Sept. 11: Pianist Lucas Debargue Releases Gershwin Variations New Album on Sony Classical – New Singles Out Today
Sept. 11: Pianist Lucas Debargue Releases Gershwin Variations New Album on Sony Classical – New Singles Out Today
Pianist Lucas Debargue Releases New Album on Sony Classical Gershwin Variations
New Singles Out Today:
Rhapsody in Blue – Molto moderato
But Not For Me, in F – Prelude
Listen Here
Worldwide Album Release Date: September 11, 2026
Pre-Order Available Now
In Concert at Ladies Morning Musical Club in Montreal on October 25, 2026
In Concert at Lincoln Center in New York City on October 29, 2026
Lucas Debargue presents Gershwin Variations, an ambitious tribute to George Gershwin in two parts: One recorded with the Orchestre de Paris conducted by Elim Chan, the other devoted to the pianist's original creations inspired by Gershwin's songs.
Internationally acclaimed pianist Lucas Debargue's Gershwin Variations stand as an ambitious and unprecedented project, born from the desire to explore a radically different universe after recording Scarlatti sonatas and the complete solo piano works of Fauré. This double album – to be released September 11, 2026 on Sony Classical and for which pre-order is available now – is an ode to George Gershwin, an unclassifiable composer standing at the crossroads of classical music and jazz, whose singularity inspired Lucas to create a work equally impossible to categorize.
The album is divided into two parts, both equally grandiose and virtuosic… yet each with its own distinct identity.
The first part, recorded at the Philharmonie de Paris on Stephen Paulello’s unique SP/287 piano, features some of Gershwin’s most iconic works, including the Concerto in F with the Orchestre de Paris conducted by Elim Chan, the Three Preludes for Piano, and a highly personal version of Rhapsody in Blue, enriched with the pianist’s own cadenzas.
The second part, recorded at the Paulello Studio, is entirely devoted to twelve virtuosic études composed by Lucas from Gershwin’s most popular songs, spanning all chromatic keys. This cycle represents the most ambitious creation of his career as a pianist to date, affirming a deep commitment to freedom and invention, while placing itself in the tradition of the great composers who wrote their own études.
The Gershwin Variations is neither a classical album nor a jazz album, but a hybrid work reflecting the anticonformist spirit and the American dream embodied by Gershwin. Lucas offers a bold and poetic reinterpretation in which counterpoint, shifting harmonies, and unconventional rhythms reveal the richness of Gershwin’s melodies. He invites listeners to rediscover a repertoire where popularity is never synonymous with triviality, and where music becomes a space for freedom, daring, and vitality.
Lucas Debargue says: “I wanted to create an album that captures the spirit of constant transformation that breathes life into music in general—and into Gershwin’s music in particular. It features moments of spontaneous improvisation, original compositions, and interpretive choices that leave no trace in the original scores. That is why I decided to title it Gershwin Variations.”
TRACKLIST
CD 1
Rhapsody in Blue, 3 Preludes, Concerto in F
Lucas Debargue – piano
Orchestre de Paris, Orchestra
Elim Chan – conductor
George Gershwin (1898-1937)
1. Prelude I - Allegro ben ritmato e deciso
2. Piano Concerto in F - I. Allegro
3. Piano Concerto in F - II. Adagio – Andante con moto
4. Piano Concerto in F - III. Allegro agitato
5. Prelude II - Allegro ben ritmato e deciso
6. Rhapsody in blue - Molto moderato (Cadenzas: Lucas Debargue)
7. Rhapsody in blue - Meno mosso e poco scherzando (Cadenzas: Lucas Debargue)
8. Rhapsody in blue - Andantino moderato (Cadenzas: Lucas Debargue)
9. Rhapsody in blue -- Agitato e misterioso (Cadenzas: Lucas Debargue)
10. Prelude III - Allegro ben ritmato e deciso
[Total Time: 55:02]
CD 2
12 Virtuoso Etudes on Gershwin Songs
Lucas Debargue, piano
Lucas Debargue
1. Embraceable You - Rumba, in E
2. Fascinating Rhythm - Valse, in A
3. Someone To Watch Over Me, in D - Pavane
4. Someone To Watch Over Me, in D - Gaillarde
5. It Ain’t Necessarily So, in G - Fantaisie
6. It Ain’t Necessarily So, in G - Chaconne
7. It Ain’t Necessarily So, in G - Fugue
8. Liza - Gavotte § Double, in C
9. But Not For Me, in F – Prelude
10. But Not For Me, in F – Perpetuum Mobile ****
11. I Want To Stay Here (I love you Porgy) Adagio Dekadent, in B-flat
12. The Man I Love - Mirage, in E-flat
13. They Can’t Take That Away From Me - Romance, in A-flat
14. I Got Rhythm (I Really Got Rhythm !) - Boom Bap, in D-flat - Part I
15. I Got Rhythm (I Really Got Rhythm !) - Boom Bap, in D-flat - Part II
16. I Got Rhythm (I Really Got Rhythm !) - Boom Bap, in D-flat - Part III
17. Lady Be Good - Berceuse, in F-sharp
Summertime - 20 Concert Variations & Finale, on a Theme of George Gershwin, in B
18. Summertime - Introduction
19. Summertime - Thème
20. Summertime - Variation 1: Tempestoso
21. Summertime - Variation 2: Tango
22. Summertime - Variation 3: Scherzino
23. Summertime - Variation 4: Polonaise
24. Summertime - Variation 5: Féroce
25. Summertime - Variation 6: Scintillante
26. Summertime - Variation 7: Nocturne
27. Summertime - Variation 8: Marcia Funèbre
28. Summertime - Variation 9: Sicilienne
29. Summertime - Variation 10: Intermezzo
30. Summertime - Variation 11: Reggae
31. Summertime - Variation 12: Con Fuoco
32. Summertime - Variation 13: Caccia
33. Summertime - Variation 14: Choral
34. Summertime - Variation 15: Toccatina
35. Summertime - Variation 16: Bossa Nova
36. Summertime - Variation 17: Largo Recitativo
37. Summertime - Variation 18: Teneramente
38. Summertime - Variation 19: Fugue
39. Summertime - Variation 20: Tarentelle
40. Summertime – Finale: Alla Marcia
[Total Time: 55:29]
ABOUT LUCAS DEBARGUE
July 17: Sony Classical Releases 2026 Summer Night Concert with The Vienna Philharmonic and Bass-Baritone Sir Bryn Terfel – Conducted by Lorenzo Viotti
July 17: Sony Classical Releases 2026 Summer Night Concert with The Vienna Philharmonic and Bass-Baritone Sir Bryn Terfel – Conducted by Lorenzo Viotti
Sony Classical Releases The 2026 Summer Night Concert
with The Vienna Philharmonic, Conducted by Lorenzo Viotti
Bass-Baritone Sir Bryn Terfel
New Single Out Now
Tchaikovsky: Trepak from The Nutcracker
Listen Here
Album Release Dates:
Digital - July 17, 2026
CD - July 17, 2026
DVD and Blu-Ray - July 17, 2026
Sony Classical and the Vienna Philharmonic are for the very first time, offering innovative music products on the occasion of the successful 2026 Summer Night Concert from the grounds of Vienna’s Schönbrunn Palace.
The Vienna Philharmonic’s 2026 Summer Night Concert will be released by Sony Classical on July 17, 2026 on CD, DVD, Blu-ray and digital. New single,Trepak from The Nutcracker by Tchaikovsky, is out now - listen here
The 2026 Summer Night Concert was held on June 19, 2026 before an audience of 50,000 enthusiastic fans. This open-air concert by the Vienna Philharmonic has been held annually since 2008 and, as always, the grounds of the UNESCO World Heritage Site at Schönbrunn Palace have provided a magical backdrop.
This concert was also the first occasion on which the Vienna Philharmonic and Sony Classical presented a range of innovative music products with an NFC chip as part of their joint partnership deal. These products were sold on site by Michaela Pretul and Andreas Poglitsch from the Viennese specialist music firm of Major Babies Entertainment. The products in question are valuable caps in nine different colors and a scarf embroidered with the venerable orchestra’s logo linked via an NFC chip to a digital musical experience. If a smartphone is held next to the chip, a limited-access web application will open, allowing users to stream and download concert highlights from the last few years as well as find out more about the evening’s program and test their knowledge of the Summer Night Concert by means of a quiz. As soon as the recording of the concert has been mixed, this too will be available to be streamed and downloaded. The latest information about the Vienna Philharmonic is also available on this app.
The President of Sony Classical, Per Hauber, has said in a statement: “Together with the Vienna Philharmonic we have developed a product format that allows audiences to experience classical music in the most up-to-date ways outside the formal setting of a concert hall. This combination of innovation and a living tradition is very special. It also reflects the spirit not only of the Summer Night Concert but also of the Vienna Philharmonic and Sony Classical. We are immensely grateful to the Vienna Philharmonic and to the organizers of the Summer Night Concert for their inspirational partnership and for the opportunity to develop a product like this one.”
Daniel Froschauer, the Chairman of the orchestra’s board of directors, adds: “For the Vienna Philharmonic, it is of central importance that we keep our finger on the pulse of the times and continue to present our musical tradition in new and exciting ways. Thanks to these innovative products and ideas Sony Classical is supporting us in our desire to inspire our audiences all over again.”
Held at the height of the summer in a uniquely memorable atmosphere, the 2026 Summer Night Concert was conducted for the first time in its history by Lorenzo Viotti and witnessed the Vienna Philharmonic presenting a varied program full of musical highlights that included gripping scenes from Arrigo Boito’s Mefistofele, Verdi’s Falstaff and Wagner’s Das Rheingold. The evening’s soloist was Welsh bass-baritone Sir Bryn Terfel, who added a very special note of his own with Tevye’s “If I Were A Rich Man” from Jerry Bock’s phenomenally successful musical Fiddler on the Roof. A further high point was undoubtedly the appearance of the Vienna State Ballet in the Second Suite from Ravel’s Daphnis et Chloé. The Vienna Philharmonic’s Summer Night Concert is one of the world’s most important classical music events and is broadcast on the radio, on television and online. Millions of viewers from over eighty countries have been able to follow the concert online, on television and on the radio.
Oct. 9: Violinist Esther Abrami Releases Amour on Sony Classical – New Album Presents Her First Large-Scale Composition
Oct. 9: Violinist Esther Abrami Releases Amour on Sony Classical – New Album Presents Her First Large-Scale Composition
Acclaimed Violinist Esther Abrami
Releases New Album Amour on Sony Classical
Album Marks Major Artistic Milestone For Abrami
Who Presents Her First Own Large-Scale Composition
New Single by Zdeněk Fibich Out Now
Moods, Impressions and Souvenirs
Op. 41/H 311, Book 4, No. 14: Lento
Listen Here | Watch the Music Video Here
Worldwide Album Release Date: October 9, 2026
Pre-Order Available Now
Celebrated violinist and social media sensation Esther Abrami announces the release of her new albumAmour on October 9, 2026 on Sony Classical. The first single, out now, is a new version for solo violin and orchestra of the lento from Zdeněk Fibich’s piano work Moods, Impressions and Souvenirs, Op. 41, released to coincide with the pre-order, which is available now. Listen to the new single here and watch the accompanying music video here.
