The K�lner Akademie, under the artistic direction of Michael Alexander Willens, presents J. S. Bach: Lutheran Masses BWV 233-236, a monumental exploration of the composer's four Kyrie-Gloria Masses. Written in the 1730s, during a period of profound artistic consolidation, these works reveal Bach at his most resourceful. Drawn largely from his finest cantata music, the Masses showcase his unparalleled ability to transform earlier material through refined counterpoint, enriched orchestration, and deep sensitivity to the Latin Ordinary. Long overshadowed by the Mass in B minor, these so-called "Lutheran Masses" emerge here as brilliant creations in their own right, each shaped with architectural clarity: six movements, impeccably balanced between choral grandeur and intimate arias. In this cycle, Bach fuses theological tradition with inventive musical craft. Whether reworking festive choruses, expanding expressive arias, or integrating older settings with newly imagined timbres, he elevates the transformation of earlier material into a profound creative process - producing music that feels both familiar and entirely renewed. By gathering the four Masses into a unified artistic vision, The K�lner Akademie illuminates their shared structural features, vibrant instrumentation, and emotional breadth.

Organist Lukas Hasler presents Gold, a radiant debut album featuring his own transcriptions and arrangements for organ. What began five years ago with a fascination for Mozart's G major Sonata in Edvard Grieg's two-piano version grew into an artistic journey into the transformative world of transcription. Hasler discovered in the organ an instrument capable not only of recreating orchestral and pianistic textures, but of reshaping them into something entirely new. To capture this vision, he turned to the iconic Golden Hall of the Musikverein in Vienna, whose expressive possibilities and glowing acoustics inspired both the selection of repertoire and the album's title. Gold offers a rich spectrum of colours and styles, from the jubilant brilliance of Bach's Sinfonia (in Dupr�'s vibrant transcription) to the tender intimacy of Schumann's Romance, recorded here for the first time on organ. Hasler brings theatrical flair to Lemare's arrangement of Carmen Fantasy, profound stillness to Beethoven's "Moonlight" Adagio, and symphonic vitality to Bruckner's Nullte Scherzo, while Mozart's G major Sonata - filtered through Grieg's imagination and Hasler's own artistry - bridges Classical clarity and Romantic warmth. Rachmaninoff's stormy Prelude, Lef�bure-W�ly's sparkling Bol�ro, and the playful, genre-bending Vienna Calling complete a programme that celebrates invention, personality, and the golden richness of the Viennese organ sound.

The Romantic Room is an expansive six-volume set exploring the rich and often overlooked chamber music of Louis Spohr, brought vividly to life by the Wdr Sinfonieorchester Chamber Players. Once hailed as the "German Paganini" and revered across Europe, Spohr was a pivotal figure of early Romanticism - an innovator who shaped the transition from Classical refinement to Romantic expression. This collection showcases his elegant string quintets and sextets, daring double quartets, and characterful potpourri, offering a portrait of a composer whose expressive range and artistic integrity remain strikingly relevant today. Spohr's chamber works are richly crafted and musically intricate, offering both technical challenges and expressive depth. These performances reveal a composer deeply rooted in tradition yet unafraid to experiment, blending lyrical intimacy with bold structural ideas. Following the highly acclaimed Brahms: String Sextets (Diapason d'Or) and String Quintets, the The Romantic Room: Chamber Works by Spohr box set is the Wdr Sinfonieorchester Chamber Players' third release on PENTATONE. The WDR Symphony Orchestra has also released an extensive discography with the label.

Illia Ovcharenko, together with the MDR-Sinfonieorchester under the baton of Oksana Lyniv, presents Manu Sinistra, an album devoted to concertos for the left hand by Bortkiewicz, Prokofiev, and Ravel. These works were written for the pianist Paul Wittgenstein, who lost his right arm in World War I and responded to personal tragedy by commissioning new music. The programme unfolds as three radically different responses to this unique challenge, from the sweeping Romanticism of Bortkiewicz's Piano Concerto No. 2 to the sharply defined and seldom-performed Fourth Concerto by Prokofiev - a work Wittgenstein himself could not comprehend. At the centre stands Ravel's Concerto for the Left Hand, a dark, masterfully constructed work of striking colour and illusion. For Ovcharenko, winner of the 2022 Honens International Piano Competition, this repertoire resonates deeply, further enriched by the presence of Ukrainian-born Sergei Bortkiewicz, whose voice connects the album to the pianist's heritage. A Classeek Ambassador Programme Artist, Ovcharenko makes his PENTATONE debut in a concerto recording alongside Lyniv and the MDR-Sinfonieorchester.

