This Pentatone combines two of its best-selling recordings, Franz Schubert: Complete Works for Violin and Piano Volume one and two into a collector’s edition, double Super Audio-CD set. The recordings by these two brilliant German artists, Julia Fischer and Martin Helmchen — which were originally launched in in 2009 (Vol. 1) and 2010 (Vol. 2) — were remarkably successful from both a critical and a commercial standpoint. The release uniquely features Fischer as a pianist in the four-hand piece, Fantasia for Piano Duet D. 940.

Premier si�cle; One Century of Music celebrates the centenary of the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande. The boxset contains a collection of rare radio recordings that have never been released before, spanning French, German, Russian and twentieth-century repertoire. A unique asset of Premier si�cle is the 1943 recording of the musical legend Les Armaillis (1906) by Swiss composer Gustave Doret. The album showcases the rich history and musical development of the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande and contain performances by all it's musical directors, from founding father Ernest Ansermet until current musical director Jonathan Nott, including all their intermediate colleagues: Paul Kletzki, Wolfgang Sawallisch, Horst Stein, Armin Jordan, Fabio Luisi, Pinchas Steinberg, Marek Janowski and Neeme J�rvi. The release comes with a voluminous, full-color booklet with texts on the orchestra's history and the repertoire presented in English, French and German as well as unique photos and archival materials.

Vibrant, striking colors, sensuous harmonies and coruscating wit abound in this irresistible collection played by the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande under the baton of the young rising star Kazuki Yamada. Hailed by Gramophone magazine as a "gifted, budding maestro" with "interpretative nous, strength of personality and scrupulous attention to detail", this is Yamada's four outing for Pentatone following his three critically acclaimed releases of dance music.

From the moment they were performed, Gioachino Rossini’s overtures have enjoyed the status of colorful, elegant orchestral showpieces. With their sweet cantilene, their rich harmonies, their brilliant orchestration, and their powerful and exciting rhythmic drive, these overtures encapsulate all that was modern, exhilarating and electrifying in Rossini’s music, yet maintain their freshness and attraction to modern audiences. This album features a collection of Rossini overtures, taken from less well-known operas such as La Scala di seta, Tancredi, La gazza ladra, Matilde di Shabran and Semiramide, as well as from the classic comic operas L’italiana in Algeri and Il barbiere di Siviglia, concluding with the preludes to Rossini’s French operas Le siege de Corinthe and Guillaume Tell, in which the composer explored musical Romanticism. The overtures are performed by the Orchestra del Teatro Comunale di Bologna, which has played a seminal role in the Rossini renaissance of the last three decades. The orchestra is led by its Musical Director Michele Mariotti. Being born in Rossini’s native town Pesaro, Mariotti cherishes a life-long affinity with the city’s most famous son, and is commonly considered as one of the outstanding Rossini conductors of his age. He frequently works with the world’s most prestigious opera houses.

Considered to be the highest triumph of instrumental composition in his own day, Mozart’s final symphonies continue to sweep audiences away. From the famous G-minor opening movement of the 40th symphony that cuts straight to the chase to the unprecedented complexity of the 41st symphony’s majestic finale, Mozart displays his vivid melodic invention as well as the maturity of his “old” musical soul. Even if his untimely death came unexpectedly, these two symphonies fill the listener with a sense of culmination, and may be seen as a sublime conclusion of both Mozart’s musical development and of the eighteenth-century symphony in general. These extraordinary works are performed here by the NDR Radiophilharmonie and Andrew Manze, and will be followed by a recording of Mozart’s 38th and 39th symphonies. With their first Mozart album, conductor and orchestra extend their successful Pentatone discography that already contains the complete symphonies of Mendelssohn, crowned with a 2017 Jahrespreis der deutschen Schallplattenkritik.

Residing somewhere between symphony and song cycle, 'Das Lied' is one of Mahler's most profound and loved works, marking an important step in the composer's career, as well as in his private life. Jurowski approaches the piece as Mahler's deliberate move from a 'heroic' Beethovenian model towards a more 'lyrical', Schubertian attitude. Throughout 'Das Lied', and particularly in the contemplative last movement, 'Der Abschied' ('The Goodbye'), Mahler seems to come to terms with the mortality of man while celebrating the immortal nature of life.