Marking a major artistic milestone, ‘Amour’ is the first album where Abrami presents an original own large-scale composition at its core: a self-written nine-part suite. Conceived as an intimate and deeply expressive exploration of love in all its forms, the work captures the full spectrum of emotions, from tenderness and passion to longing and heartbreak, and stands at the heart of a project that blends original music with newly reimagined works for violin and orchestra.
“With ‘Amour’, I wanted to explore love in all its forms – not just the joy and beauty, but also the vulnerability, the longing, the anger and the pain that often comes with it. Writing my own suite of nine movements allowed me to express a range of very personal emotions, while the other pieces on the album reflect how universal these feelings are across time and genres. Love is something that we all experience, for the best and the worst but at the end, that’s what connects us all. I hope this album resonates with anyone who listens to it”, says Esther Abrami.
Beyond the central suite, ‘Amour’ brings together a diverse selection of iconic classical works about love, each newly arranged for solo violin and orchestra. A particular highlight of the album is Nino Rota’s ‘Romeo and Juliet: Love Theme’, featuring the celebrated mezzo-soprano Marina Viotti. Viotti’s vocals add a captivating dimension to the piece as she engages in a duet with Esther’s violin. The programme further includes epic versions for violin and orchestra of Céline Dion’sAll by Myself’ and Georges Bizet’sCarmen: L’amour est un oiseau rebelle from Habanera. New arrangements of Francis Poulenc’sLes chemins de l’amour, Christoph Willibald Gluck’s Orfeo ed Euridice: Dance of the Blessed Spirits (Melodie), and the virtuosic intensity of Tomaso Antonio Vitali’s Chaconne in G minor add even more musical colours to this collection of works centred around love. The album also features a new version arranged by Esther Abrami of Charlie Chaplin’sDésillusion amoureuse from the movie “The Circus”, a poignant composition that reveals the legendary filmmaker’s deeply expressive musical voice.
Throughout her career, Esther Abrami has been known for her ability to connect classical music with a wide and diverse audience, bringing fresh perspectives to the repertoire. With ‘Amour’, she reaches a new artistic dimension, uniting her work as a composer with her unique voice as an interpreter, thus shaping a musical language that is unmistakably her own.
This new chapter in her career follows a period of exceptional success. Since the release of her album ‘Women’ in April 2025, Esther Abrami has become one of the most visible young artists in classical music. Especially in her home country, France, she has appeared on major television programmes, performing for millions of viewers and captivating audiences through a series of highly successful concerts. Her book ‘La musique est (aussi) une affaire de femmes’ has quickly become a genre bestseller and will be released in English and German in September under the title ‘Music is (also) a Women’s Affair’. In recognition of her artistic impact, she will receive an Opus Klassik Award 2026, the most important classical music prize in the German speaking world.
Amour features the City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of conductor Irene Delgado-Jiménez and will be available for streaming and digital download in stereo and the immersive format Dolby Atmos. The album will also be released as CD and a limited-edition 2x Ecorecord InkPlosion Colour LP – pre-order here.
Amour - Track List
1. Désillusion amoureuse (Charlie Chaplin)
2. – 10. Amour Suite (Esther Abrami)
11. Romeo and Juliet: Love Theme (Nino Rota) – feat. Marina Viotti
12. All by Myself (Céline Dion)
13. Carmen: L’amour est un oiseau rebelle (Bizet)
14. Moods, Impressions and Souvenirs, Op. 41: Lento (Fibich)
15. Les chemins de l’amour (Poulenc)
16. Orpheo and Euridice: Dance of the Blessed Spirits (Gluck)
17. Chaconne in G minor (Vitali)
* City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra, Irene Delgado-Jiménez
July 17: Sony Classical Releases 2026 Summer Night Concert with The Vienna Philharmonic and Bass-Baritone Sir Bryn Terfel – Conducted by Lorenzo Viotti
July 17: Sony Classical Releases 2026 Summer Night Concert with The Vienna Philharmonic and Bass-Baritone Sir Bryn Terfel – Conducted by Lorenzo Viotti
Sony Classical Releases The 2026 Summer Night Concert
with The Vienna Philharmonic, Conducted by Lorenzo Viotti
Bass-Baritone Sir Bryn Terfel
New Single
Thaïs: Méditation - Listen Here
Album Release Dates:
Digital - July 17, 2026
CD - July 17, 2026
DVD and Blu-Ray - July 17, 2026
Sony Classical and the Vienna Philharmonic are for the very first time, offering innovative music products on the occasion of the successful 2026 Summer Night Concert from the grounds of Vienna’s Schönbrunn Palace.
The Vienna Philharmonic’s 2026 Summer Night Concert will be released by Sony Classical on July 17, 2026 on CD, DVD, Blu-ray and digital. New single, Thaïs: Méditation is out today - listen here
The 2026 Summer Night Concert was held on June 19, 2026 before an audience of 50,000 enthusiastic fans. This open-air concert by the Vienna Philharmonic has been held annually since 2008 and, as always, the grounds of the UNESCO World Heritage Site at Schönbrunn Palace have provided a magical backdrop.
This concert was also the first occasion on which the Vienna Philharmonic and Sony Classical presented a range of innovative music products with an NFC chip as part of their joint partnership deal. These products were sold on site by Michaela Pretul and Andreas Poglitsch from the Viennese specialist music firm of Major Babies Entertainment. The products in question are valuable caps in nine different colors and a scarf embroidered with the venerable orchestra’s logo linked via an NFC chip to a digital musical experience. If a smartphone is held next to the chip, a limited-access web application will open, allowing users to stream and download concert highlights from the last few years as well as find out more about the evening’s program and test their knowledge of the Summer Night Concert by means of a quiz. As soon as the recording of the concert has been mixed, this too will be available to be streamed and downloaded. The latest information about the Vienna Philharmonic is also available on this app.
The President of Sony Classical, Per Hauber, has said in a statement: “Together with the Vienna Philharmonic we have developed a product format that allows audiences to experience classical music in the most up-to-date ways outside the formal setting of a concert hall. This combination of innovation and a living tradition is very special. It also reflects the spirit not only of the Summer Night Concert but also of the Vienna Philharmonic and Sony Classical. We are immensely grateful to the Vienna Philharmonic and to the organizers of the Summer Night Concert for their inspirational partnership and for the opportunity to develop a product like this one.”
Daniel Froschauer, the Chairman of the orchestra’s board of directors, adds: “For the Vienna Philharmonic, it is of central importance that we keep our finger on the pulse of the times and continue to present our musical tradition in new and exciting ways. Thanks to these innovative products and ideas Sony Classical is supporting us in our desire to inspire our audiences all over again.”
Held at the height of the summer in a uniquely memorable atmosphere, the 2026 Summer Night Concert was conducted for the first time in its history by Lorenzo Viotti and witnessed the Vienna Philharmonic presenting a varied program full of musical highlights that included gripping scenes from Arrigo Boito’s Mefistofele, Verdi’s Falstaff and Wagner’s Das Rheingold. The evening’s soloist was Welsh bass-baritone Sir Bryn Terfel, who added a very special note of his own with Tevye’s “If I Were A Rich Man” from Jerry Bock’s phenomenally successful musical Fiddler on the Roof. A further high point was undoubtedly the appearance of the Vienna State Ballet in the Second Suite from Ravel’s Daphnis et Chloé. The Vienna Philharmonic’s Summer Night Concert is one of the world’s most important classical music events and is broadcast on the radio, on television and online. Millions of viewers from over eighty countries have been able to follow the concert online, on television and on the radio.
Oct. 2: Classical Soul Pianist Alexis Ffrench Releases New Album 24 on Sony Masterworks – New Single Nine on Blue Out Today
Oct. 2: Classical Soul Pianist Alexis Ffrench Releases New Album 24 on Sony Masterworks – New Single Nine on Blue Out Today
PR Photo: Credit – Alex Lake (Download)
Pioneering Composer and Pianist
Alexis Ffrench
New Single: Nine on Blue
Out Today - Listen Here
Taken From Upcoming Album, 24
Worldwide Album Release Date: October 2, 2026
Pre-Save Here
New York, NY – Pioneering pianist, composer and chart-topping Classical Soul artist Alexis Ffrench has shared new single, Nine on Blue, out now from his forthcoming album 24 - listen here. The album set for release on October 2, 2026 and available for pre-save here.
Nine On Blue finds Alexis Ffrench stepping into a late‑night jazz trio, with piano, bass and drums in close conversation. Written for the 9pm chapter of his 24‑hour album, it weaves blue‑note harmony and rhythmic nods to David Brubeck and George Gershwin into an unmistakably Alexis Ffrench sound.
Formed of 24 meticulously crafted piano pieces and intended as a musical companion to the clockwork regularity of everyday life, 24 unveils as an intimate and immersive snapshot of a singular day.
Gently guiding listeners from dawn to dusk – through the quiet of early morning into the busy heart of day and on to the evening’s golden hour – 24 is woven from daydreams, memories of human connection and the desire for authenticity amongst an ever evolving and increasingly simulated digital age.
Made at legendary Provençal studio Miraval, owned by Brad Pitt and Damien Quintard, Ffrench recorded 24 during ten-days of near-total immersion on an array vintage of grand pianos, upright pianos and organs. Adding delicate ripples of percussion to the record’s kaleidoscopic sound, 24 also enlists a string ensemble featuring harp and upright bass.
Inspired in part by the many messages Ffrench has received from listeners throughout his career, 24 finds Ffrench reflecting on what his music means to those who find solace in it and the cherished moments it has served to soundtrack. He explains: “I wanted this album to reflect the everyday miracles in people’s lives.”
Throughout his career, Ffrench has asked one question above all others: “what do my listeners need from me?” Now, with 24, the answer is both simple and profound: music to live by.
2026 also marks the 20th anniversary of Ffrench’s seminal debut album Piano Diaries. With each piece evoking the pull of a series of intimate and reflective moments, the record fuses cinematic simplicity with an emotionally direct and highly accessible composition that welcomes all listeners to step directly into Ffrench’s intimate and atmospheric world.
One of the world’s most exciting artists, Alexis Ffrench has played a pivotal role in bringing instrumental music to an ever-increasing audience. His accolades speak for themselves, with well over 1 billion streams across his catalogue, multiple No.1 albums and Gold-selling status in the USA for his single “Bluebird.”
Whether he’s performing at the King’s Coronation Concert to an audience of over 18 million, scooping an ARIA Award for his Apple Music show Classical Connections, hosting brand-new Classic FM series “Music to Live By”, performing at major festivals and selling out venues worldwide, hosting masterclasses with schools & charitable organizations or putting his own spin on contemporary pop hits for his enthusiastic social media audience, Alexis is driven by the desire to make music accessible to all.
Refusing to be penned in by genre, time period or the expectations of the kind of musician he should be, and rather than leaning into the traditional understanding of the ‘classical’ genre, Alexis instead leans outward – with his expansive perspective drawing on a multifarious mosaic of influences that takes his listeners by the hand and leads them on a journey through a world of possibility.
With the new album acting as a timelessly enchanting musical journey through the in numerous possibilities held inside one singular day, 24 is the first studio album from Alexis Ffrench since 2024’s Classical Soul Vol. 1 – welcoming in a contemplative and captivating new dawn for the forerunner of contemporary classical music.
