Presto Music, the leading specialist in classical and jazz music, is proud to reveal the winners of its 2025 Awards, celebrating the year’s best recordings, books, sheet music and more. Chosen from a longlist of more than 150 Finalists, the Awards celebrate the extraordinary breadth and vitality of music-making today.

“Our 2025 Presto Music Award winners made us listen afresh to core repertoire, told absorbing stories or made compelling cases for music that was new to all of us. They exemplify the curiosity, openness and artistic excellence that we at Presto champion every year,” said Presto Music CEO, Chris O’Reilly.

Recordings of the Year
This year’s 15 winning recordings – 10 classical and 5 jazz - span composers from the great canonical figures such as Bach and Brahms to leading contemporary voices like Anna Clyne and Jake Heggie, reflecting the living continuum of musical creativity.

 O’Reilly said: “We are thrilled to showcase performances by world-renowned artists including Sir Simon Rattle and Brad Mehldau, alongside some of today’s most exciting rising talents such as Héloïse Werner and Theon Cross. Their recordings remind us how dynamic, diverse and forward-looking the musical landscape has become.”

• ·       Wagner: Der fliegende Holländer  - Finley, Davidsen, Sherratt, Norwegian National Opera, Gardner
• ·       JS Bach: Mass in B minor - Pygmalion, Raphaël Pichon
• ·       JS Bach: King of Kings - BBC Philharmonic, Sir Andrew Davis, Martyn Brabbins
• ·       Songs of Passion - Lea Desandre, Thomas Dunford, Jupiter
• ·       Lerner & Loewe's My Fair Lady - Strallen, Parker, Armstrong et al, Sinfonia of London, Wilson
• ·       Max Reger: Orchestral Works - Gävle Symphony Orchestra, Jaime Martín
• ·       Anna Clyne: Abstractions - Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, Marin Alsop
• ·       Brahms: Piano Concerto No. 2 & Three Intermezzi  - Piemontesi, Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, Honeck
• ·       Martinů: String Quartets Nos. 2, 3, 5 & 7 - Pavel Haas Quartet
• ·       Mahler: Symphony No. 7 - Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks, Rattle
• ·       Sema4 - Alison Rayner Quintet
• ·       After The Last Sky - Anouar Brahem
• ·       Affirmations - Live at Blue Note New York - Theon Cross
• ·       Ride Into the Sun - Brad Mehldau
• ·       Thrive - Fabienne Ambuehl

Classical Special Awards

• ·       Recording Debut of the Year - Verdi: Simon Boccanegra (original 1857 version) - Germán Enrique Alcántara
• ·       Concept Album of the Year – TREE - The Hermes Experiment
• ·       World Premiere Recording (Rediscovery) - Tippett: New Year - Lois, Murray, Ramgobin, Nicholls et al, BBCSO, Brabbins
• ·       World Premiere Recording (New Work) - Heggie/Scheer: Intelligence - Brugger, Barton, Bridges et al, Houston Grand Opera, Ryan
• ·       Special Project of the Year - For Dieter: Hommage à Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau - Benjamin Appl, James Baillieu
• ·       DVD/Blu-ray of the Year - Weinberg: The Idiot - Volkov, Stundytė, Sulimsky, Wiener Philharmoniker, Gražinytė-Tyla, Warlikowski

Jazz Special Awards

• ·       Newcomer in Jazz 2025 - Olivia Cuttill
• ·       Jazz Organisation of the Year – ECN Music
• ·       Best Jazz Archive/Reissue - Verve: The Moment Of Truth: Ella At The Coliseum

Sheet Music Publications of the Year
O’Reilly commented: “Our sheet-music winners highlight the richness of today’s publishing world, presenting newly edited editions of Dvořák and Prokofiev together with works by Florence Price and a wide array of other composers. It’s a category that continues to reveal just how much remarkable material is becoming accessible to performers and educators.”

• ·       Dvořák: Symphony No. 6 in D major, Op. 60 - Bärenreiter
• ·       Prokofieff: Romeo and Juliet, op. 64 - Boosey/Sikorski
• ·       The Faber Music Women Composers Piano Anthology – Faber
• ·       Florence Price: Rediscovered Gems for Piano Solo - Hal Leonard
• ·       Accessible and Beautiful - OUP

Books of the Year
The five award-winning books were all chosen for bringing deep insight, character and curiosity to their diverse subjects.

• ·       The Women’s Orchestra of Auschwitz: A Story of Survival - Anne Sebba
• ·       Myra Hess: National Treasure - Jessica Duchen
• ·       John Williams: A Composer's Life - Tim Greiving
• ·       A History of the World in 50 Pieces - Tom Service
• ·       Edward Elgar and Adrian Boult - Nigel Simeone

Buy, stream and save on the winners

All the winners are available now from Presto Music. Until 21^st January 2026, customers can save up to 30% on the finalists, in CD, Vinyl, Blu-ray or Download format.

The winning recordings can also be enjoyed – the majority in high-resolution quality – via Presto’s streaming service. Now available in 46 countries worldwide, the Presto Music streaming service has a Fair Play Initiative, ensuring artists receive payment per second of music streamed, rather than the typical pay-per-track model.

With roots stretching back almost 40 years, Presto Music has evolved from a specialist retailer into a trusted global platform for recorded music, scores, and expert insight. The company continues to champion artistry, scholarship, and discovery in classical and jazz music.

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About Presto Music
Based in Royal Leamington Spa in the UK, Presto Music is the UK’s leading destination for classical and jazz recordings  - whether via its streaming service or online and in-store sales of CDs, DVDs, high-quality downloads and vinyl. It also offers sheet music, music books and musical instruments. Founded in 1986 as a small high street shop, the Presto Music website was started in 2001 and has grown into one of the most significant online retailers for music products in the world, focusing on enriching the lives of music lovers and musicians of all ages, backgrounds and abilities by championing a passion for music.