Search
Special Offers
Awards
Online Payment
Visit us
Presto News - 15th June 2009Penguin Rosettes and Building a Library |
 One of the wonderful things about shopping on the Internet is that you can have almost infinite choice. If you are hunting for rare works or difficult to find specialist recordings then this is of course ideal, but if you are looking for a recommended recording of a more mainstream work, having two hundred different ones to browse through isn’t going to help much. In fact, what you probably need is some sort of recommendation or guidance towards which ones you should be considering.  We have therefore taken quite a lot of effort over recent years to highlight recordings with some sort of award or recommendation attached to them, and when browsing the works pages for example you’ll often find certain recommended recordings listed at the top of the page. Two of the awards that seem to command the most respect amongst our customers are the ‘ Penguin Guide Rosettes’ and the ‘Radio 3 Building a Library Top Recommendations’. The Penguin Guide to Recorded Classical Music has remained probably the best and the most successful book to buying classical music for over forty years. Although primarily a review-based publication, a few select recordings in the guide are given a ‘Rosette’ symbol to indicate an extra special quality. The editors make no bones about the fact that these Rosette awards are essentially arbitrary, but personally I like the fact that any one of the editors can be so moved or impressed by a recording that they can give it this award without having to particularly rank or justify it, and in any case they will always explain in the accompanying review why they feel it deserves such a special merit. On the negative side this means that sometimes a work can end up with two or even three different Rosette recordings, while a work of equal stature can end up with none. Our standard Penguin Rosette page acts as an index page from which you can view all the current Penguin Rosette discs. Taking the opposite approach, BBC Radio 3’s Building a Library is a weekly radio programme that picks one work each week and over the course of forty-five minutes a specialist reviewer illustrates and decides upon a First Choice or ‘Top Recommendation’ from all available recordings at the time. We tend to sell a lot of the First Choice recording over the few days after broadcast and if you are looking for a great recording of a particular work, looking first on our Building a Library page is always a good place to start. The negative of Building a library (if there is one) is that visiting one work a week is really not enough and so sometimes you will find that even a fairly mainstream work has not been covered for ten or more years. In recognition of the importance of these two awards we have negotiated special deals on over four hundred discs, and with discounts of up to 25% off it is a maybe a good time to revisit your core record collection as there are definitely some bargains to be had on many terrific recordings. Browse Special Offers:
|
Share
Chris O'Reilly - chris@prestoclassical.co.uk |
New Releases15th June 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. |
 Adès: The TempestSimon Keenlyside, Kate Royal, Toby Spence, Ian Bostridge, Cyndia Sieden, Philip Langridge, Donald Kaasch, Jonathan Summers, David Condier, Stephen Richardson & Graeme Danby, The Chorus and Orchestra of the Royal Opera House Covent Garden, Thomas AdèsWhen Thomas Adès conducted his opera The Tempest at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden in 2007, EMI Classics microphones were on hand to record this “masterpiece of airy beauty and eerie power.” (Alex Ross, The New Yorker). The cast included Simon Keenlyside, Cynthia Sieden, Ian Bostridge, Toby Spence, Kate Royal, Philip Langridge, and Stephen Richardson, many of whom took part in the critically acclaimed world premiere three years earlier. |
 Handel - 12 Solo Sonatas, Op. 1Pavlo Beznosiuk (violin), Rachel Brown (flute & recorder), Frank de Brione (oboe) & Richard Egarr (harpsichord & direction), The Academy of Ancient MusicHandel wrote the solo sonatas of Opus 1 for the professional musicians of his London opera orchestra. They demand considerable skill and stamina both from the soloist and the continuo. Prominent bass parts give the sonatas a contrapuntal strength and vitality, and Handel keeps the elements of display and purely musical argument in admirable balance in these works. For this reason, they are among the most attractive Baroque solo sonatas and deserve their lasting popularity. Played here by members of the Academy of Ancient Music under the leadership of Richard Egarr, Handel's delightful sonatas are shown to be true masterpieces written by a composer at the height of his powers. |
 Haydn: The CreationSally Matthews, Ian Bostridge & Dietrich Henschel, London Symphony Chorus & London Symphony Orchestra, Sir Colin DavisMany of Sir Colin Davis's recent releases on LSO Live have featured his favourite choral works, including Tippett's A Child of Our Time, Beethoven's Mass in C, Mozart's Requiem and Handel's Messiah. The latest release in the series features Haydn's masterpiece The Creation, a work with which Sir Colin has a long association yet has never previously recorded. Sir Colin is joined by a sensational set of singers for his recording. |
Handel: RodrigoMaria Riccarda Wesseling, María Bayo, Sharon Rostorf-Zamir, Kobie van Rensburg, Max Emanuel Cencic, Anne-Catherine Gillet & Eduardo López Banzo (harpsichord and conductor), Al Ayre EspañolAmbroisie presents a new edition of one of Handel’s Italian period masterpieces, Rodrigo, with an exceptional cast led by Maria Riccarda Wesserling in the title role, María Bayo as his wife Esilena, Sharon Rostorf-Zamir as his young lover Florinda and Max Emanuel Cencic as Fernando. |
 Prokofiev - Sinfonia ConcertantePieter Wispelwey (cello)In the midst of war and state-sponsored terror, one thing in Prokofiev’s life retained its priceless value: friendship. It was for his good friend, Mstislav Rostropovich, that he composed the Sonata for cello and piano, op. 119, and the Sinfonia Concertante, op. 125. |
Boëly - Chamber WorksQuatuor Mosaïques & Ensemble Baroques de Limoges, Christophe CoinA fascinating release featuring chamber music by the largely unknown Alexandre Pierre François Boëly, played by the award-winning and internationally acclaimed Ensemble Baroque de Limoges, directed by Christophe Coin, and Quatuor Mosaïques. |
 Elgar - Enigma VariationsThe Philharmonia Orchestra, Sir Andrew DavisRecorded as part of their highly regarded season for the 150th Anniversary of the composers birth, the Philharmonia are joined by leading 'Elgarian' Sir Andrew Davis in truly stellar performances of three of the composer's greatest works. This is the fifth disc in Signum's continuing series with the Philharmonia Orchestra, which has been met with positive reviews and revised all sales targets! |
 Rudolf Barshai EditionMoscow Chamber Orchestra, Rudolf BarshaiOne of the most fascinating and elusive musicians of the Soviet age. This set provides a unique opportunity to experience the artistry of a man lauded by so many great composers and fellow artists. Much unusual repertoire including Weinberg, Rääts, Loshkin, Bunin is included along with a classic recording of Shostakovich’s Symphony No 14. |
 BBC Radio 3 CD ReviewSaturday 13th June 2009 |
Building a Library - Jean-Féry Rebel: Les Élémens |
 First Choice(coupled with Rameau: Suite from Castor & Pollux)L’Orfeo Barockorchester, Michi Gaigg |
Disc of the Week |
 Eccles - The Judgment of Paris & Three Mad SongsRoderick Williams (baritone), Benjamin Hulett (tenor), Susan Bickley (mezzo-soprano), Claire Booth (soprano) & Lucy Crowe (soprano), The Early Opera Company, Christian Curnyn |
Your details will be used only in accordance with our Privacy Policy. |
Copyright © 2002-13 Presto Classical Limited, all rights reserved.