Alexis Ffrench - New Album 24 out October 2, 2026
Listen to Blackbird Rising and Blackbird Returning, and Pre-Save 24 here
About Alexis Ffrench
Alexis Ffrench is an artist with a special ability to create music for the soul. A pioneering superstar and trailblazer of ‘Classical Soul’, Alexis’ sound refuses to be penned in by genre, time period, or the expectations of the kind of musician he should be. Rather than leaning into the narrow, traditional understandings of ‘classical’, Alexis instead leans outward, expansive in his perspective, drawing on a multifarious mosaic of influences that takes the listener by the hand and leads them on a journey through a world of possibility.
Alexis’ accolades speak for themselves, as he has surpassed a staggering 1 billion streams across his catalogue, his record Evolution and his single ‘Bluebird’ achieved RIAA Gold status in the US.
A passionate advocate for music education, Alexis is the first-ever Artistic Director of the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music (ABRSM) in its 133-year history. He is also Trustee and Governing Body Member and Fellow of the Royal Academy of Music, London, and Honorary Fellow of Homerton College, Cambridge. Alexis is an Ambassador for Restore The Music, who work with state schools to provide funding to buy musical instruments and ensure every young person has access to music.
Alexis Ffrench Socials
Website | Instagram | X | TikTok | YouTube
Sony Music Masterworks comprises Masterworks, Sony Classical, Milan Records, XXIM Records, and Masterworks Broadway imprints. For email updates and information please visit www.sonymusicmasterworks.com/.
Oct. 2: Classical Soul Pianist Alexis Ffrench Releases New Album 24 on Sony Masterworks – New Single Grateful Out Now
Oct. 2: Classical Soul Pianist Alexis Ffrench Releases New Album 24 on Sony Masterworks – New Single Grateful Out Now
PR Photo: Credit – Alex Lake (Download)
Pioneering Composer and Pianist
Alexis Ffrench
New Single: Grateful
Out Now - Listen Here
Taken From Upcoming Album, 24
Worldwide Album Release Date: October 2, 2026
Pre-Save Here
New York, NY – Pioneering pianist, composer and chart-topping Classical Soul artist Alexis Ffrench has shared new single, Grateful, out now from his forthcoming album 24 - listen here. The album set for release on October 2, 2026 and available for pre-save here.
Formed of 24 meticulously crafted piano pieces and intended as a musical companion to the clockwork regularity of everyday life, 24 unveils as an intimate and immersive snapshot of a singular day.
Gently guiding listeners from dawn to dusk – through the quiet of early morning into the busy heart of day and on to the evening’s golden hour – 24 is woven from daydreams, memories of human connection and the desire for authenticity amongst an ever evolving and increasingly simulated digital age.
Made at legendary Provençal studio Miraval, owned by Brad Pitt and Damien Quintard, Ffrench recorded 24 during ten-days of near-total immersion on an array vintage of grand pianos, upright pianos and organs. Adding delicate ripples of percussion to the record’s kaleidoscopic sound, 24 also enlists a string ensemble featuring harp and upright bass.
Inspired in part by the many messages Ffrench has received from listeners throughout his career, 24 finds Ffrench reflecting on what his music means to those who find solace in it and the cherished moments it has served to soundtrack. He explains: “I wanted this album to reflect the everyday miracles in people’s lives.”
Throughout his career, Ffrench has asked one question above all others: “what do my listeners need from me?” Now, with 24, the answer is both simple and profound: music to live by.
2026 also marks the 20th anniversary of Ffrench’s seminal debut album Piano Diaries. With each piece evoking the pull of a series of intimate and reflective moments, the record fuses cinematic simplicity with an emotionally direct and highly accessible composition that welcomes all listeners to step directly into Ffrench’s intimate and atmospheric world.
One of the world’s most exciting artists, Alexis Ffrench has played a pivotal role in bringing instrumental music to an ever-increasing audience. His accolades speak for themselves, with well over 1 billion streams across his catalogue, multiple No.1 albums and Gold-selling status in the USA for his single “Bluebird.”
Whether he’s performing at the King’s Coronation Concert to an audience of over 18 million, scooping an ARIA Award for his Apple Music show Classical Connections, hosting brand-new Classic FM series “Music to Live By”, performing at major festivals and selling out venues worldwide, hosting masterclasses with schools & charitable organizations or putting his own spin on contemporary pop hits for his enthusiastic social media audience, Alexis is driven by the desire to make music accessible to all.
Refusing to be penned in by genre, time period or the expectations of the kind of musician he should be, and rather than leaning into the traditional understanding of the ‘classical’ genre, Alexis instead leans outward – with his expansive perspective drawing on a multifarious mosaic of influences that takes his listeners by the hand and leads them on a journey through a world of possibility.
With the new album acting as a timelessly enchanting musical journey through the in numerous possibilities held inside one singular day, 24 is the first studio album from Alexis Ffrench since 2024’s Classical Soul Vol. 1 – welcoming in a contemplative and captivating new dawn for the forerunner of contemporary classical music.
Alexis Ffrench - New Album 24 out October 2, 2026
Listen to Blackbird Rising and Blackbird Returning, and Pre-Save 24 here
About Alexis Ffrench
Alexis Ffrench is an artist with a special ability to create music for the soul. A pioneering superstar and trailblazer of ‘Classical Soul’, Alexis’ sound refuses to be penned in by genre, time period, or the expectations of the kind of musician he should be. Rather than leaning into the narrow, traditional understandings of ‘classical’, Alexis instead leans outward, expansive in his perspective, drawing on a multifarious mosaic of influences that takes the listener by the hand and leads them on a journey through a world of possibility.
Alexis’ accolades speak for themselves, as he has surpassed a staggering 1 billion streams across his catalogue, his record Evolution and his single ‘Bluebird’ achieved RIAA Gold status in the US.
A passionate advocate for music education, Alexis is the first-ever Artistic Director of the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music (ABRSM) in its 133-year history. He is also Trustee and Governing Body Member and Fellow of the Royal Academy of Music, London, and Honorary Fellow of Homerton College, Cambridge. Alexis is an Ambassador for Restore The Music, who work with state schools to provide funding to buy musical instruments and ensure every young person has access to music.
Alexis Ffrench Socials
Website | Instagram | X | TikTok | YouTube
Sony Music Masterworks comprises Masterworks, Sony Classical, Milan Records, XXIM Records, and Masterworks Broadway imprints. For email updates and information please visit www.sonymusicmasterworks.com/.
OUT TODAY: New Sony Classical Album by Pianist Arcadi Volodos Featuring the Music of Franz Schubert & Robert Schumann
OUT TODAY: New Sony Classical Album by Pianist Arcadi Volodos Featuring the Music of Franz Schubert & Robert Schumann
New Album by Pianist Arcadi Volodos
Out Today on Sony Classical
Schubert: Piano Sonata No.17 In D Major, D.850
Schumann: Kinderszenen Op.15
Kinderszenen, Op.15/I. Von fremden Ländern und Menschen
Out Today - Listen Here
Album Release Date: Out Today
A musician known for conjuring up magical sounds on the piano is back with a new release – out today. Seven years after his last album, the exceptionally gifted Arcadi Volodos releases a new and long-awaited Sony Classical album, recorded live at Fondation Louis Vuitton in Paris. And again, he is devoting himself to the music of Franz Schubert as well as Robert Schumann’s Kinderszenen. Kinderszenen, Op.15: XII. Kind im Einschlummern is out today – listen here.
“The great difficulty with Schubert”, says Volodos, “is the basic outline, the absolute transparency. It is in silence that the personality and the spirituality of the interpreter shine through.” For Volodos as an interpreter, it is here, in this world of stillness and half-tones, that his real work begins, since “this demands simplicity and depth”.
Volodos’s earlier Schubert recordings have included the great sonatas in G major (D 894, released in 2002) and in A major (D 959, first issued in 2019). He is now turning his attention to the D major Sonata D 850, a work sometimes known as the “Gastein” Sonata since Schubert composed it during the summer of 1825, when he was taking the waters at Bad Gastein to the south of Salzburg.
Arcadi Volodos draws particular attention to the “extreme sensibility” of Schubert’s music, which explains why he favours a freedom of approach that allows for flexible tempos.
“It is absurd to want to fix the tempo by means of a metronome,” he argues, because “music is a language, not an equation.” It is very much the many incomparable transition passages, the melodies and the gently changing harmonies that make Schubert’s music so unmistakably his own. And this is all the more true when they are performed by a pianist as exceptional as Arcadi Volodos.
The second work on his new album is Robert Schumann’s Kinderszenen, a set of thirteen priceless miniatures for the piano, the best known of which is the famous “Träumerei”.
“I think that it is only when you grow older that you understand these pieces better and better,” says Volodos, referring obliquely to the fact that Schumann did not write them for children. What matters more, as Volodos explains, is “It is a question of rediscovering within oneself the child’s sense of wonderment, this pure and sincere understanding of a world that one spends an entire lifetime trying to rediscover.”
To that extent this recording of Kinderszenen seems like a summation of Volodos’s whole life as an artist: each piece is a little jewel that allows the piano to radiate with light and to shine in all its colours and nuances. One could argue that this profundity is accessible only to those artists who, like Volodos, have a relatively manageable repertory at their command, at least in terms of their public appearances. “I like it when the works come to life inside me and become a part of me.” The present recording attests to the truth of this comment in many different ways.
Arcadi Volodos was born in St. Petersburg and it was there, too, that he studied. He first became famous for his highly virtuosic piano arrangements of Romantic orchestral works but since his international breakthrough in the late 1990s he is now invariably numbered among the finest pianists currently before the public. He appears in all the leading concert halls and at festivals all over the world. His relatively few recordings have regularly garnered the most prestigious international awards.
Oct. 2: Classical Soul Pianist Alexis Ffrench Announces New Album 24 on Sony Masterworks – New Two-Track Bundle Out Today
Oct. 2: Classical Soul Pianist Alexis Ffrench Announces New Album 24 on Sony Masterworks – New Two-Track Bundle Out Today
PR Photo: Credit – Alex Lake (Download)
Pioneering Composer and Pianist
Alexis Ffrench
Shares New Two-Track Bundle
Blackbird Rising and Blackbird Returning
Out Today - Listen Here
Taken From Upcoming Album, 24
Worldwide Album Release Date: October 2, 2026
Pre-Save Here
New York, NY – May 1, 2026 – Today, pioneering pianist, composer and chart-topping Classical Soul artist Alexis Ffrench has shared Blackbird Rising / Blackbird Returning - listen here, a fluttering and thoughtful two-track release taken from his forthcoming album 24 set for release on October 2, 2026 and available for pre-save here.
A calming and contemplative duo of tracks that serve to bookend the day – from the first birdsong of morning to the blackbird’s final lullaby at dusk – Blackbird Rising / Blackbird Returning finds Ffrench artfully reconciling with one of the most distinctive threads in his work: birdsong. From 2018 hit Bluebird, which has been streamed over 200 million times globally and is Gold-certified in the US, to 2022’s Songbird and now to the blackbird, birds have circled his music throughout the span of his career.
Ffrench explains: “That sense of awe and wonder when you look at a bird in flight makes you feel that you’re part of this incredible Earth when we’re all connected.”