Harpist Anne-Sophie Bertrand presents Amalie's Cosmos, an evocative journey through the salons of 19th-century Europe. At the heart of Berlin's vibrant cultural life in the early 19th century stood Amalie Beer, a wealthy patron, intellectual, and matriarch of one of Europe's most influential musical families. While history often remembers her son, Giacomo Meyerbeer, as a towering operatic figure, it was Amalie's salon that cultivated artistic, scientific, and political discourse, supported composers, and encouraged the careers of remarkable women such as Fanny Hensel and Pauline Viardot. Amalie's Cosmos revives the spirit of these Berliner salons through a carefully curated programme of works that echo their creativity and curiosity. From the intimate lyricism of Fanny Hensel and Glinka to the exotic colours of Debussy's Estampes, the virtuosity of Parish Alvars, and the contemporary homage to Paganini by Nimrod Borenstein, the album traces a delicate thread through time, place, and influence. The result is a shimmering musical tapestry that celebrates memory, artistry, and the enduring power of the salon as a space for inspiration and dialogue.

The Miro Quartet invites you to gather around the warmth of the holiday Hearth-a deeply personal and joy-filled album that celebrates the spirit of the season through the voices of today's most compelling composers. Whether your traditions include Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, or simply quiet reflection by the fire, this album captures the essence of holidays as a time of connection, memory, and hope. Featuring works by composers such as Anna Clyne, Clarice Assad, Gabriel Kahane, Reena Esmail, and Paola Prestini, each piece is a musical keepsake-an imaginative reworking of a holiday tune chosen by the composer and infused with personal meaning. From Renaissance hymns to familiar carols like Jingle Bells, and from West African rhythms to tender string lyricism, this vibrant collection reflects the rich diversity of how we celebrate, remember, and come together. Hearth follows the Miro Quartet's acclaimed PENTATONE release Ginastera String Quartets (2025), honoured as a Gramophone Editor's Choice, one of The New York Times' '5 Classical Music Albums You Can Listen to Right Now,' and recipient of Pizzicato's Supersonic distinction. Also available are the GRAMMY-nominated Home (2024) and Beethoven Complete String Quartets (2021). With this release, we are proud to share these musical stories - each one a gift, wrapped in sound, from our hearts to yours.

Violinist Midori, Festival Strings Lucerne under the direction of Daniel Dodds, and pianist �zg�r Aydin present an album of Schumann: Violin Concerto & Works for Violin and Piano by Clara and Robert Schumann, highlighting two deeply connected artistic voices. At the centre is Robert Schumann's Violin Concerto in D Minor, composed in 1853 but withheld from publication for more than eighty years after Clara Schumann and Joseph Joachim questioned it's place within his legacy. Long clouded by it's troubled history and a problematic 1937 premiere, the concerto has only recently gained recognition as a powerful and distinctive late work, valued today for it's emotional depth and expressive candour. The programme also includes Robert Schumann's 5 Pieces in Folk Style, Op. 102, and 3 Romances, Op. 94 - lyrical miniatures from his remarkably productive year of 1849, alongside Clara Schumann's 5 Romances, Op. 22, dedicated to Joachim and now fully restored to the repertoire after decades of neglect. Together, these works reveal an artistic world shaped by intimacy, sincerity, and clarity of expression, echoing Robert Schumann's belief that the artist's task is "to send light into the darkness of men's hearts." This recording marks the PENTATONE debut of Midori and �zg�r Aydin. Midori, an internationally celebrated violinist with numerous awards and performances on the world's leading stages, brings her expressive depth and technical mastery, complemented by Aydin's sensitive virtuosity at the piano. Festival Strings Lucerne and their artistic director, Daniel Dodds, have been collaborating successfully since 2012, bringing this orchestra international acclaim, and establishing themselves as one of the world's leading chamber orchestras, both on the concert platform and in the recording studio. The album showcases the interplay of Clara's tender lyricism with Robert's late works, offering a vivid, emotionally resonant, and technically brilliant portrait of the Schumanns' late musical world.

