Latest News: Classical
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Obituary,
Louis Andriessen (1939-2021) 5th July 2021The Dutch composer and pianist, whose major works include the Dante-inspired opera La Commedia and Theatre of the World, has died aged 82.
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Presto Music Classical Podcast,
Episode 19: Classical Comedy with Rainer Hersch 4th July 2021Comedian Rainer Hersch joins Paul for a potted history of the art of cocking a snook at the strait-laced world of classical music.
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Presto Chart,
The Presto Chart - June 2021 3rd July 2021Our 25 best-selling titles across all formats for June, with András Schiff's Brahms Piano Concertos with the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment on ECM in first place...
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Recording of the Week,
Sibelius from Edward Gardner, the Bergen Philharmonic, and Lise Davidsen 2nd July 2021The Norwegian soprano combines drama and delicacy in the tone-poem Luonnotar, whilst the Bergen string sound in Tapiola, Rakastava and Pelléas & Mélisande is a thing to marvel at.
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New Release Round-up,
New Release Round-Up - 2nd July 2021 2nd July 2021Love songs from Angela Hewitt, Beethoven's Hammerklavier and Eroica Variations from Pierre-Laurent Aimard, Satie from Noriko Ogawa, and Schnittke and Pärt from the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir.
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Video Interview,
Randall Goosby on Roots 1st July 2021The violinist talks to Katherine about his debut album on Decca, celebrating the influence which Black composers and performers have had on American music from the late nineteenth century to the present day.
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Presto Editor's Choices,
Presto Editor's Choices - June 2021 30th June 2021A hugely enjoyable and thought-provoking debut from US violinist Randall Goosby, an illuminating musical tour of Vienna with pianist Alasdair Beatson, and a superb introduction to the orchestral music of Vítězslava Kaprálová.
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Interview,
Kate Lindsey on Tiranno 29th June 2021The American mezzo talks to Katherine about her recent album exploring baroque depictions of Nero (and the women surrounding him), which features music by Monteverdi, Handel, Alessandro Scarlatti and Bartolomeo Monari.
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Obituary,
Frederic Rzewski (1938-2021) 28th June 2021The American composer and pianist, best known for his set of variations on The People United Will Never Be Defeated, has died 83.
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Interview,
Roxanna Panufnik on Heartfelt 26th June 2021The composer talks about her new album, with works inspired by sources ranging from the trenches of World War I to contemporary Myanmar and even new milestones in veterinary science.
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Recording of the Week,
Andris Nelsons conducts symphonies by Shostakovich 25th June 2021The latest instalment in the Boston Symphony Orchestra's cycle of Shostakovich symphonies juxtaposes the First and Fifteenth Symphonies, alongside expressive performances of the Fourteenth Symphony and the Chamber Symphony in C minor.
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New Release Round-up,
New Release Round-Up - 25th June 2021 25th June 2021Debut recordings from violinist Randall Goosby and pianist Elena Fischer-Dieskau, a Viennese-themed recital from Alasdair Beatson, and a collection of orchestral works by Vítězslava Kaprálová.
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Interview,
Hervé Niquet on La flûte enchantée 24th June 2021The conductor talks to Katherine about his recording of a new French-language version of Die Zauberflöte with Le Concert Spirituel, following a spectacular production at Versailles last year.
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Box Set Selections,
Boxed Set Selections - July 2021 23rd June 2021Eightieth-birthday celebrations of Martha Argerich and Jaime Laredo, an orchestral anthology marking the 150th anniversary of Zemlinsky's birth, and the Juilliard Quartet's collected early recordings on Columbia.
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BBC Music Magazine Choices,
BBC Music Magazine - July 2021 Choices 22nd June 2021Chris introduces this month's selection, with Harry Bicket's 'definitive' Rodelinda on Linn (starring Lucy Crowe and Iestyn Davies) as Recording of the Month.
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Interview,
Alexandra Whittingham on My European Journey 19th June 2021The guitarist talks about her debut album, released recently on Delphian, which sees her explore European guitar repertoire from Spain to Denmark, via Austria-Hungary and England.
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Recording of the Week,
Kodály and Dvořák from Barnabás Kelemen, Nicolas Altstaedt, and Alexander Lonquich 18th June 2021The violinist and cellist display a truly remarkable synergy in Kodály's Duo from 1914, whilst all three musicians capture the 'Dumky' Trio's rapid shifts between melancholy and boisterousness to perfection.
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New Release Round-up,
New Release Round-Up - 18th June 2021 18th June 2021Beethoven from the Ehnes Quartet, a theatrical debut from violinist Bomsori Kim, André Messager's Passionnément (starring Véronique Gens), and intimations of immortality from Icelandic composer Viktor Orri Árnason.
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Interview,
James Ehnes on working from home 17th June 2021The Canadian violinist tells Katherine about turning his living-room into a temporary studio for his recent recording of the Ysaÿe sonatas, and 'bubbling' with his string quartet for a new Beethoven project.
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Interview,
Antonio Pappano on Vaughan Williams and Strauss 16th June 2021The conductor discusses his recent recordings of Vaughan Williams symphonies and Strauss orchestral works, his recent appointment at the LSO, and the ongoing impact of lockdowns on musical life.