The new tracks also coincide with International Dawn Chorus Day on Sunday, May 3, 2026. A global celebration encouraging us to wake at sunrise to hear the “natural symphony” of Spring’s peak birdsong, the Dawn Chorus celebrates connection with nature and the notion that the beauty of the natural world can be appreciated from the most ordinary locations: whether from a garden, woodland or urban park.
Formed of 24 meticulously crafted piano pieces and intended as a musical companion to the clockwork regularity of everyday life, 24 unveils as an intimate and immersive snapshot of a singular day.
Gently guiding listeners from dawn to dusk – through the quiet of early morning into the busy heart of day and on to the evening’s golden hour – 24 is woven from daydreams, memories of human connection and the desire for authenticity amongst an ever evolving and increasingly simulated digital age.
Made at legendary Provençal studio Miraval, owned by Brad Pitt and Damien Quintard, Ffrench recorded 24 during ten-days of near-total immersion on an array vintage of grand pianos, upright pianos and organs. Adding delicate ripples of percussion to the record’s kaleidoscopic sound, 24 also enlists a string ensemble featuring harp and upright bass.
Inspired in part by the many messages Ffrench has received from listeners throughout his career, 24 finds Ffrench reflecting on what his music means to those who find solace in it and the cherished moments it has served to soundtrack. He explains: “I wanted this album to reflect the everyday miracles in people’s lives.”
Throughout his career, Ffrench has asked one question above all others: “what do my listeners need from me?” Now, with 24, the answer is both simple and profound: music to live by.
2026 also marks the 20th anniversary of Ffrench’s seminal debut album Piano Diaries. With each piece evoking the pull of a series of intimate and reflective moments, the record fuses cinematic simplicity with an emotionally direct and highly accessible composition that welcomes all listeners to step directly into Ffrench’s intimate and atmospheric world.
One of the world’s most exciting artists, Alexis Ffrench has played a pivotal role in bringing instrumental music to an ever-increasing audience. His accolades speak for themselves, with well over 1 billion streams across his catalogue, multiple No.1 albums and Gold-selling status in the USA for his single “Bluebird.”
Whether he’s performing at the King’s Coronation Concert to an audience of over 18 million, scooping an ARIA Award for his Apple Music show Classical Connections, hosting brand-new Classic FM series “Music to Live By”, performing at major festivals and selling out venues worldwide, hosting masterclasses with schools & charitable organizations or putting his own spin on contemporary pop hits for his enthusiastic social media audience, Alexis is driven by the desire to make music accessible to all.
Refusing to be penned in by genre, time period or the expectations of the kind of musician he should be, and rather than leaning into the traditional understanding of the ‘classical’ genre, Alexis instead leans outward – with his expansive perspective drawing on a multifarious mosaic of influences that takes his listeners by the hand and leads them on a journey through a world of possibility.
With the new album acting as a timelessly enchanting musical journey through the in numerous possibilities held inside one singular day, 24 is the first studio album from Alexis Ffrench since 2024’s Classical Soul Vol. 1 – welcoming in a contemplative and captivating new dawn for the forerunner of contemporary classical music.
Alexis Ffrench - New Album 24 out October 2, 2026
Listen to Blackbird Rising and Blackbird Returning, and Pre-Save 24 here
About Alexis Ffrench
Alexis Ffrench is an artist with a special ability to create music for the soul. A pioneering superstar and trailblazer of ‘Classical Soul’, Alexis’ sound refuses to be penned in by genre, time period, or the expectations of the kind of musician he should be. Rather than leaning into the narrow, traditional understandings of ‘classical’, Alexis instead leans outward, expansive in his perspective, drawing on a multifarious mosaic of influences that takes the listener by the hand and leads them on a journey through a world of possibility.
Alexis’ accolades speak for themselves, as he has surpassed a staggering 1 billion streams across his catalogue, his record Evolution and his single ‘Bluebird’ achieved RIAA Gold status in the US.
A passionate advocate for music education, Alexis is the first-ever Artistic Director of the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music (ABRSM) in its 133-year history. He is also Trustee and Governing Body Member and Fellow of the Royal Academy of Music, London, and Honorary Fellow of Homerton College, Cambridge. Alexis is an Ambassador for Restore The Music, who work with state schools to provide funding to buy musical instruments and ensure every young person has access to music.
Alexis Ffrench Socials
Website | Instagram | X | TikTok | YouTube
Sony Music Masterworks comprises Masterworks, Sony Classical, Milan Records, XXIM Records, and Masterworks Broadway imprints. For email updates and information please visit www.sonymusicmasterworks.com/.
Oct. 2: Classical Soul Pianist Alexis Ffrench Announces: 24 – New Album on Sony Masterworks
Oct. 2: Classical Soul Pianist Alexis Ffrench Announces: 24 – New Album on Sony Masterworks
Alexis Ffrench Announces: 24
New Album on Sony Masterworks
Debut Single: Good Morning
Out Now - Listen Here
Available October 2, 2026 | Pre-Save Here
Pioneering pianist, composer, and chart-topping Classical Soul artist Alexis Ffrench announces his brand-new album 24, set for release on October 2, 2026, via Sony Music Masterworks. The new album is available for pre-save here. Accompanying the new album's announcement is the release of Ffrench's debut single, Good Morning, which is out now - listen here.
Formed of 24 meticulously crafted piano pieces and intended as a musical companion to the clockwork regularity of everyday life, 24 reveals as an intimate and immersive snapshot of a singular day. See full track listing below.
Gently guiding listeners from dawn to dusk - through the quiet of early morning into the busy heart of day and on to the evening’s golden hour – 24 is woven from daydreams, memories of human connection and the desire for authenticity amongst an ever-evolving and increasingly simulated digital age.
Made at legendary Provençal studio Miraval, owned by Brad Pitt and Damien Quintard, Ffrench recorded 24 during ten days of near-total immersion on an array of vintage grand pianos, upright pianos, and organs. Adding delicate ripples of percussion to the record’s kaleidoscopic sound, 24 also enlists a string ensemble featuring harp and upright bass.
Inspired in part by the many messages Ffrench has received from listeners throughout his career, 24 finds Ffrench reflecting on what his music means to those who find solace in it and the cherished moments it has served to soundtrack. He explains: “I wanted this album to reflect the everyday miracles in people’s lives.”
Throughout his career, Ffrench has asked one question above all others: “What do my listeners need from me?” Now, with 24, the answer is both simple and profound: music to live by.
Arriving as an instant warm embrace and a simple promise of things to come, new single “Good Morning” opens a window to the new world Ffrench has built. An invitation to greet the day, whatever it might bring, the piece was inspired by a close friend’s routine of articulating out loud the things he is grateful for. Carrying with it that same spirit of thankfulness in the face of the everyday, Ffrench describes “Good Morning” as “a burst of positivity at the start of the day.”
One of the world’s most exciting artists, Alexis Ffrench has played a pivotal role in bringing instrumental music to an ever-increasing audience. His accolades speak for themselves, with well over 1 billion streams across his catalogue, multiple No.1 albums, and RIAA Gold in the USA for his single “Bluebird.”
Whether he’s performing at the King’s Coronation Concert to an audience of over 18 million, hosting his ARIA Award-winning Apple Music show Classical Connections, performing at major festivals and selling out venues worldwide, hosting with schools & charitable organisations, or putting his own spin on contemporary pop hits for his enthusiastic social media audience, Alexis is driven by the desire to make music accessible to all.
Refusing to be pinned by genre, time period or the expectations of the kind of musician he should be, and rather than leaning into the traditional understanding of the ‘classical’ genre, Alexis instead leans outward– with his expansive perspective drawing on a multifarious mosaic of influences that takes his listeners by the hand and leads them on a journey through a world of possibility.
With the new album acting as a timelessly enchanting musical journey through the various possibilities held within one singular day, 24 is the first studio album from Alexis Ffrench since 2024’s Classical Soul Vol. 1 – welcoming in a contemplative and captivating new dawn for the forerunner of contemporary classical music.
Alexis Ffrench - New Album 24 Out October 2, 2026
Listen to Good Morning & Pre-Save Here
24 TRACKLISTING
1. Good Morning
2. Where The Sunrise Finds Me
3. Blackbird Rising
4. Coffee Song
5. Lifted
6. A Moment Of Calm
7. Daydreamer
8. A Friend In You
9. In Flight
10. This Life, This Moment
11. Passing Time
12. Stolen Whispers
13. My Life, In Motion
14. Grateful
15. Nightfall
16. Blackbird Returning
17. Nine On Blue
18. City Lights
19. Golden Hours
20. Midnight Dreamer
21. Coffee Dreams (Reprise)
22. Low
23. Dreaming In Slow Motion
24. Before The World Sings
About Alexis Ffrench
Alexis Ffrench is an artist with a special ability to create music for the soul. A pioneering superstar and trailblazer of ‘Classical Soul’, Alexis’ sound refuses to be penned in by genre, time period, or the expectations of the kind of musician he should be. Rather than leaning into the narrow, traditional understandings of ‘classical’, Alexis instead leans outward, expansive in his perspective, drawing on a multifarious mosaic of influences that takes the listener by the hand and leads them on a journey through a world of possibility.
Alexis’ accolades speak for themselves, as he has surpassed a staggering 1 billion streams across his catalogue, his record Evolution and his single ‘Bluebird’ achieved RIAA Gold status in the US.
A passionate advocate for music education, Alexis is the first-ever Artistic Director of the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music (ABRSM) in its 133-year history. He is also Trustee and Governing Body Member and Fellow of the Royal Academy of Music, London, and Honorary Fellow of Homerton College, Cambridge. Alexis is an Ambassador for Restore The Music, who work with state schools to provide funding to buy musical instruments and ensure every young person has access to music.
Alexis Ffrench Socials
Website | Instagram | X | TikTok | YouTube
Sony Music Masterworks comprises Masterworks, Sony Classical, Milan Records, XXIM Records, and Masterworks Broadway imprints. For email updates and information please visit www.sonymusicmasterworks.com/.
May 1: New Sony Classical Album by Pianist Arcadi Volodos Featuring the Music of Franz Schubert & Robert Schumann - Latest Single Out Today
May 1: New Sony Classical Album by Pianist Arcadi Volodos Featuring the Music of Franz Schubert & Robert Schumann - Latest Single Out Today
New Sony Classical Album by Pianist Arcadi Volodos
Schubert: Piano Sonata No.17 In D Major, D.850
Schumann: Kinderszenen Op.15
Kinderszenen, Op.15/I. Von fremden Ländern und Menschen
Out Today - Listen Here
Album Release Date: May 1, 2026
Pre-Order Available Now
A musician known for conjuring up magical sounds on the piano is back. Seven years after his last album, the exceptionally gifted Arcadi Volodos is releasing a new and long-awaited Sony Classical album on May 1, 2026, recorded live at Fondation Louis Vuitton in Paris. And again, he is devoting himself to the music of Franz Schubert as well as Robert Schumann’s Kinderszenen. New single Kinderszenen, Op.15/I. Von fremden Ländern und Menschen is out today – listen here.
“The great difficulty with Schubert”, says Volodos, “is the basic outline, the absolute transparency. It is in silence that the personality and the spirituality of the interpreter shine through.” For Volodos as an interpreter, it is here, in this world of stillness and half-tones, that his real work begins, since “this demands simplicity and depth”.
