Classical Reviews
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A Lionel Tertis Celebration from Timothy Ridout
26th Jan 2024
This beautifully-performed and curated recital paints a vivid picture of the great violist in his capacities as commissioner, composer and arranger - featuring works by composers including York Bowen, Rebecca Clarke, Eric Coates, Frank Bridge and William Henry Reed.
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Lalo orchestral works from Neeme Järvi and the Estonian National Symphony Orchestra
19th Jan 2024
The veteran conductor and his musicians present a selection of sweeping and vivid orchestral works by the late-nineteenth-century French Romantic composer Édouard Lalo.
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Shadows of My Ancestors from Behzod Abduraimov
12th Jan 2024
The Uzbek pianist presents a dazzlingly evocative album of virtuosic piano works by Prokofieff, Ravel, and his compatriot Dilorom Saidaminova.
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Puccini Songs from Charles Castronovo
5th Jan 2024
Johannes X. Schachtner's idiomatic new orchestrations of the composer's sixteen published songs inspire some ardent, full-throated singing from the American tenor - with the Münchner Rundfunkorchester on incendiary form under Ivan Repušić.
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Presto Personal Favourites from 2023
29th Dec 2023
Recordings of works by Franz Schreker, Shawn E. Okpebholo, Andrew Poppy and the late Einojuhani Rautavaara feature among the editorial team's individual picks of the year.
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Handel's Messiah from John Nelson
22nd Dec 2023
Devotion and drama work hand-in-glove on the American conductor's live recording from Coventry Cathedral with The English Concert and soloists Lucy Crowe, Alex Potter, Michael Spyres & Matthew Brook.
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Operette from Diana Damrau
15th Dec 2023
The German coloratura soprano is on sparkling form on a whistle-stop tour of seven decades of operetta history - taking in Berlin, Paris and Vienna along the way, and including classy cameos from Jonas Kaufmann and Emily Sierra.
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Christmas from Norway
8th Dec 2023
The powerhouse Norwegian soprano Lise Davidsen is on radiant, affecting form in a programme of Scandinavian carols, seasonal Lieder and a couple of Baroque chestnuts, with luxury support from the Norwegian Radio Orchestra under Christian Eggen.
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Christmas From Norway
Lise Davidsen (soprano)
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Bob Chilcott's Christmas Oratorio
1st Dec 2023
Benjamin Nicholas and the choir of Merton College, Oxford perform Bob Chilcott's new Christmas Oratorio - filled with lyrical solo writing, beautiful choral numbers and sweeping congregational tunes.
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Delius's A Mass of Life from Sir Mark Elder and the Bergen Philharmonic
24th Nov 2023
Elder's beautifully-judged approach to pacing and balance makes the strongest case possible for a score which he describes as 'Delius's magnum opus', aided by Roderick Williams on typically eloquent form in the huge central role of Zarathustra.
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Saint-Saëns symphonic poems from François-Xavier Roth and Les Siècles
17th Nov 2023
A selection of Saint-Saëns's luscious orchestral pieces - familiar and less-known, and including a real treasure from the very dawn of the cinematic era - get the Les Siècles treatment, leaping off the page thanks to intelligent and sensitive performances on period instruments.
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Rob Cowan on Artur Rodziński
14th Nov 2023
Our new guest-contributor explores the Polish-American conductor's complete Columbia recordings with the Cleveland Orchestra - including a 'driven and impassioned' Shostakovich Five, and the world premiere recording of the Berg Violin Concerto.
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Anne-Sophie Mutter and Mutter's Virtuosi
10th Nov 2023
The violinist and her ensemble of virtuoso string players present a dazzingly eclectic programme of works by Vivaldi, Bach, Bologne, and André Previn.
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Anne-Sophie Mutter & Mutter’s Virtuosi (CD & Download Edition)
Elias David Moncado (violin), Anne-Sophie Mutter (violin), Mohamed Hiber (violin), Lionel Martin (cello), Samuel Nebyu (violin), Matthew Lipman (viola), Margarita Balanas (cello), Dominik Wagner (double bass), Hwayoon Lee (viola), Mutter's Virtuosi
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Ravel's Daphnis et Chloé from Sinfonia of London and John Wilson
3rd Nov 2023
The conductor's new edition of the score incorporates hundreds of tiny amendments which Ravel made to the orchestral parts in rehearsal - and the resulting recording reveals a wealth of fine detail as well as a keen sense of the bigger picture.
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Verismo from Domingo Hindoyan and the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra
27th Oct 2023
The orchestra and their Chief Conductor perform a selection of orchestral highlights from verismo operas, from familiar favourites to rarer gems.
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Verismo
Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, Domingo Hindoyan
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Isabelle Faust - Solo
20th Oct 2023
The German violinist is at her intelligent, expressive best in a programme of works for unaccompanied violin by Matteis père et fils, Pisendel, Guillemain, Vilsmayr and Biber.
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Solo
Isabelle Faust (violin)
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Folk Songs from Magdalena Kožená
13th Oct 2023
The Czech mezzo teams up with her husband Simon Rattle and the Czech Philharmonic for superbly characterful performances of folk-inspired song-cycles by Bartók, Berio, Ravel and Montsalvatge.
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A slow-brewed Goldberg Variations from Víkingur Ólafsson
6th Oct 2023
The Icelandic pianist presents the results of twenty-five years of thoughtful preparation, in a recording of Bach's Goldberg Variations that combines control and spontaneity, limpid gentleness and furious virtuosic energy.
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Igor Levit's Fantasia
29th Sep 2023
The pianist brings clear-eyed precision and cantabile beauty to a programme of works by JS Bach, Liszt, Berg and Busoni, released today on Sony Classical.
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Fantasia
Igor Levit (piano)
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Dvořák from Veronika Jarůšková, Peter Jarůšek and Boris Giltburg
22nd Sep 2023
Six years on from their award-winning recording of Dvořák's Piano Quintet No. 2, the first violinist and cellist of the Pavel Haas Quartet reunite with Giltburg for the complete piano trios in interpretations bursting with colour and vitality.