In Dialogos, Holland Baroque and Constantinople embark on a musical journey inspired by one of history's most remarkable encounters: the meeting between Saint Francis of Assisi and Sultan Malik al-Kamil during the Fifth Crusade in 1219. Eight centuries later, their gesture of openness and mutual respect becomes the creative spark for this collaboration - a meeting not of faiths or institutions, but of human voices and mutual respect. Drawing from ancient sources such as the Laudario di Cortona and the works of the 17th-century Polish musician Ali Ufki (Wojciech Bobowski), the ensembles weave new compositions where Persian, Ottoman, and early Western Baroque traditions intertwine. Under the artistic direction of Kiya Tabassian, and Judith and Tineke Steenbrink, the music becomes a living dialogue - a conversation of timbres and histories that celebrates listening over division, and resonance over conflict. Each note reflects a crossing of cultures where the old inspires the new, and where peace begins in sound. Known for their inventive reimagining of the Baroque repertoire and intercultural encounters, Holland Baroque and the Montreal-based ensemble Constantinople both thrive on collaboration and stylistic exploration. Their meeting in Dialogos continues a creative lineage that has made Holland Baroque a long-standing PENTATONE partner, following Silk Baroque, Telemann Polonoise & Brabant 1653 (2021), Minne (2022), Bachs K�nigin (2023), and the EP Metamorphosis (2024). Here, as in those projects, the ensemble transforms history into a contemporary message: that music is dialogue itself.

Long overshadowed by her towering legacy as one of the 20th century's most influential music teachers, Nadia Boulanger's creative voice as a composer is rediscovered in La ville morte (The Dead City) - a haunting opera of passion, loss, and psychological intensity. Composed in collaboration with Raoul Pugno and based on a libretto by Gabriele D'Annunzio, the work was originally slated for it's world premiere in Paris in 1914, but the outbreak of World War I silenced it before it could be heard. More than a century later, this long-buried score rises from obscurity, where forgotten desires return to life against the backdrop of ancient ruins. Set in the crumbling city of Mycenae, the opera explores obsession, betrayal, and blurred boundaries, it's emotional landscape shaped by impressionistic orchestral textures and arioso-style intimacy reminiscent of both Debussy and Wagner. Here, Boulanger reveals a daring and expressive side that transcends her image as the stern guardian of musical tradition. This landmark recording marks the PENTATONE debut of soprano Melissa Harvey, mezzo-soprano Laurie Rubin, tenor Joshua Dennis, baritone Jorell Williams, the Talea Ensemble, and conductor Neal Goren. The orchestration-by Joseph Stillwell and Stephan Cwik under the supervision of David Conte-breathes new life into the long-silent score. A co-production between Catapult Opera and the Greek National Opera, La ville morte not only resurrects Boulanger's compositional brilliance but also secures her place in the modern operatic repertoire.

Sondra Radvanovsky, Lyric Opera of Chicago, and Enrique Mazzola present Puccini: Heroines, a live recording of an all-Puccini programme performed in February 2025. Radvanovsky's extraordinary voice brings vivid individuality to each heroine, from the tender lyricism of Anna and Mim� to the dramatic intensity of Tosca and Turandot, including roles not previously in her stage repertoire. With Mazzola and the Lyric Opera Orchestra, she captures Puccini's genius for combining concise, emotionally charged arias with profound character insight. From the grace of Le Villi to the passion of Manon Lescaut, the intimacy of La Boh�me, and the virtuosic drama of Turandot, Radvanovsky's artistry illuminates every phrase. Encores include Musetta (La Boh�me) and Lauretta (Gianni Schicchi), highlighting both theatrical flair and heartfelt nuance. Sondra Radvanovsky and Lyric Opera of Chicago previously appeared on PENTATONE with The Three Queens (2022), while Enrique Mazzola conducted the 2019 PENTATONE release of Verdi and Donizetti with Michael Fabiano.

PENTATONE's release of the Czech Philharmonic's complete Mahler Cycle under Bychkov brings together one of Europe's most historically resonant orchestras with a conductor internationally recognised for his structural command and interpretive integrity. The orchestra occupies a distinctive place within Mahler's geographical and cultural landscape - Mahler was born and brought up in Bohemia and completed his First Symphony shortly after spending a year in Prague. Mahler symphonies have been central to Bychkov's programming with the Czech Philharmonic since 2018, when he opened his tenure as Chief Conductor and Music Director with performances of Mahler Symphony No. 2. Symphonies Nos. 1-5, released by PENTATONE beginning in April 2022, have received universal acclaim. The recordings have been selected as Gramophone Editor's Choice and BBC Music Magazine Recording of the Month. As The Sunday Times writes, "This is turning out to be one of the truly great Mahler sets."