Volodos’s earlier Schubert recordings have included the great sonatas in G major (D 894, released in 2002) and in A major (D 959, first issued in 2019). He is now turning his attention to the D major Sonata D 850, a work sometimes known as the “Gastein” Sonata since Schubert composed it during the summer of 1825, when he was taking the waters at Bad Gastein to the south of Salzburg.
Arcadi Volodos draws particular attention to the “extreme sensibility” of Schubert’s music, which explains why he favours a freedom of approach that allows for flexible tempos.
“It is absurd to want to fix the tempo by means of a metronome,” he argues, because “music is a language, not an equation.” It is very much the many incomparable transition passages, the melodies and the gently changing harmonies that make Schubert’s music so unmistakably his own. And this is all the more true when they are performed by a pianist as exceptional as Arcadi Volodos.
The second work on his new album is Robert Schumann’s Kinderszenen, a set of thirteen priceless miniatures for the piano, the best known of which is the famous “Träumerei”.
“I think that it is only when you grow older that you understand these pieces better and better,” says Volodos, referring obliquely to the fact that Schumann did not write them for children. What matters more, as Volodos explains, is “It is a question of rediscovering within oneself the child’s sense of wonderment, this pure and sincere understanding of a world that one spends an entire lifetime trying to rediscover.”
To that extent this recording of Kinderszenen seems like a summation of Volodos’s whole life as an artist: each piece is a little jewel that allows the piano to radiate with light and to shine in all its colours and nuances. One could argue that this profundity is accessible only to those artists who, like Volodos, have a relatively manageable repertory at their command, at least in terms of their public appearances. “I like it when the works come to life inside me and become a part of me.” The present recording attests to the truth of this comment in many different ways.
Arcadi Volodos was born in St Petersburg and it was there, too, that he studied. He first became famous for his highly virtuosic piano arrangements of Romantic orchestral works but since his international breakthrough in the late 1990s he is now invariably numbered among the finest pianists currently before the public. He appears in all the leading concert halls and at festivals all over the world. His relatively few recordings have regularly garnered the most prestigious international awards.
OUT TODAY: Jonas Kaufmann Releases Magische Töne – New Album on Sony Classical
OUT TODAY: Jonas Kaufmann Releases Magische Töne – New Album on Sony Classical
Jonas Kaufmann
Releases New Operetta Album on Sony Classical
Magische Töne - Out Today
Listen Here
Album Release Date: April 10, 2026
Available Now
Jonas Kaufmann’s new Sony Classical album, Magische Töne (Magical Sounds), which is out today – listen here – features some of the most beautiful operetta and opera melodies. In addition to perennial favourites by Emmerich Kálmán, Franz Lehár, and Paul Abraham, the album also includes one of the most popular arias in the tenor repertoire: the eponymous Magische Töne from Karl Goldmark's opera Die Königin von Saba (The Queen of Sheba).
First Vienna, now Budapest: this is where Jonas Kaufmann recorded his new album with the Hungarian State Opera Orchestra, conducted by Dirk Kaftan. The album focuses on highlights by composers from the era of the Austro-Hungarian Empire (1867–1918), including perennial favourites from the operettas of Emmerich (Imre) Kálmán, Franz (Ferenc) Lehár, and Paul (Pál) Abraham.
According to Kaufmann, “this era produced an incredible wealth of music. In retrospect, it is fortunate that the majority of these works were premiered in Vienna and written in German, because that meant they quickly achieved international success.”
Had they used the Hungarian language, these works would probably have remained a national art form – like the operettas of Jenő Huszka (1875–1960), which, despite their quality, were rarely performed outside Hungary. For this album, Kaufmann has chosen one of Huszka’s “best known” pieces: Bob’s entrance aria from the operetta Bob herceg (Prince Bob).
“There, the whole world is still red, white, and green” – these are the final words of the duet Komm mit nach Varasdin (Come with me to Varasdin) from Kálmán’s Gräfin Mariza (Countess Maritza). Of course, the colors of the Hungarian flag are just as clearly audible in the music as they are in the lyrics, and thus represent an element of national identity. But this second heyday of operetta also represents the melancholic memory of a liberal, cosmopolitan, and culturally diverse Europe that perished with the First World War, and which Stefan Zweig described so vividly in his memoir Die Welt von gestern (The World of Yesterday). Jonas Kaufmann's duet partner is Nikola Hillebrand, currently one of the most “sought-after” sopranos of her generation.
For Dirk Kaftan, the conductor featured on the album, the recordings were a welcome reunion with a genre he had studied thoroughly during his time as general music director in Graz: “Above all, one must develop an understanding for a musical language that cannot be captured in notation. Gustav Mahler’s famous statement is particularly applicable to this repertoire: ‘The most important things are not written in the score!’ This is also why I found the recording sessions with the Hungarian State Opera Orchestra so rewarding: these musicians know exactly what it is all about and how to bring it to life.”
Kaftan sees a clear parallel between the innovative style of Paul Ábrahám, who enriched the genre with elements of jazz, foxtrot, and revue, and the works of Kurt Weill: both represent “a means of expression for a future that was destroyed by the Nazis.”
Two opera arias round off the new album: Hazám, hazám (My Homeland) from Ferenc Erkel’s opera Bánk bán – a passionate declaration of love for the Hungarian homeland – and Magische Töne, the famous aria from Karl (Károly) Goldmark’s Die Königin von Saba. These sounds become magical when the singer knows how to produce delicate, intimate pianissimo sounds in a high register – something that Jonas Kaufmann finds particularly enticing: “Someone once said to me: ‘Your loud notes are thrilling, but your soft ones drive me crazy.’ Dramatic sounds probably have more of an effect on the listener’s body and nervous system, while soft ones affect the heart and soul.”
Magische Töne with Jonas Kaufmann, the Hungarian State Opera Orchestra, conductor Dirk Kaftan, and soprano Nikola Hillebrand will be released digitally and on CD by Sony Classical on April 10, 2026.
Magische Töne Repertoire
Imre Kálmán (1882–1953): Komm Zigány [Gräfin Mariza, Act 1]
Imre Kálmán (1882–1953): Ich bitte, nicht lachen … Komm mit nach Varasdin! [Gräfin Mariza, Act 1, Duett] (mit Nikola Hillebrand, Sopran)
Imre Kálmán (1882–1953): Mondd meg, hogy imádom a pesti nőket (Grüß mir mein Wien) [Gräfin Mariza, Act 1]
Imre Kálmán (1882–1953): Holdes, berauschendes Bild … Liebe singt ihr Zauberlied [Kaiserin Josephine, Act 1, No. 4]
Imre Kálmán (1882–1953): Tanzen möcht’ ich … Tausend kleine Engel singen [Die Csárdásfürstin, Act 2, Duett] (mit Nikola Hillebrand, Sopran)
Imre Kálmán (1882–1953): So verliebt kann ein Ungar nur sein (Tief wie der Bergsee) [Der Teufelsreiter, Act 1, No. 2]
Ferenc Lehár (1870–1948): Allein! Wieder allein! (Es steht ein Soldat am Wolgastrand) [Der Zarewitsch, Act 1]
Ferenc Lehár (1870–1948): O Mädchen, mein Mädchen… [Friederike, Act 2]
Ferenc Lehár (1870–1948): Ich trete ins Zimmer … Immer nur lächeln [Das Land des Lächelns, Act 1]
Ferenc Lehár (1870–1948): Wer hat die Liebe uns ins Herz gesenkt [Das Land des Lächelns, Act 2, Duett] (mit Nikola Hillebrand, Sopran)
Ferenc Lehár (1870–1948): Schön wie die blaue Sommernacht [Giuditta, Act 2, Duett] (mit Nikola Hillebrand, Sopran)
Pál Ábrahám (1892–1960): Ein Paradies am Meeresstrand [Die Blume von Hawaii, Act 1]
Pál Ábrahám (1892–1960): Will Dir die Welt zu Füßen legen [Die Blume von Hawaii, Act 1]
Pál Ábrahám (1892–1960): Pardon Madame [Viktoria und ihr Husar, Act 1]
Pál Ábrahám (1892–1960): Nur ein Mädel gibt es auf der Welt [Viktoria und ihr Husar, Act 1]
Pál Ábrahám (1892–1960): Sing-Sing [Julia]
Pál Ábrahám (1892–1960): Der schönste Gedanke [Zigeuner der Nacht]
Fred Raymond (1900–1954): Die Juliska, die Juliska aus Buda-, Budapest [Maske in Blau, Drittes Bild, Nr. 11, Duett] (mit Nikola Hillebrand, Sopran)
Nico Dostal (1895–1981): Frag nur dein Herz, was Liebe ist [Die ungarische Hochzeit, Act 1, Duett] (mit Nikola Hillebrand, Sopran)
Jenő Huszka (1875–1960): Londonban hej! (Bob belépője) [Bob herceg, Act 1, No. 3]
Ferenc Erkel (1810–1893): Mint számûzött ki vándorol … Hazám, hazám [Bánk bán, Act 2]
Karl Goldmark (1830–1915): Magische Töne, berauschender Duft [Die Königin von Saba, Op. 27, Act 2]
Magische Töne Live Tour Dates
11.04. Hamburg, Laeiszhalle
15.04. München, Isarphilharmonie
18.04. Nürnberg, Meistersingerhalle
20.04. Paris, Théâtre des Champs-Élysées
22.04. Wien, Konzerthaus
24.04. Budapest, MüPa
26.04. Hannover, Kuppelsaal
28.04. Essen, Philharmonie
30.04. Freiburg, Konzerthaus
03.05. Stuttgart, Liederhalle
05.05. Luzern, KKL
07.05. Mannheim, Rosengarten / Mozartsaal
09.05. Frankfurt, Alte Oper
Tickets and information: jonaskaufmann.com
OUT TODAY: Anna Lapwood Returns with New Sony Classical Album Arise, Shine – Featuring The Chapel Choir of Pembroke College, Cambridge
OUT TODAY: Anna Lapwood Returns with New Sony Classical Album Arise, Shine – Featuring The Chapel Choir of Pembroke College, Cambridge
Anna Lapwood Returns with New Sony Classical Choral Album
Arise, Shine
Featuring The Chapel Choir of Pembroke College, Cambridge
Out Today - Listen Here
Following a stellar 2025, sensational musician Anna Lapwood starts 2026 with the announcement of her brand-new choral album, Arise, Shine – pre-order here. This new recording follows her 2025 chart topping album, Firedove, and sees Anna conducting her beloved Chapel Choir of Pembroke College, Cambridge for the very last time.
Arise, Shine will be released on Friday, March 6, 2026 on Sony Classical and comes at a pivotal moment in Anna’s career, marking the conclusion of her tenure as Director of Music at Pembroke College, Cambridge, a role she held for nine years until the end of the summer term in 2025. The album is a deeply personal project, highlighting Anna’s close connection to The Pembroke College Chapel Choir and her committed mentoring of the students. The album features a rich and varied programme, including two original compositions by Anna – Arise, Shine and An Irish Blessing – written in response to special people and key moments during her time with Chapel Choir of Pembroke College, Cambridge.