REVIEW:

Many fine points emerge in the score, but this is due to a relaxed mood and space for details rather than to any attempt to be microscopic about the work. There's much more to be said about Jurowski, and much to be said in favor of tenor Robert Dean Smith, who confidently takes on the borderline singable first movement. The best of all here is Sarah Connolly's run in the epic "Der Abschied," which in its deliberate long line both fits well with Jurowski's overall concept and is just sensuously, tragically gorgeous on its own, likely destined to become one of the highlights of her later career. PentaTone's superbly clear live sound seals the deal on a very fine Das Lied von der Erde.

– AllMuscGuide.com (James Manheim)

The monumental and colorful sounds of the organ and symphony orchestra blend together perfectly on this splendid recording of Saint-Saëns’s “Organ” Symphony, Poulenc’s Concerto for Organ, Strings and Timpani and the Toccata from Charles-Marie Widor’s Organ Symphony No. 5. The majestic organ chords at the start of the final movement of Saint-Saëns’s symphony equal the sublime effect of Beethoven’s choral conclusion of his Ninth, and have made it an audience’s favourite straight from the moment of its 1886 premiere. Poulenc’s organ concerto shows the composer’s retrospective side, while simultaneously offering flashes of his stylistic playfulness. After Poulenc’s serene concerto, Widor’s Toccata offers a vibrant conclusion to this programme. The Geneva Victoria Hall organ is played by Christopher Jacobson, who has already released a solo album with performances on the Aeolian Organ at Duke University Chapel, as well as a recording of Tyberg Masses with the South Dakota Chorale on PENTATONE. On this album, he works with the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande and conductor Kazuki Yamada, who have a vast PENTATONE discography.

With sensuous melodies and elegant virtuosity, Mozart’s Flute Concertos in G major (K. 313) and D major (K. 314) are the most cherished pieces composed for the instrument. Here they are brought together with the recently rediscovered Flute Concerto in D major by Josef Myslivecek, Mozart’s esteemed Bohemian contemporary. Released together with the Mozart Concertos, this rare, exciting work is finally on the market again. The soloist is none other than the actual person who rediscovered Myslivecek’s hidden treasure: flautist Ana de la Vega, who, as a successor of the great French school of Flute playing, possesses that captivating full tone coupled with exquisite legerity. On this Pentatone release, she teams up with the English Chamber Orchestra, arguably the most celebrated Mozart orchestra in the world. Ana is also founder and artistic director of the London International Players, a dynamic London ensemble which brings together the finest musicians of her generation.

Oregon Symphony and Carlos Kalmar continue their acclaimed Aspects of America series with this second instalment, featuring three symphonic works that were all awarded a Pulitzer Prize. Walter Piston’s Symphony No. 7 (Pulitzer Prize 1961) is a pastoral and jubilant glorification of nature, while Morton Gould’s Stringmusic (Pulitzer Prize 1995) was composed for star cellist Rostropovich, and showcases all possible sounds and colors of the string orchestra. In his Symphony No. 4 “Requiem” (Pulitzer Prize 1944), Howard Hanson explores the mysteries of life and death in an American musical idiom that simultaneously reveals the composer’s Nordic roots. Oregon Symphony and its music director Carlos Kalmar have a vast PENTATONE discography, including Music for a Time of War (2011), This England (2012), Spirit of the American Range (2015), Haydn Symphonies 53, 64 & 96 (2017), Aspects of America (2018), as well as Gospel Christmas (2018), with conductor Charles Floyd.



REVIEW:

For admirers of 20th-century American symphonic music, this is a particularly attractive package. All are written in the kind of broad and expansive idiom that represents American composition at its finest. The performances here are both committed and forensic in their attention to detail. The sound (while not Pentatone’s superb surround idiom) nevertheless does full service to the music.

– Classical CD Choice (Barry Forshaw)

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

PENTATONE releases Gordon Getty's fourth opera, Goodbye, Mr. Chips, in a new studio recording featuring Nathan Granner, Melody Moore, Lester Lynch, and Kevin Short, as well as the San Francisco Boys Choir and Barbary Coast Orchestra, under the baton of Dennis Doubin. Based on the popular 1934 novella Goodbye, Mr. Chips and other stories by James Hilton, Goodbye, Mr. Chips tells the heart-warming story of a teacher at Brookfield, an all-boys English boarding school to which "Chips" dedicates most of his adult life. The opera chronicles Chips' story of love, loss and learning over his decades-long tenure at Brookfield. Along the way, we're reminded of the difference one good teacher can make as we watch Chips and his children, "thousands of them, and all boys," enrich each other's lives. Writing both the music and libretto of his opera, Getty has shaped Hilton's cherished story into a memory play, in which the protagonist looks back on important episodes of his life. The score encapsulates the intimacy of the plot and the nuances of it's characters. Just like Chips, Getty treats each personality with a profound understanding of-and love for-the human spirit, with all it's strengths and flaws. After decades of fascination with the character and story of Mr. Chips, the completion of this opera is the realization of a long-held dream. Gordon Getty is a PENTATONE artist with a vast discography. Goodbye, Mr. Chips is his fourth opera recording on the label, after Plump Jack (2012), Usher House (2013) and The Canterville Ghost (2015). Melody Moore, Nathan Granner, Lester Lynch and Kevin Short have featured on many PENTATONE recordings. Conductor Dennis Doubin and the San Francisco Boys Chorus make their label debut.

