PENTATONE
384 products
Nature
Mozart: Violin Concertos
Italian Perspectives
Elgar & Tchaikovsky (stereo re-issue)
Dvorak: Slavonic Dances
Berlioz: Le carnaval romain & Symphonie fantastique
Indomita (Bellini, Donizetti & Verdi)
Ginastera: String Quartets
Milestones
Somnia
Dreamcatcher / James McVinnie
Organist and pianist James McVinnie makes his PENTATONE debut with Dreamcatcher, an intimate sequence of contemporary classical music centred around the act of imagining. The recording features the organ of St Albans Cathedral—an epoch-making instrument closely associated with legendary organists Peter Hurford and Ralph Downes. The piano segments of the album were recorded on a Steinway D of exceptional beauty at Studio Richter Mahr, co-founded by composer Max Richter and visual artist Yulia Mahr. A mesmerising sonic trip, Dreamcatcher reflects the unique artistic persona of McVinnie, whose mastery of core organ repertoire extends to an extensive body of work written for him by leading contemporary classical composers, as well as collaborations in the world of electronic and experimental music. The album features works by Nico Muhly, Meredith Monk, Laurie Spiegel, John Adams, inti figgis-vizeuta, Gabriella Smith, Giles Swayne, Bryce Dessner & Marcos Balter. The album's title is taken from Marcos Balter’s work of the same name, written in response to the child separation crisis at the US-Mexico border in 2018—“dreamers” being the name given to children separated from their families by the Trump administration’s immigration policy. This record also presents the first ever recording of Giles Swayne's Riff-raff made on the St Albans organ for which the work was written in 1983—McVinnie’s rendition embodying a perfect synergy between the piece’s minimalist roots and the modernist tonal philosophy of this instrument. Through his boundless approach to music making, innovative programming and captivating musicianship, James McVinnie has carved out a unique career as an organist and keyboard player. “McVinnie's Dreamcatcher is a smartly curated album, where a thoughtful artist challenges us — with extraordinary results — to think of the pipe organ as an instrument of our time.” – Tom Huizenga, NPR All Things Considered
The Voice of the Beloved
Tales of song & sadness / Reuss, Orchestra of the Eighteenth Century
"Tales of Song of Sadness" is a double tribute from the Orchestra of the Eighteenth Century and Cappella Amsterdam, commemorating the demise of Frans Brüggen and Louis Andriessen, two giants of Dutch music culture. The album also documents the unique entanglement of early and contemporary music pioneers in post-war Netherlands, whose influence stretched far beyond national borders. The centerpiece of this program is Andriessen’s May, commissioned by the musicians of the orchestra to commemorate the death of Brüggen, eventually turning out to be that composer’s swan song as well. It is flanked by other Andriessen works for choir, orchestra, and recorder, respectively, as well as excursions into early music by Josquin des Prez, Thomas Preston, Jacob van Eyck, and Jean-Philippe Rameau.
Cappella Amsterdam and Daniel Reuss have released In Umbra Mortis (Rihm & de Wert, 2021, awarded an Edison Klassiek Award), David Lang’s The Writings (2022), and Schnittke’s Psalms of Repentance (2023) on PENTATONE. This is the first time that recordings of the Orchestra of the Eighteenth Century, Sour Cream, and Frans Brüggen appear on PENTATONE.
Golden Age
Vienna Mandolin Stories
Mahler: Symphony No. 3 / Bychkov, Czech Philharmonic
The Czech Philharmonic and its Chief Conductor and Music Director Semyon Bychkov continue their acclaimed Mahler cycle with the composer's Third Symphony, working together with mezzo-soprano Catriona Morison, the Prague Philharmonic Choir and Pueri Gaudentes. In this monumental work, Mahler combines a text from Nietzsche's Also sprach Zarathustra with the folk song inspirations of Des Knaben Wunderhorn, culminating in eternal bliss in the closing Adagio. To Bychkov, this longest Mahler symphony offers his "least hysterical" music, and hearing it for the first time as a 10-year-old choirboy kindled his life-long fascination and love for this composer. With this recording, it comes full circle.
The Czech Philharmonic - recently awarded Gramophone's Orchestra of the Year Award - is one of the world's orchestral gems, recognized for its rich tradition with the Czech masters as well as European repertoire. Together with their Chief Conductor and Music Director Semyon Bychkov, they have so far recorded for PENTATONE Mahler's First, Second, Fourth and Fifth Symphonies (2022-2023), part of the complete Mahler cycle to be released by the label, as well as Smetana's Ma vlast and Dvorak's Seventh, Eighth and Ninth Symphonies (2024). The Orchestra is also featured on the albums Folk Songs (2023) and Czech Songs (2024) recorded by Magdalena Ko�ena and Sir Simon Rattle, as well as Dvorak Legends & Rhapsodies with Tomas Netopil.
Piccinni: Son regina e sono amante
Boulez: Livre pour Quatuor / Quatuor Diotima
Organised Delirium
Chausson & Barbara: Le temps des lilas
Grace - The Music of Michael Tilson Thomas (Luxury boxset)
Schumann: Diaries (2 LP Re-Issue)
Schubert: Complete Symphonies
Mendelssohn & Tchaikovsky: Violin Concertos / Steinbacher, Dutoit, Suisse Romande Orchestra
Nine years after its initial release, Arabella Steinbacher’s acclaimed interpretation of two of the greatest concertos ever written for the violin is presented in an attractively priced Stereo re-issue. Steinbacher joins forces with the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande under the baton of Charles Dutoit, one of the most eminent conductors of our age. Both the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande and Arabella Steinbacher, a multiple award-winner, have an extensive Pentatone discography spanning more than a decade.