Of the album, Anna notes:
“As I was preparing to leave Pembroke, I felt it was really important to do one final album with the Chapel Choir to mark their incredible hard work over the course of the last nine years. The choir has grown so much in that time - both in size but also in ambition and identity, and I have learned so much from working with these singers. I wanted to curate an album that felt like it summed up just a little of what makes Pembroke unique, pairing traditional repertoire with modern reinterpretations, and showcasing music written by young composers from within Pembroke Choir and beyond. It feels particularly special to include a piece written by Maryam Giraud who was one of my first girl choristers when I set up the Girls’ Choir, and who is now an undergraduate at the College. Her piece sets a text written by Cassidy McKinlay, one of our other altos, and it’s this kind of creative teamwork that I feel sums up Pembroke so beautifully. This is an album that is all about the unique warmth of making music with friends and being able to share that experience with others”.
The track list reflects Anna’s fascination with contrasting interpretations of sacred texts, pairing works such as Ubi Caritas by Maurice Duruflé and Ola Gjeilo, and O Sacrum Convivium by Olivier Messiaen and Lucy Walker. Walker, a former alto in the choir who knows its sound inside out, has become its most-performed living composer and contributes several works to the album. Other Pembroke highlights include Rain, a joint project between two more Chapel Choir altos where Maryam Giraud sets a text written by her fellow chorister, Cassidy McKinlay. Giraud’s journey from a young singer in the Girls’ Choir, founded in 2018, to composer on this album is a testament to Anna’s commitment to nurturing talent and creating opportunities for women and girls in music. The album also features Abide With Me by Maggie Kaposamweo, a young composer living in Zambia. Anna set up an online mentoring scheme for Maggie with Lucy Walker, and the commission fee for this composition helped fund Maggie’s music studies at the University of Lusaka, Zambia.
2025 was an extraordinary year for Anna Lapwood. Her album Firedove soared to No.1 on the Official Classical Artist Album Chart. She became the Royal Albert Hall’s first-ever Official Organist, premiered Max Richter’s new concerto Cosmology alongside Kristina Arakelyan’s Toccata and captivated audiences with her all-night BBC Proms event From Dark Till Dawn. International acclaim continued to grow with a landmark performance in Cologne, Germany, drawing a crowd of 13,000 people, forming a one-mile queue around the city.
Beyond the concert hall, Anna’s infectious enthusiasm for music has reached new audiences and she has achieved some remarkable milestones, including an appearance at New York Fashion Week, being featured on the Sunday Times Power List, and even giving Hollywood icon Tom Cruise an impromptu organ lesson. She rounded off 2025 with a sold-out nationwide tour ‘Christmas with Anna Lapwood’ and a Royal Albert Hall headline Christmas show.
ARISE, SHINE : TRACKLISTING:
1. Arise, Shine
Composer: Anna Lapwood
2. Adoro Te Devote
Composer: Cecilia Mcdowall
Lyricist: Saint Thomas Aquinas
3. Miserere
Composer: Gregorio Allegri
4. Regina Caeli
Composer: Lise Borel
5. Rain
Composer: Maryam Giraud
Lyricist: Cassidy Mckinlay
6. Ubi Caritas
Composer: Maurice Duruflé
7. Silent Night
Composer: Franz Xaver Gruber
8. The Lord’s Prayer
Composer: Lucy Walker
9. O Sacrum Convivium
Composer: Olivier Messiaen
Lyricist: Saint Thomas Aquinas
10. Ubi Caritas
Composer: Ola Gjeilo
11. A Hymn For St Cecilia
Composer: Lucy Walker
Lyricist: Ursula Vaughan Williams
12. Abide With Me
Composer: Maggie Kaposamweo
Lyricist: Maggie Kaposamweo & Henry Francis Lyte
13. O Sacrum Convivium
Composer: Lucy Walker
Lyricist: Saint Thomas Aquinas
14. An Irish Blessing
Composer: Anna Lapwood
15. Somewhere Over The Rainbow
Composer: Harold Arlen
Lyricist: Yip Harburg
Visit: www.annalapwood.co.uk
May 1: New Sony Classical Album by Pianist Arcadi Volodos Featuring the Music of Franz Schubert & Robert Schumann - New Single Out Today
May 1: New Sony Classical Album by Pianist Arcadi Volodos Featuring the Music of Franz Schubert & Robert Schumann - New Single Out Today
New Sony Classical Album by Pianist Arcadi Volodos
Schubert: Piano Sonata No.17 In D Major, D.850
Schumann: Kinderszenen Op.15
Kinderszenen, Op.15/VII. Träumerei
Out Today - Listen Here
Album Release Date: May 1, 2026
Pre-Order Available Now
A musician known for conjuring up magical sounds on the piano is back. Seven years after his last album, the exceptionally gifted Arcadi Volodos is releasing a new and long-awaited Sony Classical album on May 1, 2026, recorded live at Fondation Louis Vuitton in Paris. And again, he is devoting himself to the music of Franz Schubert as well as Robert Schumann’s Kinderszenen. Accompanying today’s announcement is the first single, Kinderszenen, Op.15/VII. Träumerei - listen here.
“The great difficulty with Schubert”, says Volodos, “is the basic outline, the absolute transparency. It is in silence that the personality and the spirituality of the interpreter shine through.” For Volodos as an interpreter, it is here, in this world of stillness and half-tones, that his real work begins, since “this demands simplicity and depth”.
Volodos’s earlier Schubert recordings have included the great sonatas in G major (D 894, released in 2002) and in A major (D 959, first issued in 2019). He is now turning his attention to the D major Sonata D 850, a work sometimes known as the “Gastein” Sonata since Schubert composed it during the summer of 1825, when he was taking the waters at Bad Gastein to the south of Salzburg.
Arcadi Volodos draws particular attention to the “extreme sensibility” of Schubert’s music, which explains why he favours a freedom of approach that allows for flexible tempos.
“It is absurd to want to fix the tempo by means of a metronome,” he argues, because “music is a language, not an equation.” It is very much the many incomparable transition passages, the melodies and the gently changing harmonies that make Schubert’s music so unmistakably his own. And this is all the more true when they are performed by a pianist as exceptional as Arcadi Volodos.
The second work on his new album is Robert Schumann’s Kinderszenen, a set of thirteen priceless miniatures for the piano, the best known of which is the famous “Träumerei”.
“I think that it is only when you grow older that you understand these pieces better and better,” says Volodos, referring obliquely to the fact that Schumann did not write them for children. What matters more, as Volodos explains, is “It is a question of rediscovering within oneself the child’s sense of wonderment, this pure and sincere understanding of a world that one spends an entire lifetime trying to rediscover.”
To that extent this recording of Kinderszenen seems like a summation of Volodos’s whole life as an artist: each piece is a little jewel that allows the piano to radiate with light and to shine in all its colours and nuances. One could argue that this profundity is accessible only to those artists who, like Volodos, have a relatively manageable repertory at their command, at least in terms of their public appearances. “I like it when the works come to life inside me and become a part of me.” The present recording attests to the truth of this comment in many different ways.
Arcadi Volodos was born in St Petersburg and it was there, too, that he studied. He first became famous for his highly virtuosic piano arrangements of Romantic orchestral works but since his international breakthrough in the late 1990s he is now invariably numbered among the finest pianists currently before the public. He appears in all the leading concert halls and at festivals all over the world. His relatively few recordings have regularly garnered the most prestigious international awards.
April 10: Jonas Kaufmann Announces New Sony Classical Album Magische Töne – Title Track Out Today
April 10: Jonas Kaufmann Announces New Sony Classical Album Magische Töne – Title Track Out Today
Jonas Kaufmann
Announces New Operetta Album on Sony Classical
Magische Töne
Title Track Out Today - Listen Here
Album Release Date: April 10, 2026
Pre-Order Available Now
Jonas Kaufmann’s new Sony Classical album, Magische Töne (Magical Sounds), features some of the most beautiful operetta and opera melodies. In addition to perennial favourites by Emmerich Kálmán, Franz Lehár, and Paul Abraham, the album also includes one of the most popular arias in the tenor repertoire: the eponymous Magische Töne from Karl Goldmark's opera Die Königin von Saba (The Queen of Sheba), which is out today – listen here. Pre-order is available now.
First Vienna, now Budapest: this is where Jonas Kaufmann recorded his new album with the Hungarian State Opera Orchestra, conducted by Dirk Kaftan. The album focuses on highlights by composers from the era of the Austro-Hungarian Empire (1867–1918), including perennial favourites from the operettas of Emmerich (Imre) Kálmán, Franz (Ferenc) Lehár, and Paul (Pál) Abraham.
According to Kaufmann, “this era produced an incredible wealth of music. In retrospect, it is fortunate that the majority of these works were premiered in Vienna and written in German, because that meant they quickly achieved international success.”
Had they used the Hungarian language, these works would probably have remained a national art form – like the operettas of Jenő Huszka (1875–1960), which, despite their quality, were rarely performed outside Hungary. For this album, Kaufmann has chosen one of Huszka’s “best known” pieces: Bob’s entrance aria from the operetta Bob herceg (Prince Bob).
“There, the whole world is still red, white, and green” – these are the final words of the duet Komm mit nach Varasdin (Come with me to Varasdin) from Kálmán’s Gräfin Mariza (Countess Maritza). Of course, the colors of the Hungarian flag are just as clearly audible in the music as they are in the lyrics, and thus represent an element of national identity. But this second heyday of operetta also represents the melancholic memory of a liberal, cosmopolitan, and culturally diverse Europe that perished with the First World War, and which Stefan Zweig described so vividly in his memoir Die Welt von gestern (The World of Yesterday). Jonas Kaufmann's duet partner is Nikola Hillebrand, currently one of the most “sought-after” sopranos of her generation.
For Dirk Kaftan, the conductor featured on the album, the recordings were a welcome reunion with a genre he had studied thoroughly during his time as general music director in Graz: “Above all, one must develop an understanding for a musical language that cannot be captured in notation. Gustav Mahler’s famous statement is particularly applicable to this repertoire: ‘The most important things are not written in the score!’ This is also why I found the recording sessions with the Hungarian State Opera Orchestra so rewarding: these musicians know exactly what it is all about and how to bring it to life.”
Kaftan sees a clear parallel between the innovative style of Paul Ábrahám, who enriched the genre with elements of jazz, foxtrot, and revue, and the works of Kurt Weill: both represent “a means of expression for a future that was destroyed by the Nazis.”
Two opera arias round off the new album: Hazám, hazám (My Homeland) from Ferenc Erkel’s opera Bánk bán – a passionate declaration of love for the Hungarian homeland – and Magische Töne, the famous aria from Karl (Károly) Goldmark’s Die Königin von Saba. These sounds become magical when the singer knows how to produce delicate, intimate pianissimo sounds in a high register – something that Jonas Kaufmann finds particularly enticing: “Someone once said to me: ‘Your loud notes are thrilling, but your soft ones drive me crazy.’ Dramatic sounds probably have more of an effect on the listener’s body and nervous system, while soft ones affect the heart and soul.”
Magische Töne with Jonas Kaufmann, the Hungarian State Opera Orchestra, conductor Dirk Kaftan, and soprano Nikola Hillebrand will be released digitally and on CD by Sony Classical on April 10, 2026.