SYMPHONY NO. 40: SYMPHONY NO.

Immerse yourself in the enchanting world of Tiffany Poon, "classical pianist of the new generation", with this deluxe vinyl edition of her PENTATONE debut album Diaries: Schumann. Through her vivid interpretation of Robert Schumann's masterpieces, Tiffany invites us on a journey through her musical diary. This album topped the Billboard Traditional Classical Albums charts in the first weeks of it's release. With a selection ranging from the introspective Kinderszenen to the passionate Davidsbundlertanze, she creates a tapestry that reflects the different aspects of her life and her personal growth. With this album, Tiffany invites listeners to connect with themselves and be vulnerable and imaginative, like Schumann's Eusebius and Florestan. This album also encourages daydreaming in open spaces, "feeling all the feels", without any judgement. Experience the brilliance of this rising star as she shares her innermost thoughts and musical prowess through the captivating melodies of Schumann. This special vinyl product contains a 12" booklet with exclusive photo content of Tiffany. Born in Hong Kong, Tiffany Poon has appeared with orchestras and in recital throughout the United States, Canada, Europe, Australia and China since she was first accepted to the Juilliard pre-college program at the age of eight. She made her PENTATONE debut in 2024 with Diaries.

The acclaimed Schubert symphonies recordings by B'Rock Orchestra and Rene Jacobs now appear in a complete boxset. Finally recording Schubert offered Jacobs the opportunity to return to his first great musical love. His interpretation is rooted in profound research into early nineteenth-century developments and ideas, as well as a thorough exploration of Schubert's music and persona. Jacobs perceives this cycle as a series of multiple contrasting tandems of symphonies, oscillating between Italianate lightness and darker currents of Romanticism, between elegant forms and expansive endeavours, all in line with Schubert's dynamic, multi-faceted personality. Schubert's symphonies never acquired the paradigmatic status of his contemporary Beethoven, but with these recordings, Jacobs makes a compelling case to value and understand them on their own terms. He performs these works together with B'Rock Orchestra, one of the most adventurous period instrument ensembles of our times, with whom he has built up a congenial working relationship. In addition to his Schubert symphonies, multi-award-winning conductor Rene Jacobs released Haydn's Stabat Mater (2023) on PENTATONE, together with the Kammerorchester Basel and Zurcher Sing-Akademie. B'Rock Orchestra returned to the label with Antwerp Requiem (2022) and Handel: Water & Fire (2023).

Mari Kodama celebrates the Bruckner bicentenary year with a collection of piano works, most of which are rarely heard. While some of them, such as the Fantasie, Erinnerung and Stille Betrachtung, reveal the serious symphonist and church composer, the many dances included on this album illuminate a lighter side of the composer. In general, hearing his approach to the piano enriches our understanding of this enigmatic genius. As much of the material was taken from study sketch books, these pieces allow us a look into the workshop of this ever-searching spirit. To Kodama, the Bruckner that appears from his works is in many ways more interesting than the various, cliche-ridden accounts of his life and character. Instead, Kodama aims to paint a nuanced Bruckner portrait, gaining in depth thanks to the original selection and perspective. Mari Kodama is one of the most extraordinary pianists of our age, and has an impressive Pentatone discography, featuring Beethoven's complete piano sonatas (2003-2014), piano concertos of Loewe and Chopin (2003), Tchaikovsky Ballet Suites for Piano Duo (2016), de Falla's Nights in the Gardens of Spain (2017), Martinu's Concerto for Two Pianos (2018), Kaleidoscope, Beethoven Transcriptions and MON AMI Mon amour (both 2020), New Paths (2022) and Mozart & Poulenc Double Concertos (2024).