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Presto News - 14th February 2011Kate Royal: A Lesson in Love |
 You’ll have to excuse my indulgence this week as Valentine’s Day doesn’t often coincide with a newsletter day, and as there happens to be a outstanding new release just out which is based on the theme of love, I couldn’t resist telling you about it today.  Kate Royal The first time I saw the track-listing for soprano Kate Royal’s new disc – ‘A Lesson in Love’ – I thought ‘what a mess’. At first glance it appears to be a random collection of songs from widely different styles, eras and languages put together on one disc in an almost random order. However, a little closer study and I quickly realised that there was a lot more to it than that. It is actually a brave and gutsy attempt at essentially creating her own song-cycle with a narrative running from beginning to end. Through French, German, English and American songs it tells the story of a young girl, her first experience of love, and her first relationship. We travel with her on her journey from an eager anticipation of love to her first kiss, the thrill of a blossoming love, the marriage and then ultimately the disappointment and anger when she realises that she has been betrayed. All of the songs are in the first person so as you follow the texts in the booklet (which you have to do unless you’re multi-lingual) you can really associate with the excitement and different emotions which the girl experiences. I found myself really drawn into her character in a way that I wouldn’t have expected from a disc made up of such a mixture of well-known and unknown songs in three different languages. It was a bold move by Kate Royal and EMI making this disc as I can’t think of a clear precedent, but in my view it really works. Kate Royal has a wonderful lush, rich voice, which she demonstrates to the full with the varied programme. She is superbly accompanied on the piano by Malcolm Martineau – one of the world’s most esteemed and respected accompanists. He is tender and expressive and has a knack for creating just the right mood for each song. There is a short video preview on the website (via the link below) where you can hear excerpts from the disc as well as Kate Royal talking about the concept behind the album. Now I know this won’t be to everyone’s taste but one thing I should mention this week is that we’ve finally entered the twenty-first century in that you can now find us on facebook. My colleague Katherine tends to post most days a short comment or observation about some of the things we’ve been listening to here in the office and it is a good time to ‘like’ us as we currently have a 70 CD limited edition Deluxe Maria Callas box set to give away. Full details here. Rest assured however, if you haven’t embraced this ‘social networking’ thing yet, nothing is changing here at Presto Classical – we’ll carry on exactly as before providing you with (hopefully) insightful comment on new releases and other interesting matters through the website and these weekly newsletters.
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 Kate Royal: A Lesson in LoveKate Royal (soprano) & Malcolm Martineau (piano)
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Chris O'Reilly - chris@prestoclassical.co.uk |
Watch: A short video of Kate Royal introducing her new albumNew Releases14th February 2011 |
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. |
 Joyce DiDonato: Diva, DivoJoyce DiDonato (mezzo), Orchestre et Choeur de L'Opéra National De Lyon, Kazuko OnoThis new collection showcases DiDonato’s multi-faceted art – and the wealth of opportunities open to a mezzo-soprano – by presenting her as different characters, both male and female, from the same opera or from different musical treatments of the same story. As DiDonato explains: “I have the privilege and unmitigated joy of playing boys and young men, as well as girls and grown women … It’s an exploration of the human palette of emotions.” |
 Bacewicz: Piano Sonata No. 2 & Quintets Nos. 1 & 2Krystian Zimerman, Kaja Danczowska, Agata Szymczewska, Ryszard Groblewski & Rafal KwiatkowskiPianist Krystian Zimerman returned to the recording studio after a five-year absence to celebrate the 100th birthday of the foremost female Polish composer of the 20th century, Grażyna Bacewicz. This album features two hugely imaginative piano quintets and the forceful Second Piano Sonata that Krystian Zimerman performed at the Salzburg Festival in 2008 to rhapsodic reviews. |
 Gershwin: Rhapsody In Blue & Piano Concerto in FStefano Bollani (piano), Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, Riccardo ChaillyWith this recording of the Rhapsody in Blue and the Concerto in F, Riccardo Chailly blends the classical elegance and sophistication of the Gewandhaus Orchestra with the jazz/blues sensibility of the mercurial Milan-born jazz legend Stefano Bollani. Completing the well-filled album (over 73 minutes) are the symphonic suite Catfish Row – derived from Gershwin’s opera Porgy and Bess – and Gershwin’s earliest significant work, the Broadway-inspired rag Rialto Ripples. |
 Beethoven: Diabelli VariationsGary Cooper (fortepiano)An important new recording of Beethoven's Diabelli Variations on the fortepiano from esteemed specialist Gary Cooper. As Cooper points out in the booklet notes “This is the first commercial recording, to my knowledge, which attempts to place this particular masterpiece firmly in the sound-world of the early 1820s, when it was conceived and first played.” |
 Albrecht Mayer: Bonjour ParisAlbrecht Mayer (oboe)Albrecht Mayer, principal oboe of the Berlin Philharmonic, celebrates a lifelong passion for France with this album of popular melodies, including favourites by Debussy, Fauré, and Ravel – plus the world-premiere recording of the impressionistic Été. |
 ICA Classics10 DVDs and 8 CDsInternational Classical Artists becomes the first artist management agency in the world to launch its own audio and audio-visual label featuring both archive material from sources such as the BBC, WDR in Cologne and the Boston Symphony Orchestra (the LEGACY series), as well as performances from the agency’s own artists recorded in prestigious venues around the world (the LIVE series). The label includes material recorded between 1954 and 2009 and this first batch of releases promises much. |
 Sir Thomas Beecham Edition5 new boxesOne of the most colourful and controversial of all 20th-century British conductors, Sir Thomas Beecham's recorded legacy for EMI is hugely important. To mark the fiftieth anniversary of his death the label have boxed up many of his greatest recordings into 5 budget priced sets. |
 Australian Eloquence8 New re-issuesThis month's gems from Australian Eloquence include first releases on CD of recordings by the Consort of Musicke, a controversial but much-requested recording by Bernard Herrmann of Holst’s The Planets, as well as the pioneering recordings by Imogen Holst of her father’s music. Also Christopher Hogwood’s exquisite and beautifully-conceived L’Oiseau-Lyre set of 2 LPs entitled ‘Haydn’s Music for England’ makes its first integral appearance on CD. |
 BBC Radio 3 CD ReviewSaturday 12th February 2011 |
Building a Library - Brahms: Vier ernste Gesänge, Op. 121 (Four Serious Songs) |
 CD ChoicePlease note: The first choice was the Thomas Quasthoff version which is not currently available on CD. This is the top recommendation currently available on CD.Christian Gerhaher (baritone), Gerold Huber (piano) |
Disc of the Week |
 Rossini: Stabat MaterAnna Netrebko (soprano), Joyce DiDonato (mezzo), Lawrence Brownlee (tenor), Ildebrando D'Arcangelo (bass), Orchestra e Coro dell'Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, Antonio Pappano |
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