Magische Töne Repertoire
Imre Kálmán (1882–1953): Komm Zigány [Gräfin Mariza, Act 1]
Imre Kálmán (1882–1953): Ich bitte, nicht lachen … Komm mit nach Varasdin! [Gräfin Mariza, Act 1, Duett] (mit Nikola Hillebrand, Sopran)
Imre Kálmán (1882–1953): Mondd meg, hogy imádom a pesti nőket (Grüß mir mein Wien) [Gräfin Mariza, Act 1]
Imre Kálmán (1882–1953): Holdes, berauschendes Bild … Liebe singt ihr Zauberlied [Kaiserin Josephine, Act 1, No. 4]
Imre Kálmán (1882–1953): Tanzen möcht’ ich … Tausend kleine Engel singen [Die Csárdásfürstin, Act 2, Duett] (mit Nikola Hillebrand, Sopran)
Imre Kálmán (1882–1953): So verliebt kann ein Ungar nur sein (Tief wie der Bergsee) [Der Teufelsreiter, Act 1, No. 2]
Ferenc Lehár (1870–1948): Allein! Wieder allein! (Es steht ein Soldat am Wolgastrand) [Der Zarewitsch, Act 1]
Ferenc Lehár (1870–1948): O Mädchen, mein Mädchen… [Friederike, Act 2]
Ferenc Lehár (1870–1948): Ich trete ins Zimmer … Immer nur lächeln [Das Land des Lächelns, Act 1]
Ferenc Lehár (1870–1948): Wer hat die Liebe uns ins Herz gesenkt [Das Land des Lächelns, Act 2, Duett] (mit Nikola Hillebrand, Sopran)
Ferenc Lehár (1870–1948): Schön wie die blaue Sommernacht [Giuditta, Act 2, Duett] (mit Nikola Hillebrand, Sopran)
Pál Ábrahám (1892–1960): Ein Paradies am Meeresstrand [Die Blume von Hawaii, Act 1]
Pál Ábrahám (1892–1960): Will Dir die Welt zu Füßen legen [Die Blume von Hawaii, Act 1]
Pál Ábrahám (1892–1960): Pardon Madame [Viktoria und ihr Husar, Act 1]
Pál Ábrahám (1892–1960): Nur ein Mädel gibt es auf der Welt [Viktoria und ihr Husar, Act 1]
Pál Ábrahám (1892–1960): Sing-Sing [Julia]
Pál Ábrahám (1892–1960): Der schönste Gedanke [Zigeuner der Nacht]
Fred Raymond (1900–1954): Die Juliska, die Juliska aus Buda-, Budapest [Maske in Blau, Drittes Bild, Nr. 11, Duett] (mit Nikola Hillebrand, Sopran)
Nico Dostal (1895–1981): Frag nur dein Herz, was Liebe ist [Die ungarische Hochzeit, Act 1, Duett] (mit Nikola Hillebrand, Sopran)
Jenő Huszka (1875–1960): Londonban hej! (Bob belépője) [Bob herceg, Act 1, No. 3]
Ferenc Erkel (1810–1893): Mint számûzött ki vándorol … Hazám, hazám [Bánk bán, Act 2]
Karl Goldmark (1830–1915): Magische Töne, berauschender Duft [Die Königin von Saba, Op. 27, Act 2]
Magische Töne Live Tour Dates
11.04. Hamburg, Laeiszhalle
15.04. München, Isarphilharmonie
18.04. Nürnberg, Meistersingerhalle
20.04. Paris, Théâtre des Champs-Élysées
22.04. Wien, Konzerthaus
24.04. Budapest, MüPa
26.04. Hannover, Kuppelsaal
28.04. Essen, Philharmonie
30.04. Freiburg, Konzerthaus
03.05. Stuttgart, Liederhalle
05.05. Luzern, KKL
07.05. Mannheim, Rosengarten / Mozartsaal
09.05. Frankfurt, Alte Oper
Tickets and information: jonaskaufmann.com
OUT TODAY: Pianist and Composer Olivia Belli Releases Daimon – Her First Piano Concerto on Sony Classical
OUT TODAY: Pianist and Composer Olivia Belli Releases Daimon – Her First Piano Concerto on Sony Classical
Pianist and Composer Olivia Belli
Releases Her First Piano Concerto Daimon on Sony Classical
Out Today - Listen Here
Album Release Date: Out Today
Whether Johann Sebastian Bach, Frédéric Chopin, Philip Glass or Arvo Part– the works of these composers have inspired Olivia Belli, one of the most captivating voices in the neoclassical scene. Equally, art and literature open new worlds for her, fueling her creativity as a composer. The starting point for her new album Daimon –– out today on Sony Classical –– was Homer’s Odyssey. “It was Odysseus’ fate to return to his homeland Ithaca,” says Olivia Belli. “That’s where his wife and son were – everything that defined him.”
The idea that every life is essentially a journey, one that inevitably leads us toward our true purpose, deeply fascinated the Italian artist from the picturesque Marche region. From this concept emerged the piano concerto Daimon – recorded with a string orchestra and inspired by Italian Baroque music. It consists of three movements: The Departure, The Journey, and The Return. The second movement, The Journey, stands out in particular. It reflects the trials, hardships, and suffering faced not only by Odysseus but also by Olivia Belli herself on her path to catharsis. These emotional highs and lows unfold in strikingly epic soundscapes.
Olivia Belli consciously wove her own biography into the concerto. Daimon spans her life from adolescence to the present. As the daughter of a bank manager, she moved frequently as a child. Despite discovering exciting cities, she always felt something was missing – though she couldn’t quite name it.
That changed at age 14, when an accident left her bedridden for several months. “During that time, I was thrown back on myself. With no distractions, I realized what I truly needed: music and nature.” She had reached the point Socrates once described: “You must know who you are before you go out into the world.” In other words, Olivia Belli had found what the Greek term daimon expresses – her calling. Since then, she has never lost sight of her purpose.
Olivia Belli studied with distinguished pianists and pedagogues including Alexander Lonquich, Jörg Demus, Franco Scala, and Piero Rattalino, and also pursued composition studies, enriching her artistic identity. She has performed at acclaimed events such as the Piano Nights in Amsterdam, the Montreal Jazz Festival, and the Steinway & Sons Piano Series at the Royal Albert Hall (Elgar Room). Olivia Belli has also composed works for various artists, including Norwegian violinist Mari Samuelsen, French cellist Gautier Capuçon, and British organist Anna Lapwood. Above all, she has continually embarked on sonic explorations for her own recordings – often inspired by nature or Greek mythology. Her latest creative phase, especially with the piano concerto Daimon, has produced something truly exceptional for a neoclassical artist. Rather than relying on force and orchestral grandeur, this work calls for sensitivity – expressed in Olivia Belli’s unmistakable musical language. She favors gentleness, nuanced emotion, and pastel tonal colors.
Following Daimon, her recording continues with the Ithaca Suite, another musical journey into ancient Greece. This piece portrays the characters Odysseus encounters upon his return – including his father Laertes and his son Telemachus. In these Rencontres, cellist Raphaela Gromes, violinist Eldbjørg Hemsing, and saxophonist Jess Gillam shine as guest musicians. Olivia Belli not only contributes her musical signature but also embraces the collaborative spirit with her fellow artists. Her openness to shared creative processes and her refined sense for musical dialogue make her a sought-after partner – both as a pianist and composer. This artistic connection is also reflected in Olivia Belli’s own compositions, where she interweaves personal themes with universal emotions.
Odysseus’ wife Penelope is honored by Olivia Belli with a piano solo at the heart of the Ithaca Suite, its melody gently oscillating between melancholy and hope. “There is no Odysseus without Penelope,” the musician reflects. “Knowing you’re not alone is essential. We exist above all thanks to the people by our side.”
The album concludes with a sonata that openly reveals its unpretentious beauty: the Sonatina for Nausicaa. Nausicaa was the daughter of the Phaeacian king. She did not shy away when she found the shipwrecked Odysseus on the shore, but instead offered him clothes and food. “Nowadays, few would invite a homeless person into their home,” Olivia Belli observes. “For many, a person’s worth is measured primarily by success or money. Yet we all have our own unique calling.”
Daimon: Piano Concerto, Ithaca Suite & Sonatina for Nausicaa
Release Date: February 20, 2025
Concerto for Piano and String Orchestra Daimon
1 I. The Departure
2 II. The Journey
3 III. The Return
Ithaca Suite
4 I. Proci
5 II. Telemachus
6 III. Eumaeus
7 IV. Penelopeia
8 V. Eurycleia
9 VI. Laertes
10 VII. Pax Athenae
Sonatina for Nausicaa
11 I. Semplice
12 II. Andantino
13 III. Allegretto
Olivia Belli & Eldbjørg Hemsing – Telemachus (Official Music Video)
# # #
CONNECT WITH OLIVIA BELLI
Website | Instagram | Facebook | X | YouTube
Sony Music Masterworks comprises Masterworks, Sony Classical, Milan Records, XXIM Records, and Masterworks Broadway imprints. For email updates and information please visit www.sonymusicmasterworks.com.
OUT TODAY: The Swan – Superstar Cellist HAUSER Revisits The Magic of Great Classical Melodies with New Sony Masterworks Recording
OUT TODAY: The Swan – Superstar Cellist HAUSER Revisits The Magic of Great Classical Melodies with New Sony Masterworks Recording
HAUSER
Revisits The Magic of Great Classical Melodies
with His New Musical Collection
The Swan
Out Today - Listen Here
Album Release Date: Out Today
Hauser’s ‘Musical Love Letter’ Features Seven All-New Recordings
Performed With The London Symphony Orchestra
International cello sensation HAUSER adds a grace note to his global hits Classic and Classic II with the release of The Swan — out today via Sony Masterworks on all digital music platforms — a new “musical love letter” to his instrument. The new musical collection features seven beautiful classical melodies transformed by the HAUSER’s deeply felt signature style and virtuosity, once again with the London Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Robert Ziegler.
The Swan – a gentle, rapturous melody from Camille Saint-Saëns’ The Carnival of the Animals – is an obvious choice for HAUSER. The piece has a profound, personal meaning to him.
“I was just a few years old when I heard a cello on the radio for the first time, playing Saint-Saëns’ ‘The Swan’,” HAUSER recalls. “I just fell in love with the sound when I heard it. It was like… I can’t describe it. It’s not usual for a child to know what he wants at an early age. But that was the sound. I remember thinking, ‘That’s it.’”
The Swan also includes all-new arrangements of two favorites by the French composer Gabriel Fauré – Après un rêve (After a Dream) and the lightly dancing Pavane; perhaps Puccini’s most beloved aria, O mio babbino caro from the opera Gianni Schicchi, popularized on the soundtrack the classic film A Room with a View; a worldwide hit from over a century ago, Sir Edward Elgar’s charming Salut d’amour (Love’s Greeting); and the robust, instantly recognizable zest of Johannes Brahms’ Hungarian Dance No. 5.
HAUSER tops off this musical bouquet with a new take on the soaring pop anthem You Raise Me Up, best known in Josh Groban’s chart-topping recording.
Though Saint-Saëns’ The Swan was written for the cello, the other selections on The Swan were written for voice, various other instruments or the orchestra. Like the selections on Classic and Classic II, they reflect HAUSER’s passion for taking the most expressive and unforgettable melodies, and adapting them to showcase the warm, singing tone of the cello.