With Organisms, Calefax explores the majestic and mysterious essence of the organ- without an organ in sight. Revoicing centuries of repertoire for reed quintet, they channel the instrument's spiritual depth, improvisational roots, and theatrical flair through breath and reed instead of pipes. The result is not just interpretation, but transformation-Calefax becomes a living, breathing organ, uncovering the humanity behind the grandeur. From Sweelinck's Fantasia Chromatica and Bruhns' richly imaginative Prelude in E Minor, through the intimate final chorales of Brahms and Franck, to Florence Price's Suite No. 1, which blends African-American musical traditions with Romantic expressiveness, this album redefines the organ not as a sacred machine, but as a vital force of musical imagination. In 2025, Calefax celebrates their 40th anniversary. Organisms is the fifth PENTATONE release by Calefax, following their critically acclaimed albums An American Rhapsody (2023), Bach's Musical Offerings (2020), Dido & Aeneazz (2019), and Hidden Gems (2018), which earned 5 stars from BBC Music Magazine. Praised for their "witty, well-crafted arrangements" (De Volkskrant) and "beautiful playing" (Het Parool), Calefax has been hailed by The Times as "five extremely gifted Dutch gents who almost made the reed quintet seem the best musical format on the planet."

Cappella Amsterdam, it's celebrated chief conductor Daniel Reuss, and the Noord Nederlands Orkest present a recording of Igor Stravinsky's late works, showcasing the composer's remarkable transformation. Embracing the twelve-tone technique in his later years, Stravinsky reshaped his contrapuntal voice and produced works of rigorous structure, spiritual depth, and emotional intensity. These late compositions, from In Memoriam Dylan Thomas to Requiem Canticles, reveal a composer who fused intellectual precision with ritualistic power, creating music that is as moving as it is masterful. Featuring an exceptional lineup of soloists - Berit Norbakken, Marianne Beate Kielland, Guy Cutting, Thomas Walker, Tobias Berndt, and Stephan MacLeod - together with harmonium players Dirk Luijmes and Martin Logar, this recording unites compelling interpreters of vocal and choral music. Under Daniel Reuss's artistic direction of over thirty years, Cappella Amsterdam, together with the Noord Nederlands Orkest, bring these masterpieces to life with unmatched clarity and devotion. The choir has garnered numerous accolades, including an Edison Klassiek Award for In Umbra Mortis (2021), and has continued it's acclaimed recording journey with David Lang: the writings (2022), Schnittke: Psalms of Repentance (2023), Tales of Song and Sadness (2024), and Lassus: Penitential Psalms (2025).

The Minnesota Orchestra and it's music director Thomas Sondergard delve into the imaginative world of Thomas Ades, a singular voice in contemporary classical music. Featuring two of his most compelling orchestral works, The Exterminating Angel Symphony - a world premiere recording - and the Violin Concerto, this album captures Ades' uncanny ability to merge intellectual rigor with raw emotional immediacy. With orchestral textures both radiant and unsettling, Ades evokes a surreal musical landscape, brought vividly to life by Sondergard's incisive direction and violinist Leila Josefowicz's electrifying performance. Highlighting two distinct sides of Ades' artistry, cinematic drama and virtuosic intimacy, this recording explores the composer's breadth with striking clarity. Josefowicz brings fierce expressivity and precision to the Violin Concerto, while the orchestra navigates the volatile energy of The Exterminating Angel Symphony with gripping intensity. This album also marks the PENTATONE debut of the Minnesota Orchestra, Thomas Sondergard, and Leila Josefowicz.

