Coming Soon,
Ravel Concertos from Steven Osborne and other forthcoming delights
French music features prominently amongst the forthcoming releases which've caught our collective eye in the office since we returned from the spring break - a return to Ravel from pianist Steven Osborne, the continuation of Noriko Ogawa's commemoration of Satie's recent 150th anniversary, a heavyweight programme from powerhouse duo Isabelle Faust and Alexander Melnikov, and a fascinating exploration of French Wagnerism from the wonderful 'falcon' soprano Véronique Gens.
Look out, too, for the chance to hear one of the twentieth century's greatest comic songwriters in serious mode...!
Ravel: Piano Concertos (out on 2nd June)
Steven Osborne (piano), BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, Ludovic Morlot
The Scottish pianist's 2011 survey of Ravel's solo piano works was shortlisted for both BBC Music Magazine and Gramophone Awards, and prompted Classic FM to describe him as 'an artist who was born to play Ravel ', so this promises to be something really special. Coupled with Falla's Noches en los jardines de Espana.
Available Formats: CD, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC
Following her Gramophone Award-winning disc of songs by Hahn, Duparc and Chausson, the soprano continues her excavations of obscure nineteenth-century French operatic repertoire with arias by Bizet, Bruneau, Halévy, Niedermeyer, Saint-Saëns and more.
Available Formats: CD, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC
Franck: Violin Sonata & Chausson: Concert (out on 19th May)
Isabelle Faust (violin), Alexander Melnikov (piano)
Having demonstrated their artistic chemistry with recordings of Weber, Schubert, Brahms and an outstanding complete Beethoven sonatas, Faust and Melnikov turn their hands to French repertoire, including one of the best-loved of all Romantic violin sonatas.
Available Formats: CD, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC
The first instalment of Ogawa's Satie project was one of our Top 100 Discs of 2016, so we're awaiting its sucessor with bated breath! Once again performing on an1890 Érard piano, Ogawa continues her projected complete survey of the piano music with works including Préludes flasques pour un chien and the Sports et Divertissements.
Available Formats: SACD, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC
The young British quartet have already made quite an impact with their surveys of Tchaikovsky and Tippett, with The Strad describing the latter as 'an unqualified triumph'; reviewing the live performances which are captured on this new disc, The Telegraph praised their 'fierce intelligence and feeling, passion and virtuosity'.
Available Formats: MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC
The charismatic Croatian baroque violinist (who partnered Rachel Podger in a hugely successful recording of the Bach Double Concerto in 2013) provides thrilling advocacy for the fiendishly difficult chamber sonatas of this neglected Italian composer (a contemporary of Telemann), which receive their first complete recording on disc here. Watch this space for an in-depth interview!
Available Formats: CD, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC
Songs by Donald Swann (out on 30th June)
Felicity Lott (soprano), Kathryn Rudge (mezzo), John Mark Ainsley (tenor), Roderick Williams (baritone), Christopher Glynn (piano)
Best known for his collaborations with lyricist Michael Flanders, Donald Swann emerges as a songsmith of great lyricism and sensitivity in his own right in these settings of texts by Robert Burns, Emily Dickinson, Christina Rossetti, WB Yeats and others. Most of the songs here receive their world premiere recordings.
Available Formats: 2 CDs, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC
Prokofiev: Piano Concertos Nos. 1 & 3 (out on 26th May)
Simon Trpčeski (piano); Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, Vasily Petrenko
Petrenko's account of Prokofiev's Romeo & Juliet impressed the Presto office very much when it was released late last year, and Macedonian pianist Simon Trpčeski made his debut recording with the solo piano works, so this new collaboration is most definitely one to watch!
Available Formats: CD, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC
Handel: Ottone (out on 26th May)
Max Emanuel Cencic, Ann Hallenberg, Xavier Sabata; Glyndebourne, Il Pomo d’Oro, George Petrou
Aside from being an early contender for our favourite cover of the year, this new recording of Handel's Roman swashbuckler (in only its third outing on disc) boasts a mouthwatering cast, including Ann Hallenberg as the scheming matriarch Gismonda and Xavier Sabata as her son Adelberto.
Available Formats: MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC
Rossini: Il barbiere di Siviglia (out on 2nd June)
Danielle de Niese, Taylor Stayton, Alessandro Corbelli, Björn Bürger; Glyndebourne, Enrique Mazzola
Filmed last year at the Glyndebourne Festival, Annabel Arden's 1950s-influenced production of Barber won plaudits for its 'sheer visual sophistication' (The Independent) and 'splendid episodes of hilarity' (What's On Stage).
Available Format: DVD Video
Available Format: Blu-ray
Katherine Cooper - Head of Editorial
