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Presto News - 31st August 2009Rattle conducts Brahms |
 Following on from last week’s theme - if the Concertgebouw is closely associated with the symphonies of Bruckner, then the Berlin Philharmonic has the music of Brahms at the centre of its sound and style of playing. Brahms’ four symphonies were still very new when the Orchestra was founded in 1887, but their very German inspired sound world must have immediately chimed a chord with the German musicians, with ideas like the horns coming from the distance and the colours of the forests recreated in the music. Brahms’ music is so much about colours and a really outstanding performance needs an outstanding orchestra that has a richness of timbre as standard, but can tweak it in many different ways as the music demands. The Berlin Philharmonic is one of the very few orchestras in the world with that capability and although they have already made a number of outstanding recordings of these symphonies (with previous principal conductors like Karajan and Abbado), there is always room for a new one.  Sir Simon Rattle Next Monday, EMI is releasing a new 3-disc set of the complete cycle from the Orchestra’s current Principal Conductor Sir Simon Rattle. Rattle has come quite late to recording Brahms. I think this is probably because musically Brahms is one of the hardest composers to really get right. The Rite of Spring for example might be technically a lot harder for both orchestra and conductor, but musically it is quite straightforward and, if you know what you’re aiming for and have the players to produce it, you’re a long way there already. Brahms is a lot more difficult, because it is a lot harder to know exactly what you have to do to get it right. I’ve been listening to this set for a few weeks now and it really is outstanding in every way. I think the thing that is most overwhelming though is the incredible warmth and beauty of sound that Rattle achieves from the orchestra. It is similar to what he achieved in his 2007 recording of Ein deutsches Requiem, which went on to win a Gramophone Award, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see a similar accolade following here. I’ve put a short video about the recordings on the website to give you a bit more of an idea, and it is also well worth checking out our Simon Rattle special offer which we currently have running with discounts of up to 50% on most of Rattle's back catalogue of recordings. Enjoy!
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 Brahms: Symphonies Nos. 1-4 (complete)Berliner Philharmoniker, Simon Rattle |
Chris O'Reilly - chris@prestoclassical.co.uk |
Watch a short preview videoNew Releases31st August 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 Volume 9The Monteverdi Choir & The English Baroque Soloists, John Eliot GardinerGardiner’s award-winning Bach Cantata series on Soli Deo Gloria continues with volume 9 in the series featuring Cantatas for the seventeenth and eighteenth Sunday after Trinity, recorded live in October 2000. We join John Eliot Gardiner, The Monteverdi Choir and The English Baroque Soloists on their Bach Cantata pilgrimage in the spectacular dark brown gothic Allhelgonakyrkan (All Saints Church) in Lund. |
 Byrd Edition Volume 12 - Assumpta est MariaThe Cardinall's Musick, Andrew CarwoodIn this latest volume from The Cardinall’s Musick acclaimed Byrd series, the composer’s overtly Catholic agenda is clearly displayed. All of the music on this disc is drawn from the first volume of Gradualia published in 1605. The music is a world away from the dark broodings of the Cantiones Sacrae from 1589 and 1591 where Byrd is preoccupied with the melancholy which dominates his middle years. |
 Brahms - Symphony No. 3The Monteverdi Choir & Orchestre Révolutionnaire et Romantique, John Eliot GardinerSoli Deo Gloria is proud to release the third installment in the successful Brahms Symphony series which sees John Eliot Gardiner and his Orchestre Révolutionnaire et Romantique explore the music of Johannes Brahms. |
 Bach - Cantatas Volume 44Bach Collegium Japan, Masaaki SuzukiThe two cantatas BWV 146 and 43 were composed for Jubilate Sunday and for Ascension Day respectively, both of them joyous occasions celebrating Christ’s resurrection and subsequent ascension into heaven. |
 Angela Hewitt plays Handel & HaydnAngela Hewitt (piano)Recorded and released in the ‘anniversary year’ of both Handel and Haydn, Hyperion’s Record of the Month is an effusive celebration of the two composers, performed by an artist whose renditions of 17th- and 18th-century keyboard works on the piano have received the highest possible acclaim. |
 Tchaikovsky - Symphonies Nos. 1 & 6London Philharmonic Orchestra, Vladimir JurowskiJurowski came to international attention and recognition on disc in 2005 with two Tchaikovsky releases: Suite No.3 on PentaTone and on the LPO label his debut recording Tchaikovsky's Manfred Symphony, both widely and critically acclaimed releases. This is the first release in what will be a complete Tchaikovsky symphony cycle. |
 Rachmaninov: The Miserly KnightIldar Abdrazakov (bass), Misha Didyk (tenor), Sergey Murzaev (baritone), Peter Bronder (tenor) & Gennadi Bezzubenkov (bass), BBC Philharmonic, Gianandrea NosedaFollowing their acclaimed recording of Francesca da Rimini, the BBC Philharmonic and its Chief Conductor Gianandrea Noseda continue their exploration of Rachmaninoff’s three one-act operas. The Miserly Knight is the finest of Rachmaninoff’s operas. If circumstances had been more favourable he would have composed far more for the stage, but the three short operas he did complete show that he had all the makings of a great opera composer. |
 The Sixteen - Sounds SublimeThe Sixteen, Harry ChristophersSome of the most celebrated recordings from Harry Christophers and his award-winning ensemble. Equally appealing to fans of The Sixteen and those who are new to the group, this disc provides a definitive collection of familiar classics and lesser-known treasures. |
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