David Conte's Intimate Voices presents a deeply personal journey through a decade of his chamber music, with works recorded between 2014 and 2024. Celebrating the composer's 70th birthday, this album reflects his belief in the continuity of musical culture, shaped by his studies with the legendary pedagogue Nadia Boulanger. As one of her last students, Conte embraces her wisdom that "true personality in music is only revealed through the deep knowledge of the personalities of others." His compositions resonate with this philosophy, drawing inspiration from past masters while forging his own expressive voice. Highlights include the quietly intense Elegy for Violin and Piano and the dynamic Piano Trio No. 2, whose four movements pay tribute to Erich Korngold, Stephen Sondheim, Frank Martin, and Beethoven. Also featured are the Sonata for Clarinet and Piano, Sonata for French Horn and Piano, and Aria and Fugue for Cello and Piano, each showcasing Conte's mastery of instrumental color and structural clarity. His works seek to engage listeners beyond chronological time, instead creating musical narratives that feel eternal in their emotional depth and artistic intent. Marking his debut on PENTATONE, Intimate Voices is a testament to Conte's evolution as a composer and his deep reverence for the past. Performed by an ensemble of distinguished musicians including Samuel Vargas, Kevin Korth, Emil Miland, Miles Graber, Kevin Rivard, Jerome Simas, Eric Zivian, and Matthew Linaman, this album offers an essential listening experience for lovers of contemporary chamber music.

MADLANDS marks the PENTATONE debut of pianist and composer Yang Bao, offering a stunningly beautiful and audacious journey into what it means to be human amid the rising tides of artificial intelligence and ecological upheaval. Written for piano, six strings, and a palette of analog synthesizers-including the Korg PS-3300 and MiniMoog-Bao's eleven compositions reimagine identity and belonging in a world where human, machine, and nature coexist in delicate, suspenseful symbiosis. The album opens with a powerful trilogy-The Riddle, Baby Beast, and Hold Your Breath-where classical form meets electronic sound, creating a visceral, futuristic landscape. Across works such as Human and I and First Run, Bao blurs the boundaries between organic and artificial, past and future, transforming music into an immersive, living environment. Drawing on his visual art practice, Bao pairs this sonic vision with his striking artwork, reflecting the duality between the visible and the invisible. MADLANDS is an album for the future-a contemplative, bold, and deeply human exploration of consciousness, connection, and the fragile beauty of a world in flux.

The internationally renowned pianist Yulianna Avdeeva presents Shostakovich's 24 Preludes and Fugues, Op. 87, one of the most important works in the piano repertoire. This monumental cycle harks back to Bach's Well-Tempered Clavier and is considered one of the most demanding works for piano ever written. Avdeeva joins an elite group of pianists who have undertaken the challenge of performing the complete opus, which is rarely heard in it's entirety. To complement this iconic work, Avdeeva also presents the completion of an alternative Prelude and Fugue in C-Sharp Minor, discovered by leading Shostakovich expert Olga Digonskaya and completed by composer and Shostakovich biographer Krzysztof Meyer. Shostakovich sketched an initial prelude in C-Sharp Minor in 1950, but then decided to compose a new prelude-fugue pair in this key, which eventually found it's way into Opus 87. The sketch of the original prelude was found in the Shostakovich archive in Moscow in 2005; Krzysztof Meyer completed the fragment in 2019 and added his own fugue "in the style of Shostakovich". This discovery adds a new and exciting dimension to the cycle and will be an important part of the story behind the album.

Les Arts Florissants, one of the world's most renowned Baroque ensembles, joins forces with legendary founder and artistic director William Christie for a landmark release: the first complete recording of Andre Campra's Requiem, paired with his profoundly moving Miserere. These works, filled with clarity, grace, and emotional power, offer a deeply personal and spiritual listening experience. Campra's music speaks straight to the soul, with harmonies that are subtle, expressive, and timeless. Performed on period instruments at original French pitch and shaped by authentic ensemble forces, this recording is a masterclass in historically informed performance, true to Campra's era, and brought vividly to life by musicians at the top of their craft. With it's unmistakably rich and nuanced sound, Les Arts Florissants infuses every phrase with the elegance of French musical heritage, even in Latin texts shaped by the unique French pronunciation of the time. This is more than a recording, it's a rediscovery of one of sacred music's most refined voices. Though Campra's genius has long been underappreciated, this release brings his spiritual artistry to the forefront for a new generation. A powerful listening experience and a milestone debut for Les Arts Florissants and William Christie on PENTATONE, this album is an essential addition to any collection of great sacred choral works.

