to our Presto CD catalogue of Sony recordings, many of which have been unavailable on CD (and in some cases any format) for some time.
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The Past & I: 100 Years of Thomas Hardy
19th Jul 2024
Two substantial elegies for Hardy and his first wife Emma by up-and-coming composer Arthur Keegan bookend this mesmerising recital from mezzo Lotte Betts-Dean, guitarist James Girling and the Ligeti Quartet, which also includes Keegan's arrangements of Hardy settings by Imogen Holst, Benjamin Britten and others.
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New Release Round-Up - 19th July 2024
19th Jul 2024
Bruckner and Bates from Manfred Honeck in Pittsburgh, a fourth volume of Weinberg from the Arcadia Quartet, a second helping of African Pianism from Rebeca Omordia, and a recital of Schumann, Ravel & Prokofiev from Tchaikovsky Competition silver medallist George Li.
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BBC Proms 2024 - Our Top Related Recordings
18th Jul 2024
In advance of tomorrow's First Night concert, the Presto team makes some suggestions for further listening around the season - including a recital from Last Night star Angel Blue, recent albums from soloists Yunchan Lim, Laura van der Heijden & Isata Kanneh-Mason, and anthologies of orchestral works by Anna Clyne, Carlos Simon & Dani Howard.
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Gramophone Editor's Choices - August 2024
17th Jul 2024
Chris introduces this month's selection, headed by an 'enchanting, engrossing and impeccably recorded' recital of Lieder by Schubert and Loewe from Konstantin Krimmel & Ammiel Bushakevitz.
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Aziz Shokhakimov on Prokofiev (and Strasbourg)
16th Jul 2024
Now firmly settled in his role as Music Director of the Orchestre Philharmonique de Strasbourg, the young Uzbek conductor reflects on the challenges and rewards involved in building a relationship with a new orchestra - and their recent recording of Prokofiev (released last month on Warner Classics last month).
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Carlo Bergonzi - A Tenor Centenary
13th Jul 2024
As Carlo Bergonzi would have celebrated his 100th birthday today, Matthew remembers the great tenor and highlights a selection of his recordings.
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Eric Coates from John Wilson and the BBC Philharmonic
12th Jul 2024
Replete with memorable melodies and piquant orchestral detail, this delightful series of Coates's orchestral works continues today with a fourth instalment including a zany symphonic fantasy on Goldilocks and the Three Bears and the dance-inspired Four Centuries Suite.
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New Release Round-Up - 12th July 2024
12th Jul 2024
Schumann and Loewe from Konstantin Krimmel & Ammiel Bushakevitz, Schoenberg and Fauré from the Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra & Paavo Järvi, Brahms's complete symphonies from the Chamber Orchestra of Europe & Yannick Nézet-Séguin, and the Wiener Philharmoniker's recent Sommernachtskonzert from Schönbrunn Palace.
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Pavel Kolesnikov and Samson Tsoy on Piano Duos by Schubert and Desyatnikov
11th Jul 2024
The piano duo explore the 'hall of mirrors' created by Schubert's Divertissement à la hongroise and Fantasie, and Desyatnikov's Trompe-l'œil inspired by both works.
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Guy James on Queen of Hearts
10th Jul 2024
Countertenor and musicologist Guy James of the Gesualdo Six talks about the vocal group's new album of early-Renaissance works dedicated to the Virgin Mary as 'Queen of Heaven', as well as to earthly queens compared to her during their lifetimes and beyond.
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Queen of Hearts
The Gesualdo Six, Owain Park
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BBC Music Magazine - August 2024 Choices
9th Jul 2024
Chris introduces this month's selection, headed by 'passionate, committed' accounts of Brahms's String Quintets from the Gringolts Quartet and violist Lilli Maijala on BIS.
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Kirill Gerstein on Music in Time of War
8th Jul 2024
The Russian-American pianist discusses his new album of music which Debussy and Komitas composed in the wake of the outbreak of World War One and the Armenian genocide respectively - exploring why music written in dark times so often contains 'an incredible amount of exuberance, kaleidoscopic colour and life-affirmation'.
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Mishka Rushdie Momen - Reformation
5th Jul 2024
Mishka Rushdie Momen makes a highly enjoyable Hyperion debut, playing Renaissance keyboard music on a modern Steinway grand piano, with subtlety of tone and phrasing that brings new perspective to the music of Byrd, Sweelinck, Gibbons and Bull.
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New Release Round-Up - 5th July 2024
5th Jul 2024
An Irish album from Daniel Hope & friends, Janáček's The Excursions of Mr. Brouček from Prague, Stanford's Te Deum & Elegiac Ode from the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, and folk-inspired works by Suk, Smetana, Coleridge-Taylor & Frank Martin from the Neave Trio.
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Jakub Józef Orliński on Gluck's Orfeo
4th Jul 2024
The Polish countertenor discusses recording 'one of the signature-roles' for his voice-type, how going to hell and back in two contrasting productions of the opera informed his interpretation in the studio, and why acting as co-artistic director on the recording taught him to 'read the room'...
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Johannes Pramsohler and Philippe Grisvard on Berlin Harpsichord Concertos
3rd Jul 2024
The director and harpsichordist of pioneering early music group Ensemble Diderot talk about their new album of works from the time of Frederick the Great.
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The Presto Chart - June 2024
2nd Jul 2024
Our 25 best-selling titles across all formats for June, with Sibelius and Prokofiev violin concertos from Janine Jansen and Klaus Mäkelä in Oslo in first place...
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Meyerbeer's Le prophète from Mark Elder and the London Symphony Orchestra
2nd Jul 2024
This weird and wonderful opera about a Flanders innkeeper who is radicalised into religious extremism really catches fire on a live recording from last year's Aix-en-Provence Festival, with the London Symphony Orchestra on barnstorming form and American tenor John Osborn at the top of his game in the demanding title-role.
