Classical Recommendations
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Presto Team Choices - June 2026
30th Jun 2026
A birthday celebration of composer and violist Sally Beamish, Copland and Walker from Pappano and the London Symphony Orchestra, Bach with a twist from Ayres Extemporae, and Haydn from Peter Donohoe.
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Presto Team Choices - May 2026
28th May 2026
Saint-Georges and Pécou from Romuald Grimbert-Barré and the Orchestre national de Cannes, Reicha from Trio Bohémo, a smorgasbord of Americana from Barbara Hannigan, and Beethoven from Paul Watkins and Alessio Bax.
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Presto Team Choices - April 2026
30th Apr 2026
Steve Reich from the Colin Currie Group, orchestrated mélodies from Cyrille Dubois and the Brussels Philharmonic, songs by Goossens, Bliss & Howells from James Geer and Ronald Woodley, and Glazunov from the Tippett Quartet.
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Presto Team Choices - March 2026
31st Mar 2026
Haydn's Seven Last Words from the RIAS Kammerchor and Justin Doyle, songs by Madeleine Dring from Kitty Whately and Julius Drake, a portrait of Unsuk Chin from Ensemble Intercontemporain, and Szymanowski's Symphony No. 4 from Marin Alsop.
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Presto Team Choices - February 2026
2nd Mar 2026
Gripping, gruesome Bartók from Gustavo Gimeno in Toronto, the world premiere recording of Edmond Dédé's opera Morgiane, a hair-raising debut recital from bass-baritone Florian Störtz, and 'fresh and vivid' Tchaikovsky from Gianandrea Noseda and the LSO.
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Presto Team Choices - January 2026
28th Jan 2026
A vivid portrait of Kurt Weill from Katie Bray and friends, an autobiographical concerto from Chinese composer and pipa virtuoso Gao Hong, a barnstorming account of Havergal Brian's Gothic Symphony from the BBC archives, and Vítězslav Novák's Piano Concerto from Oliver Triendl and the Janáček Philharmonic Ostrava.
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Presto Team Choices - November 2025
30th Nov 2025
Bracing Brahms from Kirill Petrenko in Berlin, Florence Price organ works from Tom Winpenny, the world premiere recording of Thomas Adès's The Exterminating Angel Symphony, and a compelling pasticcio on the Orpheus myth from Rolando Villazón, L'Arpeggiata and Christina Pluhar.
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Presto Team Choices - October 2025
30th Oct 2025
Ambroise Thomas's tragicomic 1857 opera Psyché from Palazzetto Bru Zane, a portrait of Sergei Bortkiewicz from the Estonian National Symphony Orchestra and Neeme Järvi, 'infectiously joyous' Dvořák from Simon Rattle in Prague, and John Ireland's piano works from Rebeca Omordia.
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Ambroise Thomas: Psyché
Hélène Guilmette (Psyché), Antoinette Dennefeld (Éros), Tassis Christoyannis (Mercure), Philippe Estèphe (Gorgias), Artavazd Sargsyan (Antinoüs), Christian Helmer (Le Roi) Hungarian National Philharmonic Orchestra, Hungarian National Choir, György Vashegyi
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Presto Team Choices - September 2025
30th Sep 2025
An affectionate, wide-ranging birthday tribute to Arvo Pärt from Paavo Järvi, an heroic triptych from Jakub Hrůša in Bamberg, an anniversary homage to Mikolajus Čiurlionis from Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla, and an 'unfailingly engaging' Idomeneo from Sir Simon Rattle in Munich.
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Presto Team Choices - August 2025
2nd Sep 2025
William Grant Still and Margaret Bonds from Yannick Nézet-Séguin in Philadelphia, Morales's Requiem from De Profundis, little-known British chamber works from the Berkeley Ensemble, and Reger from Jaime Martín and the Gävle Symphony Orchestra.
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Presto Team Choices - July 2025
31st Jul 2025
An irresistible recital of Ibero-American songs from Julieth Lozano Rolong and João Araújo, Rachmaninoff from Alexander Melnikov and Julia Lezhneva, an exuberant Turangalîla-Symphonie from Andris Nelsons in Boston, and an ear-opening collection of Welsh music for strings.
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Presto Team Choices - June 2025
1st Jul 2025
Staff favourites from June include the fourth volume of the LSO's Panufnik Legacies series, piano quintets by Vasyl Barvinsky and Borys Liatoshynsky, Sibelius from Nicholas Collon and the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra, and vibrant Baroque duets from countertenors Carlo Vistoli and Hugh Cutting.
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Presto Team Choices - May 2025
31st May 2025
Staff favourites from May include Charles Koechlin's Symphony No. 1 from Ariane Matiakh, Madeleine Dring from Nicholas Daniel and friends, a Bruckner 9 with a difference from the Hallé and Kahchun Wong, and Lalo's Breton opera Le Roi d’Ys from György Vashegyi.
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Presto Team Choices - April 2025
1st May 2025
Staff favourites from April include orchestral suites by Thomas Adès (conducted by the composer), Prokofiev from Gianandrea Noseda and the London Symphony Orchestra, a riveting debut album of bel canto scenes from Italian soprano Eleonora Buratto, and a 'distinctively atmospheric' Bluebeard's Castle from Karina Canellakis.
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Presto Team Choices - March 2025
1st Apr 2025
Staff favourites from March include a Boulez centenary tribute from Quatuor Diotima, a rich and varied collection of orchestral works by Master of the King's Music Errollyn Wallen, the world premiere recording of Steve Reich's Jacob's Ladder, and captivating Vivaldi from {oh!} Orkiestra and Belgian soprano Sophie Junker.
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Presto Team Choices - February 2025
1st Mar 2025
Staff favourites from February include Rachmaninov from Boris Giltburg, new works by Gavin Higgins, an impressive debut album from soprano Masabane Cecilia Rangwanasha, and twentieth-century French music for flute, harp and cello from Trio Mirages.
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Presto Team Choices - January 2025
30th Jan 2025
Characterful Kurt Weill from the LSO and Simon Rattle, oboe trios from Haydn's godson Joseph Weigl, spellbinding Scriabin from Chinese pianist Yunjie Chen, and a terrific second outing for José de Nebra's pastoral melodrama Venus Y Adonis from the young Spanish ensemble Los Elementos.
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Presto Team Choices - November 2024
30th Nov 2024
A recital of clarinet music by twelve female composers, songs and chamber works by Adèle Hugo (daughter of Victor), a pair of unusual concertos by Christopher Tyler Nickel, and a double-bill of Hungarian violin concertos from the LSO and its leader Roman Simovic.
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Presto Team Choices - October 2024
2nd Nov 2024
The editorial team selects some personal favourites from October's crop of new releases, including Bruckner's piano music from Mari Kodama, a white-hot new Norma from Marina Rebeka, Maurizio Pollini's final recording of Schubert, and a spellbinding album of music by Freya Waley-Cohen.
