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Presto News - 25th August 2008Beautiful Messiah and Exquisite Morales |
 After a quiet August, the classical record industry kicks into full swing again in September with a real bumper batch of new recordings. I'm lucky enough to have heard many of them now, and over the next couple of months I will guide you through the things you really should be considering. This week I've been enchanted by the most beautiful Handel Messiah you will ever hear from the Sixteen under Harry Christophers and a ravishing disc of rare works of Spanish renaissance composer Cristóbal de Morales from the The Brabant Ensemble under Stephen Rice.  The Sixteen Believe it or not, The Sixteen has performed Handel's Messiah over 150 times, and already have a recording in the catalogue which they made for Hyperion about ten years ago. The worry then is that this new recording might sound a bit run of the mill. Not a bit of it. It is truly stunning from beginning to end. The tempos are generally slightly faster than on the earlier recording but it is the quality of sound which stands it apart. The choruses are all perfectly balanced, and there isn't a harsh sound anywhere on the disc. Add to this four outstanding soloists in Carolyn Sampson, Catherine Wyn-Rogers, Mark Padmore and Christopher Purves (three of whom sang as members of The Sixteen before embarking on their solo careers) and this is a formidable achievement. Coming with a free bonus disc of Handel arias drawn from the Coro catalogue, and at our special New Release discount price, it offers a bargain 3 discs for the price of 1. Not to be missed.  The Brabant Ensemble Born in 1500, Cristóbal de Morales was undoubtedly the first Spanish composer of international renown. Although there are several very fine Morales discs available elsewhere, they tend to all cover the same basic repertoire. This disc is important as it includes many works not otherwise currently available, including the first complete recording of the Magnificat. After widely praised recordings of Crecquillon, Manchicourt and Gombert, the Brabant Ensemble are quickly establishing themselves as major contenders in the field of Renaissance polyphony. I've put a sample on for you to listen to - I think you'll find it hard to resist!
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 Handel: MessiahCarolyn Sampson, Catherine Wyn-Rogers, Mark Padmore, Christopher Purves, The Sixteen, Harry Christophers |
 Cristóbal de Morales - Magnificat, Motets & LamentationsThe Brabant Ensemble, Stephen Rice |
Chris O'Reilly - chris@prestoclassical.co.uk |
listen: "And He shall purify"New Releases25th August 2008 |
This is just the pick of the recent releases. The New Releases and Future Releases pages are always available for browsing all the new and forthcoming releases. |
 Bach - Sacred Arias & CantatasDavid Daniels (countertenor), The English Concert, Harry BicketIt has been a several years since David Daniels’ last recital for Virgin Classics. For this new release, Daniels returns to sacred works of the Baroque era with this programme of sacred arias and cantatas by Bach. He lends his beautiful countertenor voice and immense musicianship to this programme of famous cantatas, namely “Ich habe genug”, and arias from Bach’s Mass in B minor and the Saint Matthew’s and Saint John’s Passions. |
 Palladians - The Devil’s TrillPalladiansA brand new recording by Palladians features programmatic sonatas by Tartini, including the famous Devil’s Trill Sonata (inspired by a dream in which he made a pact with the Devil). Also included is a sonata by Veracini, whose skilful playing was a great influence on the young Tartini. |
 Schubert - LiederBernarda Fink (mezzo) & Gerold Huber (piano)The pieces selected for this recording mark out the milestones of a brief, rich and critically important career as a song composer, ranging in time from 1814 to 1826. Alongside the classic Schubert themes found here, such as deliverance and night, death, flight from the world and hope, we also encounter poets who were more than merely fixed stars in the composer's cosmos, including Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, the writer he most often set, and Johann Baptist Mayrhofer. |
 Brahms - Horn TrioIsabelle Faust, Alexander Melnikov & Teunis van der ZwartBrahms was especially fond of the sound of the natural horn, which he saw as the embodiment of Romantic lyricism. Although the valve horn had begun to replace it in the early 19th century, it was for the older instrument, the Waldhorn, that he wrote his Trio Op. 40, today still the summit of the repertoire for its unusual forces. Here three young musicians, graduates of harmonia mundi, attempt to reconstruct the trio's original sound as precisely as possible. |
 Shostakovich: Symphony No. 4 in C minor, Op. 43Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Bernard HaitinkAccompanying the audio CD is a DVD of one of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra's critically acclaimed Beyond the Score performances featuring a multimedia Shostakovich documentary led by creative director Gerard McBurney.The programme features newsreels and testimonies, including the words of Shostakovich and his friends. Beyond the Score brings to life not only the music, but also the social and political world from which it emerged. A champion of Shostakovich's music, CSO Principal Conductor Bernard Haitink leads the Fourth Symphony, a dark and emotionally, groundbreaking work. It lay dormant, unperformed, for 25 years after its completion but now this stunning symphony is recognised as one of the composer's boldest and most brilliant scores. |
 Simone Dinnerstein - The Berlin ConcertSimone DinnersteinSimone Dinnerstein has gained a large international following because of the remarkable success of her recording of the Goldberg Variations, released by Telarc in 2007. The album earned the No. 1 spot on the US Billboard Classical Chart during its first week. Dinnerstein follows this up with a recital recorded live at the Berlin Philharmonie in November 2007 with performances of Bach’s French Suite No. 5 in G major, the world premiere recording of Philip Lasser’s Variations on a Bach Chorale, Beethoven’s Piano Sonata No. 32 in C major. |
 Krassimira Stoyanova - I Palpiti D’amorKrassimira Stoyanova (soprano), Munich Radio Orchestra, Friedrich HaiderHer appearances as Desdemona in Barcelona, Vienna and Tokyo, to say nothing of her Trovatore Leonora in Washington, have shown very clearly that the lirico spinto soprano, Krassimira Stoyanova has succeeded in filling a gap on the international stage. Stoyanova is at home in more than just Italian repertory: a good half of the arias featured in this, her first operatic recital, are devoted to French repertoire, including Rachel in La juive - the part in which she made her international breakthrough. With its guitar accompaniment, the coloratura aria from Il Guarany is one of the rarer arias here, completing a lively portrait of this versatile and expressive performer. |
 Scene D'amore - Opera ariasSoile Isokoski (soprano), Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra, Mikko FranckAudiences and critics hail the Finnish soprano Soile Isokoski as one of the finest singers in the world. Her more recent orchestral albums on Ondine have been praised as top-choice recordings and earned the highest distinctions such as the BBC Music Magazine Disc of the Year 2007 Award, a 2007 MIDEM Classical Award and a 2002 Gramophone Award. This disc features popular scenes and arias from the late-19th century Italian, French and Russian opera marking Soile Isokoski's greatest successes on stage. |
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