Latest stories
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Ethel Smyth
22nd May 2024
A selection of some of the best recordings of music by the late Romantic composer, known for her groundbreaking operas, her solo songs, and her fearless involvement in the suffragette movement.
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Gerald Peregrine on Folk Tales
21st May 2024
The cellist talks about his second album of miniatures for cello and piano from Britain and Ireland.
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Adrian Bradbury on The Pre-Raphaelite Cello
20th May 2024
The cellist talks about his new album of British Romantic works for cello and piano with pianist Andrew West, out now on Somm.
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Florent Schmitt's ballet, La tragédie de Salomé
17th May 2024
Normally only performed as a cut-down symphonic suite, Alain Altinoglu and the Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra present the rarely-recorded full-length version of a work much admired by Stravinsky.
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New Release Round-Up - 17th May 2024
17th May 2024
Winterreise from Andrè Schuen and Daniel Heide, Fauré's La Bonne Chanson & L'Horizon chimérique from Stéphane Degout and Alain Planès, Mozart & Poulenc from the Nagano/Kodama family, and Granados & Albéniz from Peter Donohoe.
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Aigul Akhmetshina's debut album on Decca and other forthcoming highlights
16th May 2024
The Bashkir mezzo's programme centres on her signature-role of Carmen, with other summer stand-outs including a live recording of Meyerbeer's Le Prophète from the London Symphony Orchestra & Sir Mark Elder, piano duets by Schubert and Desyatnikov from Pavel Kolesnikov & Samson Tsoy, and an Irish album from Daniel Hope.
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Arthur Sullivan
15th May 2024
A selection of some of the best recordings of music by the great Victorian composer - best known for his light operas written in collaboration with William Schwenck Gilbert and for his hymn-tunes.
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Sullivan, A: The Mikado
Donald Adams (The Mikado), Anthony Rolfe Johnson (Nanki-Poo), Richard Suart (Ko-Ko), Felicity Palmer (Katisha), Marie McLaughlin (Yum-Yum), Richard Van Allan (Pooh-Bah), Nicholas Folwell (Pish-Tush) Welsh National Opera, Sir Charles Mackerras
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Edward Cowie on the natural world and music
14th May 2024
The composer, physicist and visual artist talks about his recent albums of music inspired by the natural and scientific world.
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Lawrence Zazzo on Weeping Philosophers
13th May 2024
The countertenor and academic discusses his new album exploring depictions of philosophers in music, featuring works by Carissimi, Durante, Strozzi, Purcell and more...
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Four Hands - Alexandre Tharaud & Friends
10th May 2024
The French pianist is joined by an array of distinguished guests (including Beatrice Rana, Bertrand Chamayou, Philippe Jaroussky & Víkingur Ólafsson) for a programme ranging from Bach to Piazzolla.
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New Release Round-Up - 10th May 2024
10th May 2024
Schubert and Krenek from Can Çakmur, Bach Partitas from Martin Helmchen, Cimarosa's L'Olimpiade from Les Talens Lyriques & Christophe Rousset, and the complete Beethoven symphonies from Kammerakademie Potsdam & Antonello Manacorda.
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David Parry on Stanford's Shamus O'Brien
9th May 2024
The conductor discusses his recent recording of Stanford's tuneful 1896 opera, set in the Cork mountains during the Irish Rebellion of 1798 - enormously popular in the early years of its life, the work was withdrawn by the composer in the years leading up to the Easter Rising.
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Stanford: Shamus O'Brien
Brendan Collins (Shamus O’Brien), Gemma Ni Bhriain/Anna Brady (Nora O’Brien), Rory Dunne (Father O’Flynn), Ami Hewitt (Kitty), Andrew Gavin (Mike Murphy), Joseph Doody (Captain Trevor), Catriona Clark (The Banshee), David Parry (Sergeant Cox), Jarlath Henderson (Uilleann pipes) Orchestra of Scottish Opera, Opera Bohemia Voices, David Parry
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Presto Presents... A Q&A Session with Paul Harris
8th May 2024
Expert pedagogue Paul Harris recently paid a visit to our Leamington Spa shop, and kindly took some time to answer our questions about his latest book 'How to sight-read', as well as other key topics relating to the music education ecosystem, including his simultaneous learning method.
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How to sight-read
Author: Harris, P
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From Boult to Björling - My Life In Music (so far!)
8th May 2024
Our new Product Manager Matthew Ash introduces himself with a whistle-stop tour through some of the recordings which shaped his love of music - including works by Holst, Milhaud, MacMillan and Adès.
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BBC Music Magazine - May 2024 Choices
7th May 2024
Chris introduces this month's selection, with an 'endlessly fascinating' recital of Marc-André Hamelin's solo piano works (played by the composer) at the top of the pile...
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Tippett's A Child of Our Time from the late Andrew Davis
3rd May 2024
A long-term champion of Tippett's music, the British conductor leads a meticulously-detailed account of his wartime oratorio with the BBC Symphony Orchestra and soloists Pumeza Matshikiza, Dame Sarah Connolly, Joshua Stewart and Ashley Riches.
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New Release Round-Up - 3rd May 2024
3rd May 2024
Yuja Wang's 2022 Vienna recital, a feast of music for piano four hands from Alexander Tharaud & friends, new recordings of Elgar's Symphonies Nos. 1 & 2 from the Hallé & Sir Mark Elder, and Scarlatti & Scriabin from young German pianist Julius Asal in his debut on Deutsche Grammophon.
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Paul McCreesh on Elgar's The Dream of Gerontius
2nd May 2024
Following the release of his latest project with Gabrieli, the conductor talks about the differences that period instruments bring to the music, the extensive work he carries out in rehearsal with singers, and the importance of the Gabrieli Roar scheme in involving young people in classical music.
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The Presto Chart - April 2024
1st May 2024
Our 25 best-selling titles across all formats for April, with Yunchan Lim's Chopin Études on Decca in first place...
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Boxed Set Selections - April 2024
30th Apr 2024
April heavyweights include Neville Marriner's Handel recordings on Decca, a celebration of Simon Rattle's long relationship with the Berliner Philharmoniker, and JS Bach's complete vocal works from Bach Collegium Japan & Masaaki Suzuki.