A rising star and beloved worldwide, Chloe Chua presents with PENTATONE the vinyl edition of Mozart's complete violin concertos, Rondo in B-Flat Major, K. 269 and Rondo in C Major, K. 373 as well as the Sinfonia Concertante for Violin, Viola & Orchestra in E-Flat Major, K. 364. The latter also features the outstanding young Chinese violist Ziyu He, winner of the 2016 Yehudi Menuhin Competition at just 16. In this performance, he showcases his remarkable artistry alongside Chloe, herself a former winner of the same prestigious competition. The soloists are joined by the Singapore Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Hans Graf, whose connection with the violin virtuoso holds special significance. This project began when Chloe was just 15 years old, when she embraced the challenge of following in the footsteps of the many legendary violinists who have recorded this repertoire. In these refined and fresh interpretations, her deep connection to the music - written by Mozart when he was around her age - is unmistakable. Even without a trained ear, one can appreciate her extraordinary technique, elegance, and effort to capture the vitality of these beloved works. This special vinyl edition complements Chloe's already released and acclaimed Butterfly Lovers & Paganini (2025) and Vivaldi: Four Seasons & Locatelli Harmonic Labyrinth (2024). This release is also available as a physical 3CD album.

In this captivating album, pianist Saskia Giorgini explores the porous boundaries between chamber music and concerto, weaving a nuanced narrative that connects Mozart's lyrical elegance with Shostakovich's biting wit. Mozart's Piano Concerto in A Major, KV 414, originally conceived for both orchestra and string quartet, reveals it's intimate side in this chamber setting-it's melodic grace and quiet complexity enriched by subtle interplay. In contrast, Shostakovich's Concerto No. 1 for Piano, Trumpet, and Strings bursts with irony and theatrical flair, shifting from parody to poignancy in a flash. The album closes with Shostakovich's Piano Sonata No. 2, a work of stark introspection and formal ingenuity. Written in 1943 and dedicated to his late teacher Leonid Nikolayev, the Sonata carries a subtle, tragic undercurrent as it moves between baroque clarity, melancholic lyricism, and quietly defiant modernism-offering a deeply personal counterpoint to the extroverted brilliance of the concerto. Together, these works trace a lineage of innovation, where form, function, and emotion collide-delivering music that is as emotionally compelling as it is stylistically daring. A pianist of exceptional depth and imagination, Saskia Giorgini, brings her signature refinement to every phrase. Her acclaimed discography with PENTATONE includes Liszt's Harmonies poetiques et religieuses (Diapason d'or, 2021) and Consolations (Gramophone Critics' Choice 2023), both hailed for their poetic insight and technical brilliance. She has also collaborated with tenor Ian Bostridge on celebrated recordings of Schubert's Die schone Mullerin (2020), Respighi Songs (2021), and Twilight Schumann Songs (2025). This release also marks the PENTATONE debut of trumpeter Per Ivarsson, while the Trondheim Soloists return to the label following two previous recordings: Transfigured Night - Haydn/Schoenberg (2018) with Alisa Weilerstein, and Haydn & Stamitz (2020) with Ana de la Vega and Ramon Ortega Quero. With this new album, Giorgini once again confirms her status as one of today's most compelling and versatile pianists.

Francesco Piemontesi, conductor Manfred Honeck, and the Gewandhausorchester Leipzig come together in a new recording of Brahms' Piano Concerto No. 2. This concerto transcends the traditional form, blending symphonic grandeur with virtuosic brilliance and moments of intimate chamber-like dialogue between piano and orchestra. Piemontesi's sensitive playing and Honeck's precise, passionate leadership create a richly detailed and moving interpretation of one of Brahms's greatest masterpieces. Alongside the concerto are Brahms' Three Intermezzi, Op. 117 - quiet, reflective pieces that offer a window into the composer's most personal thoughts. Francesco Piemontesi, one of today's most-cherished pianists, presents the fifth release in his exclusive collaboration with PENTATONE, following the widely praised Schubert - Last Piano Sonatas (2019), Bach Nostalghia (2021), Schoenberg, Messiaen & Ravel (2022), and Liszt Transcendental Etudes & Piano Sonata (2023).

