Sir Simon Rattle
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Beethoven: Complete Piano Concertos
RecommendedKrystian Zimerman (piano), London Symphony Orchestra, Sir Simon Rattle
It is appropriate that the peak of Beethoven’s orchestral artistry should be scaled by two musicians also at the height of their powers: these performances are as near-definitive as I ever expect... —
Awards:
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Presto Recording of the Week, 16th July 2021
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BBC Music Magazine, September 2021, Recording of the Month
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Presto Recordings of the Year, Winner 2021
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International Classical Music Awards, 2022, Nominated - Concerto
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BBC Music Magazine Awards, 2022, Shortlisted - Concerto
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The engineering abets the peerless attention to detail, always his greatest asset; every dynamic, every sonority is in place...the best way possible to celebrate what is, unbelievably, Rattle's... —
Awards:
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Presto Recording of the Week, 24th January 2025
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Gramophone Magazine, February 2025, Recording of the Month
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BBC Music Magazine, March 2025, Orchestral Choice
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Presto Recordings of the Year, Winner 2025
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The Guardian Classical Albums of the Year, 2025
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Diapason d’Or de l’Année, 2025, Musique Symphonique
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BBC Music Magazine Awards, 2026, Shortlisted - Orchestral
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Special offer. Janáček: The Cunning Little Vixen, Sinfonietta
RecommendedLucy Crowe (Vixen), Gerald Finley (Forester), Sophia Burgos (Fox), Jan Martiník (Badger/Parson), Peter Hoare (Mosquito/Rooster/Schoolmaster), Hanno Müller-Brachmann (Harašta)
London Symphony Orchestra, London Symphony Chorus, Sir Simon Rattle
If this Vixen is good, the Sinfonietta is outstanding – arguably the best on disc, though you need to experience the work in a concert hall with the nine trumpets blazing. They’re supremely... —
Awards:
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Presto Recording of the Week, 4th September 2020
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Gramophone Magazine, October 2020, Editor's Choice
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Presto Recordings of the Year, Finalist 2020
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Gramophone Magazine, Critics' Choice 2020
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The Times Records of the Year, 2020
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Grammy Awards, 64th Awards (2022), Nominee - Best Opera Recording
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Special offer. Janáček: Katya Kabanova
RecommendedAmanda Majeski (Katya), Katarina Dalayman (Kabanicha), Simon O'Neill (Boris), Andrew Staples (Tichon), Magdalena Kozená (Varvara), Ladislav Elgr (Kudrjas), Pavlo Hunka (Dikój)
London Symphony Orchestra & Chorus, Sir Simon Rattle
Rattle and his recording engineers have produced a Katya that sound s magnificent both in its attention to musical detail and in those sudden orchestral climaxes that seem to sweep nature itself... —
Awards:
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Presto Recording of the Week, 23rd February 2024
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Gramophone Magazine, March 2024, Recording of the Month
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Gramophone Awards, 2024 Shortlist, Shortlisted - Opera
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Presto Recordings of the Year, Finalists 2024
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International Classical Music Awards, 2025, Nominated - Opera
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Gramophone Magazine, Critics' Choice 2024
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Brahms: Ein Deutsches Requiem, Op. 45
RecommendedDorothea Röschmann (soprano) & Thomas Quasthoff (baritone)
Berliner Philharmoniker & Rundfunkchor Berlin, Simon Rattle
…this is a very impressive account of Brahms's German Requiem, deeply considered and most beautifully played and sung. The full, warm sound he draws from the Berlin Philharmonic has a sombre... —
Awards:
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BBC Music Magazine, April 2007, Disc of the month
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Gramophone Awards, 2007, Winner - Choral
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Grammy Awards, 50th Awards (2007), Best Choral Performance
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Mahler: The Complete Symphonies
RecommendedArleen Augér (soprano - Symphony No. 2), Dame Janet Baker (mezzo -Symphony No. 2), Birgit Remmert (contralto - Symphony No. 3), Amanda Roocroft (soprano - Symphony No. 4), Christine Brewer (soprano), Soile Isokoski (soprano), Juliane Banse (mezzo-soprano), Birgit Remmert (mezzo-soprano), Jane Henschel...
Awards:
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Gramophone Awards, 1988, Recording of the Year
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Gramophone Awards, 1988, Winner - Engineering
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Gramophone Awards, 1988, Winner - Orchestral
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Gramophone Awards, 2000, Recording of the Year
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Grammy Awards, 43rd Awards (2000), Best Orchestral Performance
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Building A Library, April 2022, Recommended Recording
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There’s no doubt that the Munich-based orchestra is among the best in the world today...But what lifts this up among the very best Sixth Symphony recordings is the finale – this time perfectly... —
Awards:
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Gramophone Magazine, April 2024, Recording of the Month
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Gramophone Awards, 2024 Shortlist, Shortlisted - Orchestral
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Presto Recordings of the Year, Finalists 2024
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International Classical Music Awards, 2025, Nominated - Symphonic Music
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Gramophone Magazine, Critics' Choice 2024
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Special offer. Czech Songs
RecommendedMagdalena Kožená (mezzo-soprano)
Czech Philharmonic Orchestra, Sir Simon Rattle
There are some real gems in this wide-ranging and carefully chosen selection of Czech songs. Dvořák’s Evening Songs are delightful with an unaffected simplicity that Kožená captures without... —
Awards:
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Presto Recording of the Week, 14th June 2024
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Presto Recordings of the Year, Finalists 2024
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International Classical Music Awards, 2025, Nominated - Vocal Music
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Gramophone Awards, 2025 Shortlist, Voice & Ensemble
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Haydn: Die Schöpfung (The Creation)
Lucy Crowe (soprano), Benjamin Bruns (tenor), Christian Gerhaher (baritone), Symphonie-Orchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks, Chor des Bayerischen Rundfunks, Sir Simon Rattle
Simon Rattle presents an altogether vivid and engrossing account of Haydn’s g reat oratorio, making the most out of its famous dramatic and pictorial effects...This must surely take its place... —
Awards:
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International Classical Music Awards, 2026, Winner - Choral
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Gramophone Awards, 2025 Finalists, Choral
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Special offer. Elgar: Violin Concerto & Violin Sonata
Renaud Capuçon (violin), Stephen Hough (piano), London Symphony Orchestra, Sir Simon Rattle
Accuracy matters, and violinist Renaud Capuçon has it in abundance..He is, though, much more than a technical sharp-shooter...Taken whole, this generous, richly enjoyable disc is an easy recommendation... —
Awards:
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Gramophone Magazine, July 2026, Critics' Choice
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Record Review, 6th March 2021, Record of the Week
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Gramophone Magazine, April 2021, Editor's Choice
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Gramophone Awards, 2021, Shortlisted - Concerto
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Sunday Times, 10 Best Classical Albums of 2021
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