Sean Shibe's fifth PENTATONE album, Vesper, presents a striking collection of contemporary guitar works by the late Harrison Birtwistle, James Dillon, and Thomas Ades, all composed by musicians who do not play the instrument themselves. Recorded here for the first time, these recent miniatures explore the guitar's expressive range in profoundly different ways: ritualistic and evocative in Birtwistle, elemental in Dillon, and allusive in Ades. Shibe's interpretations reveal the instrument's extraordinary colour, subtlety, and capacity for transformation, bringing each work to life with imagination and nuance. For some of Birtwistle's pieces, Shibe performs on Sylvette (2021), a guitar made by luthier Simon Ambridge in collaboration with French-British artist Lydia Corbett. A muse to Pablo Picasso - who was himself an important influence for several of Birtwistle's works on this album - Corbett also inspired Picasso's celebrated Sylvette series. Modelled on the small, responsive instruments of the Andalusian luthier Antonio de Torres, the guitar features Corbett's artwork on it's body, adding a visual and symbolic layer to the performance. Shibe is a former BBC New Generation Artist, a Borletti-Buitoni Trust Fellowship 2012 winner, a Royal Philharmonic Society 2018 Young Artist Award winner, a multi-GRAMMY nominee, and the recipient of the 2022 Leonard Bernstein Award. His recordings have won BBC Music Magazine and Gramophone Awards.

Andres Gabetta (violin & direction), Veronica Cangemi, Mario Stefano Pietrodarchi (bandoneon and accordion), and the Gabetta Consort present From Venice to Buenos Aires, a remarkable journey from 18th-century Venice to the streets of Buenos Aires. Anchored by Vivaldi's dazzling concertos and the fiery passion of Astor Piazzolla's Maria de Buenos Aires, the album traces Italian music across centuries and continents. Luca Salvadori's inventive compositions, including the commissioned Overture: Tango-Baroque and Mater Maria, weave Baroque structures with Nuevo Tango rhythms, creating a breathtaking dialogue between old and new. The album is a tribute to women, with Maria as a common thread. From the violin concerto dedicated to Anna Maria, to Piazzolla's arias written for female voices, to the evocative works by Salvadori, the album celebrates feminine presence, strength, and artistry across time and styles. The recording also features operatic gems by Bononcini and Vinci, alongside Piazzolla's expressive arias, from the defiant "Yo soy Maria" to a tender Ave Maria arranged for violin, bandoneon, and soprano. From Venice to Buenos Aires is a vibrant, immersive exploration of music's power to tell stories across worlds - where sacred and secular, past and present meet in melodies both timeless and exhilarating.

The Singapore Symphony Orchestra, Thomas Clausen Trio, and Jean Thorel present Symbiosis - Tribute to Bill Evans, a remarkable album celebrating the enduring legacy of one of jazz's greatest pianists. Featuring three extraordinary works, the album opens with Palle Mikkelborg's Bill Evans Suite (1969), reimagining Evans' classics such as "Waltz for Debby" and "Time Remembered". Thomas Clausen's deeply personal For Pi follows, a tender jazz ballad infused with the spirit of Evans, orchestrated for strings and trio with Anders Malta's lyrical trumpet adding poignant beauty, and Claus Ogerman's Symbiosis, reconstructed here for the first full live concert performance. Recorded live with the Singapore Symphony Orchestra, Symbiosis - Tribute to Bill Evans offers a vivid, contemporary perspective on Evans' timeless influence, blending intimacy, sophistication, and orchestral grandeur. This album continues the orchestra's extensive collaboration with PENTATONE, complementing the acclaimed Mozart: Violin Concertos (2025), Butterfly Lovers & Paganini (2024), Kozlowski: Requiem (2024), and Vivaldi: Four Seasons & Locatelli: Harmonic Labyrinth (2023).