Pierre-Laurent Aimard, one of today's most visionary pianists, presents the second book of Johann Sebastian Bach's Well-Tempered Clavier, a cornerstone of the piano repertoire. Following his acclaimed interpretation of Book I (released on Deutsche Grammophon in 2014), Aimard brings his signature clarity, insight, and depth to this second collection of 24 Preludes and Fugues, exploring Bach's extraordinary harmonic and contrapuntal imagination. With a lifelong dedication to both early and contemporary music, Aimard approaches the Well-Tempered Clavier, Book II not merely as a historical masterpiece but as a vibrant and endlessly inventive work. His performance highlights Bach's ability to blend expressive lyricism with intellectual rigor, creating a deeply engaging and illuminating listening experience. A renowned champion of twentieth-century music, Pierre-Laurent Aimard has released multiple acclaimed albums in his exclusive contract with PENTATONE, including Messiaen's Catalogue d'Oiseaux (2018) and Visions de l'Amen (2022), along with Beethoven's Hammerklavier Sonata & Eroica Variations (2021). He also joined Tamara Stefanovich in Etudes and Frames (2023), with music by Vassos Nicolaou, recorded Bartok's Piano Concertos with the San Francisco Symphony and Esa-Pekka Salonen (2023), Schubert: Landler (2024), and Kurtag: Jatekok (2025).

Dear to Us, the debut album by violinist sisters Hina & Fiona, captures the rare and radiant bond between two rising stars of the classical music world. Born in New York to French-Vietnamese and Japanese parents, these gifted sisters have already achieved remarkable milestones individually: Hina recently won first prize at the 2023 Elmar Oliveira International Violin Competition, while Fiona debuted with the New York Philharmonic at 16, and respectively embark on illustrious solo careers. Together, their playing reveals a profound connection shaped by lifelong collaboration, honest artistic dialogue, and complementary interpretations. Accompanied by the distinguished pianist Rohan de Silva, they present a thoughtfully curated program that balances beloved classics with lesser-known treasures, showcasing works by Halvorsen, Moszkowski, Ysaye, Rozsa, and contemporary composer Anna Clyne. From the fiery virtuosity of Ravel's Tzigane and Sarasate's Navarra to the tender warmth of Ponce's Estrellita, Dear to Us is a compelling journey through technical brilliance and heartfelt expression. The sisters' extraordinary synchronicity, paired with their distinctive voices, creates a musical experience both intimate and exhilarating.

Daniel Ottensamer presents Brahms' two legendary clarinet sonatas, reworked for clarinet and orchestra by Stephan Koncz, who also conducts the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin on this recording. Koncz' orchestrations bring these masterful pieces out of the limited space of chamber music, presenting them in a new symphonic light. The idea to create this very personal album has accompanied them both since their student days, and now the time to turn this vision into reality has finally come. Brahms' well-known works are accompanied by a hidden gem, Walter Rabl's clarinet quartet, which won first prize in a prestigious competition, of which Brahms himself served as the head of jury. Pianist Christoph Traxler and Berlin Philharmonic's first concertmaster Noah Bendix-Balgley join Ottensamer in this performance, while Koncz exchanges his baton for the cello. Combining Brahms and Rabl gives the listener a fascinating view on the rich musical landscape of late nineteenth-century Vienna. Daniel Ottensamer has been hailed as one of the prominent clarinettists of today and is enjoying a multi-faceted career as soloist, chamber musician and principal clarinettist of the Vienna Philharmonic. Stephan Koncz is a cellist of the Berlin Philharmonic, and divides his time between composing/arranging, conducting, and various chamber music groups, often together with Ottensamer, pianist Traxler, violinist Bendix-Balgley and their Vienna Berlin Music Club - namely "Philharmonix". The Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin (DSO) emanates into the world from renowned Berliner Philharmonie, while remaining societally relevant at all times, close to people and keeping pace with the times. All performers make their PENTATONE debut.

On Future Horizons, Francois Leleux, one of the most distinguished oboists of our time, presents a collection of works for oboe by renowned living composers Nicolas Bacri, Michael Jarrell, and Thierry Escaich, expanding the instrument's repertoire to new artistic possibilities. The album's title, Future Horizons, explores new musical frontiers, reflecting Leleux's commitment to pushing the boundaries of classical music through contemporary works. In Bacri's Notturno, Leleux takes on the role of both soloist and conductor, leading the Frankfurt Radio Symphony. In Jarrell's Aquateinte and Escaich' Double Concerto for Oboe, Violin & Orchestra, in which we can also hear Lisa Batiashvili, recognised for her incredible virtuosity, the orchestra joins him under the baton of Andres Orozco-Estrada. Each work on this album is a world premiere recording, with all the pieces written especially for these artists. Andres Orozco-Estrada, together with Frankfurt Radio Symphony, has a wide discography on PENTATONE, while Francois Leleux and Lisa Batiashvili make their label debut.