Search
Special Offers
Awards
Online Payment
Visit us
Presto News - 9th February 2009A feast of Early Music |
 After the success of our Contemporary Music Special Offer in the run up to Christmas we thought we'd go to the other extreme and celebrate the very beginnings of music, and are essentially covering the periods generally known as Medieval and Renaissance. I wondered whether to provide a sort of potted history of early music, but came to the conclusion that there are enough of those readily available elsewhere that I’d be better off highlighting some specific areas and performers that you might want to explore in more detail.  The Tallis Scholars under the direction of Peter Phillips have established themselves as one of the leading exponents of unaccompanied sacred music of the 15th and 16th centuries. They’ve been recording since the early 1980s and won numerous awards. To be performed well this music really demands every detail of the musical lines to be heard, so you need a pure and clear sound, as well as perfect tuning and a good blend of voices. There are more and more groups specialising in this style of performance now, but the Tallis Scholars were the pioneers and have really set the standard for the best part of thirty years. Another group specialising in early sacred music is The Cardinall’s Musick directed by Andrew Carwood who have just reached Volume 11 in their Complete Byrd Edition. The series was under treat when the record label Gaudeamus was taken over, but I’m pleased to say that they quickly found a new home and volumes 10 and 11 of the series have recently appeared on Hyperion. In the area of Italian secular music, Monterverdi’s madrigals have been particularly well championed by the Italian group La Venexiana, who completed their cycle last year. The group also won a Gramophone Award for the composer’s first opera L’Orfeo. There are plenty of other very fine recordings and you can browse composers and labels, as well as searching for specific works or artists via the special offer homepage. For those new to this period of music, the Award Winners section might be a good place to start where you are sure to encounter only the very finest recordings. Browse Early Music Special Offer:
|
Share
Chris O'Reilly - chris@prestoclassical.co.uk |
New Releases9th February 2009 |
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 - Cantatas for AltoBernarda Fink (mezzo-soprano), Freiburger Barockorchester & Vocalconsort Berlin, Petra MüllejansIn 1726 Bach entered a new period of creative innovation in Leipzig: renouncing the chorus, he built up a constant dialogue between solo arias and finely sculpted instrumental parts. The three cantatas presented here represent the culmination of this development, and have established their place as a peak of the recorded repertoire. |
 Mendelssohn - Violin Concerto, Piano Trio No.1 and Violin SonataAnne-Sophie Mutter, Lynn Harrell & André Previn, Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, Kurt MasurAnne-Sophie Mutter presents a unique combined DVD/CD project produced at Mendelssohn’s home town of Leipzig and in Vienna to celebrate his 200th birth anniversary in 2009 (3 February). The release comes with a state-of-the-art audio recording plus a separate full-length DVD that also includes a documentary. |
 Suk: Asrael Symphony, Op. 27Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra, Vladimir Ashkenazy"I was saved by music," wrote Czech composer Josef Suk about his 'Asrael' Symphony, a work born out of tragedy and the loss of his teacher Antonín Dvorák in 1904. While composing the first part of a funeral symphony named after the biblical angel of death, who leads souls of deceased to the land of eternal blissfulness, Suk also lost his wife, and Dvorák's favourite daughter, Otilie. Suk's greatest work remains a masterpiece of the late-Romantic repertoire conducted in a masterful and intense performance by Vladimir Askenazy. |
 Satie - Avant-Dernieres PenseesAlexandre Tharaud (piano)"My aim in these two discs has been to offer the richest possible panorama of Satie's piano and chamber music, ranging over his whole lifetime... Immersed in the world of Satie, we were touched, often deeply moved by the trust he shows in his interpreters." Alexandre Tharaud |
 Imogen Holst - String Chamber MusicDaniel Swain (piano), Simon Hewitt Jones (violin), David Worswick (violin), Tom Hankey (viola), Oliver Coates (cello), Thomas Hewitt Jones (cello)A new recording of Imogen Holst's significant string chamber music - the Phantasy Quartet, Sonata for Violin and Cello, String Quintet, String Trio No.1, Duo for Viola and Piano and The Fall of the Leaf for Solo Cello. |
 James MacMillan: St John PassionChristopher Maltman, London Symphony Chorus & London Symphony Orchestra, Sir Colin DavisWhen Sir Colin Davis was asked to select a composer to write a new work for his 80th birthday he chose James MacMillan, about to celebrate his own 50th birthday. MacMillan had previously considered writing a passion and used the opportunity of the commission to produce a setting based on the Gospel of St John. |
 Handel: Semele - DVDCecilia Bartoli, Liliana Nikiteanu (Ino), Birgit Remmert (Juno), Isabel Rey (Iris), Charles Workman (Jupiter/Apollo), Anton Scharinger (Cadmus/Somnus) & Thomas Michael Allen (Athamas), Orchestra ‘La Scintilla’, William ChristieCecilia Bartoli’s first operatic Decca DVD release for over 10 years sees her triumphing in the title role of Handel’s late drama, ‘Semele’. It is also her first opera singing in English. ‘Semele’ is presented in Robert Carsen’s stylish modern dress production, originally seen in London, and most recently staged at the Zurich Opera in 2007. |
 New Year’s Concert 2009 - DVDWiener Philharmoniker, Daniel BarenboimThe New Year's Concert in Vienna has been a glorious tradition for over six decades. A best-selling classical event year after year, the concert has unique global appeal. It is broadcast on TV and radio to over 50 countries, and is viewed by tens of millions of people all over the world. This year's concert, conducted by Daniel Barenboim, is now out on DVD. |
 BBC Radio 3 CD ReviewSaturday 7th February 2009 |
Building a Library - Schubert: Winterreise D911 |
 First ChoiceChristine Schäfer (soprano), Eric Schneider (piano) |
Disc of the Week |
 Purcell: Dido and AeneasSarah Connolly (mezzo-soprano), Gerald Finley (baritone), etc, OAE, Steven Devine and Elizabeth Kenny.
|
listen - Purcell: When I am laid in earth (Dido)Your details will be used only in accordance with our Privacy Policy. |
Copyright © 2002-13 Presto Classical Limited, all rights reserved.