Chris introduces this month's selection, with the Cleveland Orchestra’s eclectic celebration of their centenary (featuring two world premieres commissioned for the occasion) as Recording of the Month.
In 2020, 250 years after it was founded, Schott Music remains one of the leading publishers of classical and contemporary music. Find out more about Schott’s history here.
John Abercrombie's debut put the guitarist in the company of Jan Hammer and Jack DeJohnette for a sequence of contrasting mood pieces, from the fiery to the ethereal, and helped cement the ECM sound.
A biography of Hollywood composer, Max Steiner; essays on the music of James MacMillan; a pair of books on Nadia Boulanger; an exploration of the popularity of Bizet's opera, Carmen; a guide to improvisation at the piano; an examination of the performances of gospel singer, Mahalia Jackson; and a new paperback edition of a biography of Gershwin.
Hedvig Mollestad’s latest studio offering is jazz-rock fusion, with an emphasis on the rock. With a selection of dynamic pieces and fierce energy, there’s both awesome riffs and deep complexity to be found in Mollestad’s music.
The Scottish-Italian violinist embraces the heart-on-sleeve qualities of a work which the composer ruefully described as 'awfully emotional', her passion and responsiveness matched by Vladimir Jurowski and the London Philharmonic Orchestra.
Dvořák from Kian Soltani and Daniel Barenboim, Rachmaninov from Sergei Babayan, the world premiere recording of Ethel Smyth's choral symphony *The Prison*, and a new large-scale recording project from Max Richter.
Paul Motian’s seminal trio record with Bill Frisell and Joe Lovano showcased the key components of Motian’s classic quintet with some forward-thinking twilit jazz, proving to be one of the most important releases of all the trio’s careers.
This week's new releases include up-and-coming trumpeter James Copus, socially conscious jazz from Immanuel Wilkins, and a melodic free jazz trio, among others.
The American conductor talks to Katherine about his recording of the complete symphonies with the Malmö Symphony Orchestra, released in June on Ondine.
For his third album with Sinfonia of London, John Wilson turns to Respighi's dazzling triptych of orchestral works depicting the city of Rome through the ages.
Vaughan Williams and Finzi from Michael Collins and the Philharmonia Orchestra, Satie from Noriko Ogawa, and two new works for baroque orchestra and voices by Grammy- and Pulitzer-winning American composer Caroline Shaw.
This week's new release round-up includes a tribute to the old-school by Black Art Jazz Collective, a reunion after twenty-five years for Joshua Redman and friends, and rewarding free jazz from Collage Project.
A terrific debut solo recording featuring Britten and Liszt confirms the young British tenor Stuart Jackson as a major talent, whilst Chandos release two twentieth-century masterpieces centring on incarceration.
For the second Presto Music Podcast, Paul is joined by music critic Harriet Smith, to discuss the art involved in reviewing classical music recordings.