The Presto Chart - 2024

[Pulcinella]

Presto's chart, based on number of sales:

https://www.prestomusic.com/classical/articles/6308--presto-chart-the-presto-chart-2024

Presumably biased though by when in 2024 the recording was released.

[Petrushka]

I buy very few new releases nowadays and have only bought a couple of the 50 shown in the chart (19 & 35). However, the listing does remind me of another three that I think are worth getting (10, 15 & 38) but which somehow got overlooked.

The vast majority of my 2024 purchases were big boxed sets.

[richardfinegold]

The Rachel Podger disc #2 escaped me-I usually snap up her releases-although it’s out of stock. The last time I did a Presto download the 37 tracks came in randomly and it took me an hour to reorder them.

[pastoralguy]

I find I have bought 13 of them although I suppose the chart is really 49 recordings since the Oluffson Goldbergs get a double mention due to a vinyl version.

[Braunschlag]

A triumph of marketing - Lim Etudes at No.1? I found them dull as dishwater, a really mundane release. Give me Bruce Liu for Chopin anyday. And Chochieva for the Etudes. The Gerontius was also underwhelming.

[richardfinegold]

A triumph of marketing - Lim Etudes at No.1? I found them dull as dishwater, a really mundane release. Give me Bruce Liu for Chopin anyday. And Chochieva for the Etudes. The Gerontius was also underwhelming.

Irina Majoueva in the Etudes is a recent find for me

[Alison]

Seven for me. I really like the Hamelin opus 106.

[cloughie]

I think the Viking Olafssen Bach discs probably worth a try - his, probably too recent to has hit the list, Debussy and Rameau disc I would recommend highly.

[silvestrione]

I think the Viking Olafssen Bach discs probably worth a try - his, probably too recent to has hit the list, Debussy and Rameau disc I would recommend highly.

Time flies for you Cloughie - that Debussy/Rameau disc came out in 2020!

[vinteuil]

I think the Viking Olafssen Bach discs probably worth a try - his, probably too recent to has hit the list, Debussy and Rameau disc I would recommend highly.

... when he first arrived on the scene, I was a great fan of Víkingur Ólafsson.

Sad to say I have of late rather gone off him - it's all just a bit too 'lovely'. And the promotional hype around him has not helped - it makes him look a preening self-lover...

.

[cloughie]

Time flies for you Cloughie - that Debussy/Rameau disc came out in 2020!

Oh the joy of late discovery - never have been a slave to fashion!

[Barbirollians]

1,4 ,11 and 42 here . I like Lim’s Chopin Etudes a lot but Pollini’s early recording which he was apparently not all that happy were later released on Testament are even more marvellous .Vilde Frang’s Elgar VC is the best since Kennedy/Handley IMO.

No 3 looks very tempting .

[Dave2002]

The Rachel Podger disc #2 escaped me-I usually snap up her releases-although it’s out of stock. The last time I did a Presto download the 37 tracks came in randomly and it took me an hour to reorder them.

This list looks like promotional marketing - and of course it may succeed. There are sure to be some good things in there I think.

We went to a concert with Rachel in 2024, and although her playing was no doubt very good she had managed to put together a concert of very much less well known pieces, and despite her advocacy we rather thought that things should have stayed that way.

This was a disappointment, as an earlier concert in London left pleasant memories, both musical and including seeing her walk off with a baby carrier at the end.

Are these Presto issues - re-releases - done on CD ROMs or are they original CD pressings? Some of them do look interesting - such as 11 and 47.

Re Yunchan Lim I didn't find his winning performance of Rach 3 as interesting as the winning BBC Young Musician of the year 2024 though that was in Rach 2 - and I generally prefer 3 anyway.

[Barbirollians]

I think the site says if they are Presto CDs - VF's Elgar was only released in September and is available on CD.