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Presto News - 12th July 2010Beethoven - Paul Lewis and the BBC Proms |
 Between 2005 and 2007 British pianist Paul Lewis toured the world giving recitals of Beethoven’s Piano Sonatas. Every few months he would call in at the Teldex studios in Berlin to record a few, and these were released between 2006 and 2008 by Harmonia Mundi. The series was phenomenally well received and culminated with the final volume scooping the prestigious ‘Recording of the Year’ award at the 2008 Gramophone Awards.  Paul Lewis If like me you found his recordings of the sonatas utterly compelling, I imagine you’ll be pleased to hear that he has now turned his attention to the five concertos. The recording sessions were completed in March this year, which I imagine would normally have led to an autumn release. However, this year’s BBC Proms season was announced shortly afterwards and Paul Lewis would become the first pianist ever to play all five Concertos during one season (spread across four different concerts and accompanied by four different orchestras and conductors). Harmonia Mundi have worked hard to bring the release date forward, and I’m very pleased to say that it has all worked out perfectly - the 3-disc set of the complete Concertos is released today and the Proms start on Friday. In these new recordings he is accompanied by the BBC Symphony Orchestra under Jiri Belohlávek. It is a great partnership and you sense a real rapport throughout. When Lewis sounds like he having fun (such as the last movement of the First Concerto) the orchestra do too, when he plays more tenderly the orchestra match him, and when he plays the quietest pianissimo he is still audible above the orchestra. Everything sounds so natural under Paul Lewis. He doesn’t have a big ego to support and you sense that everything he does is to the service of the music. I’ve put the slow movement of the Emperor Concerto on for you to listen to and there is also a short video preview to watch. This is likely to become one of our best sellers of 2010 and comes very highly recommended. Also worth mentioning this week is our Proms 2010 special page. Here you can easily find and browse recordings of the works being played at this year's festival and see any specific discs which either through the artists, the repertoire or both are particularly relevant to each concert. I hope you find it useful.
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 Beethoven: Piano Concertos Nos. 1-5 (complete)Paul Lewis (piano), BBC Symphony Orchestra, Jiri Belohlávek
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Chris O'Reilly - chris@prestoclassical.co.uk |
Watch a short video trailer
listen - Beethoven - Piano Concerto No. 5 in E-flat major, Op. 73: II. Adagio un poco mossoNew Releases12th July 2010 |
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. |
 Brahms: Violin Sonatas Nos. 1-3 (complete)Jack Liebeck (violin) & Katya Apekisheva (piano)Sony is pleased to announce the release of the second album in an exclusive recording agreement with British violinist Jack Liebeck, winner of the 2010 Classical BRIT Award for Young British Performer. This album, the Complete Violin Sonatas by Brahms, follows the success of his first recording for Sony Classical of Dvorák’s Violin Concerto, Violin Sonata & Sonatina, which received rave reviews and was album of the week on Classic FM as well as in the Evening Standard and Daily Telegraph. The album features all three violin sonatas by Brahms, considered amongst the greatest written for the instrument. Jack is partnered by pianist Katya Apekisheva for this recording. |
 Schumann: Symphonies Nos. 1 & 2Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra, Sakari OramoJune 2010 marks the bicentenary of one of the most celebrated romantic composers: Robert Schumann. To mark this Sony Classical are releasing all four Schumann symphonies in new recordings with the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra under its chief conductor Sakari Oramo. This first disc features symphonies Nos. 1 ("Spring Symphony") and 2. |
 Mozart: Clarinet ConcertoFabio Di Casola (clarinet), Musikkollegium Winterthur, Douglas BoydThis is Swiss clarinetist Fabio Di Casola's fourth CD for Sony Classical. Here, his performance of the popular Mozart Concerto is coupled with the wonderful "Sinfonia Concertante" for woodwind and orchestra and the "Paris" Symphony. The Musikkollegium Winterthur is directed by its new chief conductor, Douglas Boyd. |
 Mozart: Piano Concertos Nos. 20 & 27Evgeny Kissin (conductor & piano), Kremerata BalticaKissin continues his fruitful relationship with EMI Classics with this new recording of two of Mozart’s most famous piano concerti: Nos. 20 in D minor and 27 in B-flat Major. This electrifying recording, with Kissin conducting the orchestra Kremerata Baltica from the keyboard, is one that his legion of admirers is certain to embrace. Concerto No. 20 is the first (and one of only two) piano concerti that Mozart wrote in the minor key. It was a work greatly admired by Beethoven who kept it in his own concert repertoire for performance. |
 Mozart: Piano Concertos Nos. 24-27Alicia de Larrocha (piano), Chamber Orchestra of Europe & London Philharmonic Orchestra, Sir Georg SoltiA special 2-CD set comprising Mozart's late piano concertos in stylish and masterly interpretations from Alicia de Larrocha. Released as a tribute to the great Spanish pianist Alicia de Larrocha who recorded for Decca for over twenty years from 1969, and who died on 25 September 2009. Concertos 24 & 26 (recorded in March 1985) receive their first ever release and this has been made possible with the cooperation of both Alicia de Larrocha's family and the estate of Sir Georg Solti. Concertos 25 & 27 (recorded in December 1977) receive their first international CD release. The CD booklet contains an appreciation of Alicia de Larrocha, 'A Born Mozartian' by piano expert Jeremy Siepmann. |
 Baroque Voices Re-issues10 New mid-price re-issues from Naïve's extensive catalogue of Baroque recordingsVivaldi Motets, Monteverdi Madrigals, Bach, Couperin and much more... Naive's series Baroque Voices continues to offer often slightly unusual Baroque repertoire at superb prices and in exceptional quality recordings. |
 Brilliant Classics9 new releasesA real mixture this month from Brilliant Classics. There are historical re-issues focussing on pianist Dino Ciani and violinist Ivry Gitlis; some classics from the DG archives in the form of the LaSalle Quartet playing Lutoslawski and Cage and the Gabrieli Consort and Players under Paul McCreesh performing Purcell's Hail! Bright Cecilia; and some new recordings of Rodrigo songs, Cage Piano works and Baroque composer Giovanni Vitali Violin Sonatas. |
 Australian Eloquence13 New re-issuesAnother bumper crop of re-issues from Australian Eloquence this month. The Ansermet series continues with recordings of - amongst others - Berlioz, Roussel, Chausson and Dukas. There is also Ravel from Bernard Haitink and Sibelius from Okka Kamu and Eugen Jochum as well as a fascinating disc of Nielsen recordings with Thomas Jensen which includes the Flute Concerto performed by the player for whom Nielsen wrote it, Gilbert Jespersen. Moving backwards a few hundred years and you'll find discs of John Ward and Antony Holborne from Anthony Rooley; and Couperin, Lully and Rameau from Raymond Leppard. |
 BBC Radio 3 CD ReviewSaturday 10th July 2010 |
Building a Library - Stravinsky: Le Baiser de la Fée (The Fairy's Kiss) |
 First Choice(coupled with Scènes de ballet)BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, Ilan Volkov |
Disc of the Week |
 Wagner: GötterdämmerungKatarina Dalayman (Brünnhilde), Lars Cleveman (Siegfried), Peter Coleman-Wright (Gunther), Attila Jun (Hagen), Nancy Gustafson (Gutrune), Susan Bickley (Waltraute), Andrew Shore (Alberich), The Hallé, Hallé Choir, BBC Symphony Chorus, Sir Mark ElderThe performance is also available on MP3 format, which is ideal for those who want to listen to it only on a computer or transfer it to an iPod. But please be careful as the MP3 version will not work on a standard CD player. |
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