HAUSER – THE SWAN
RELEASE DATE: OUT TODAY
OFFICIAL TRACKLIST –
1. The Swan
2. Après un rêve
3. Pavane
4. mio babbino caro
5. Salut d'Amour
6. Hungarian Dance No. 5
7. You Raise Me Up
ABOUT HAUSER
Following an incredible 10-year run as half of 2CELLOS, global superstar HAUSER has ushered in a new era as a solo artist and visual concept creator, using his innovative musical skills and irresistible charisma to bring a new wave of cello music to fans everywhere. Making his solo debut in 2020 with the release of CLASSIC, followed by The Player (2022), HAUSER CHRISTMAS (2023), CLASSIC II (2024) and CINEMA (2025), HAUSER has amassed over 2 billion audio streams and 4 billion video views globally. Revered globally for his captivating live performance, the Croatian musician is a phenomenon that thrives on audience interaction, hitting the stage in over 40 countries across the globe including historic venues like New York City’s Radio City Music Hall and London’s Royal Albert Hall and performing alongside such wide-ranging acts as Andrea Bocelli, Red Hot Chili Peppers, and Elton John, as well as adored by Céline Dion. His electric stage presence has also led to several high-profile appearances, including an opening night performance at the 2022 Venice International Film Festival, performing at the Vatican for the Pope, and special features for both the NFL and UEFA. Named one of People Magazine’s 2022 Sexiest Men Alive and featured by the likes of Rolling Stone, Forbes, and The New York Times, HAUSER has graced the stage for numerous broadcast performances, most recently adding Love Island to a long resume of appearances that includes The Bachelorette, TODAY Show, Good Morning America, Ellen, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, CNN en Español and more. In 2025, HAUSER launched “Music Unites the World” on his social media -- a passion project where he will record an iconic song from each nation around the globe to spread a message of unity through music.
Connect With Hauser:
Website | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube | TikTok
# # #
Sony Music Masterworks comprises Masterworks, Sony Classical, Milan Records, XXIM Records and Masterworks Broadway imprints. For email updates and information please visit www.sonymusicmasterworks.com/
Feb. 27: Pianist Alexander Malofeev Announces Sony Classical Debut Album Forgotten Melodies – Lilacs by Sergei Rachmaninoff Out Today
Feb. 27: Pianist Alexander Malofeev Announces Sony Classical Debut Album Forgotten Melodies – Lilacs by Sergei Rachmaninoff Out Today
© Dovile Sermokas
Pianist Alexander Malofeev Announces Sony Classical Debut Album
Forgotten Melodies
Out Today: New Single
12 Romances, Op. 21: V. Lilacs by Sergei Rachmaninoff
Listen Here
“…His intensity overwhelms…[he] makes a monumentally thunderous impression with his music…” – The Los Angeles Times
Worldwide Album Release Date: February 27, 2026
Pre-Order Available Now
Sony Classical is thrilled to announce the debut album of world-renowned pianist Alexander Malofeev titled Forgotten Melodies set for release on February 27, 2026 and available for preorder here. New single 12 Romances, Op. 21: V. Lilacs by Sergei Rachmaninoff is out today – listen here.
“A world piano revolution” (Der Standard) at just twenty-three, Alexander Malofeev has already become one of the most captivating pianists of his generation. Praised by Il Giornale for embodying “the piano mastery of the new millennium,” he has performed with leading orchestras worldwide.
Born in Moscow in 2001, Malofeev studied at two of Russia’s most renowned institutions: the Gnessin Special School and the Tchaikovsky Conservatory. In 2014, at just thirteen, he won first prize at the junior edition of the prestigious International Tchaikovsky Competition.
Today, Alexander Malofeev lives in Berlin. With this recording, he seeks to connect traces of his heritage with those of the present. “I chose Berlin more or less by accident, but previously it had been home to Glinka, Glazunov and Medtner at some point in their lives.”
For his album, Malofeev has selected four composers who were all born in Russia but died far from their homeland: Alexander Glazunov in Paris (1936), Mikhail Glinka in Berlin (1857), Sergei Rachmaninoff in Beverly Hills (1943), and Nikolai Medtner in London (1951).
Yet more than the theme of exile - which shaped the lives of these four composers -what moves Malofeev most is another idea: “They all share a similar feeling of nostalgia,” he explains. “But you cannot really figure out which moment in time they are actually nostalgic for. It’s almost as if they are nostalgic for a very similar setting which never really existed in history. It’s like it is totally made up, almost a dream world - and you can find it everywhere on this album.”
Alongside Medtner’s cycle Forgotten Melodies, the most extensive work on the album is Sergei Rachmaninoff’s Second Piano Sonata, composed while he was still in Russia and revised nearly two decades later in Switzerland. “I’ve loved Rachmaninoff for as long as I can remember,” Malofeev admits - referring to his composing and piano: “His freedom, his spirit, his hands, his genius.” Malofeev deliberately chose the revised version of the Sonata, as it is shorter, more concise, and more economical in its writing - and therefore closer to Medtner.
Not yet in his mid-twenties, Alexander Malofeev has already stepped into the international spotlight, thanks to his phenomenal technique and, above all, the remarkable expressiveness of his playing. Conductor Riccardo Chailly notes that he is “not just a child prodigy,” recognizing that Malofeev “already possesses depth as well as technical, musical and mnemonic abilities.” The international press has hailed him as a “Russian genius” (Corriere della Sera); his performances are described as a “piano-world revolution” (Der Standard), his “magnetic pull” and ability to create a “weightlessly singing tone” (Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung) already marking him, at such a young age, as a truly exceptional artist.
ALEXANDER MALOFEEV – FORGOTTEN MELODIES – TRACKLIST:
Glinka – A Farewell to Saint Petersburg: No. 10, The Lark
Glinka – Mazurka in C Major
Glinka – Mazurka in C Minor
Glinka – Polka in D Minor
Glinka – Farewell Waltz
Medtner – I – Sonata reminiscenza
Medtner – II. Danza graziosa
Medtner – III. Danza festiva
Medtner – IV. Canzona fluviala
Medtner – V. Danza rustica
Medtner – VI. Canzona serenata
Medtner – VII. Danza silvestra
Medtner – VIII. Alla reminiscenza
Medtner – 2 Fairy Tales, Op. 48: No. 2, Tale of the Elves
Rachmaninoff – 5 Morceaux de fantaisie, Op. 3: No. 2, Prélude in C-Sharp Minor - Lento
Rachmaninoff – Fragments, Op.posth
Rachmaninoff – I. Allegro agitato
Rachmaninoff – II. Non allegro
Rachmaninoff – III. Allegro molto
Rachmaninoff - 12 Romances, Op. 21: V. Lilacs
Rachmaninoff – 5 Morceaux de fantaisie, Op. 3: No. 1, Élégie in E-Flat Minor
Rachmaninoff – No. 3: Grave
Rachmaninoff – No. 7: Moderato
Rachmaninoff – No. 8: Grave
Glazunov – 3 Études for Piano, Op. 31: No. 3. La nuit
Glazunov – Song of the Volga Boatmen, Op. 97
Glazunov – Idylle, Op. 103
Glazunov – 3 Miniatures for Piano, Op. 42: Valse - Allegretto
ALEXANDER MALOFEEV 2025 – 2026 PERFORMANCE DATES:
Oct 24 – Frankfurt, Germany – Alte Oper Frankfurt
Nov 9 – Leipzig, Germany – Mendelssohn-Haus Leipzig
Nov 10 – Berlin, Germany – Philharmonie Berlin
Nov 13 – Munich, Germany – Isarphilharmonie Munich
Nov 27 – Bari, Italy – Teatro Petruzzelli
Nov 30 – Trento, Italy – Sala Filarmonica
Dec 14 – Brussels, Belgium – Bozar / Centre for Fine Arts
Jan 12 – Bologna, Italy – Teatro Auditorium Manzoni
Jan 14 – Lausanne, Switzerland – Week-End Musical de Pully
Jan 15 – Grenoble, France – Auditorium du Musée
Jan 17 – Vienna, Austria – Konzerthaus
Jan 21 – Milan, Italy – Milan Conservatory / Sala Verdi
Jan 23 – Paris, France – Salle Gaveau
Jan 28 – Hamburg, Germany – Elbphilharmonie
Jan 31 – Shenzhen, China – Shenzhen Concert Hall / Verbier Festival
Feb 6 – Shenzhen, China – Shenzhen Concert Hall / Verbier Festival
Feb 7 – Shenzhen, China – Shenzhen Concert Hall / Verbier Festival
Feb 8 – Shenzhen, China – Shenzhen Concert Hall / Verbier Festival
Feb 14 – Brussels, Belgium – Festival Musiq3 / Flagey
Feb 25 – Hamburg, Germany – Elbphilharmonie / Großer Saal
Mar 3 – Orlando, FL, USA – Steinmetz Hall
Mar 5 – Houston, TX, USA – Jones Hall
Sony Music Masterworks comprises Masterworks, Sony Classical, Milan Records, XXIM Records, and Masterworks Broadway imprints. For email updates and information please visit www.sonymusicmasterworks.com/.
Alexander Malofeev Official Channels
Feb. 20: Pianist and Composer Olivia Belli Releases Her First Piano Concerto Daimon on Sony Classical – New Single Laertes Out Now
Feb. 20: Pianist and Composer Olivia Belli Releases Her First Piano Concerto Daimon on Sony Classical – New Single Laertes Out Now
Pianist and Composer Olivia Belli
Releases Her First Piano Concerto Daimon on Sony Classical
New Single: Laertes Featuring Cellist Raphaela Gromes
Out Now | Watch Music Video Here
Album Release Date: February 20, 2026
Pre-Save | Listen Here
Whether Johann Sebastian Bach, Frédéric Chopin, Philip Glass or Arvo Part– the works of these composers have inspired Olivia Belli, one of the most captivating voices in the neoclassical scene. Equally, art and literature open new worlds for her, fueling her creativity as a composer. The starting point for her Sony Classical album Daimon –– to be released on February 20, 2026 –– was Homer’s Odyssey. “It was Odysseus’ fate to return to his homeland Ithaca,” says Olivia Belli. “That’s where his wife and son were – everything that defined him.” New single, The Laertes featuring cellist Raphaela Gromes is out now. Watch the accompanying music video here.
The idea that every life is essentially a journey, one that inevitably leads us toward our true purpose, deeply fascinated the Italian artist from the picturesque Marche region. From this concept emerged the piano concerto Daimon – recorded with a string orchestra and inspired by Italian Baroque music. It consists of three movements: The Departure, The Journey, and The Return. The second movement, The Journey, stands out in particular. It reflects the trials, hardships, and suffering faced not only by Odysseus but also by Olivia Belli herself on her path to catharsis. These emotional highs and lows unfold in strikingly epic soundscapes.
Olivia Belli consciously wove her own biography into the concerto. Daimon spans her life from adolescence to the present. As the daughter of a bank manager, she moved frequently as a child. Despite discovering exciting cities, she always felt something was missing – though she couldn’t quite name it.
That changed at age 14, when an accident left her bedridden for several months. “During that time, I was thrown back on myself. With no distractions, I realized what I truly needed: music and nature.” She had reached the point Socrates once described: “You must know who you are before you go out into the world.” In other words, Olivia Belli had found what the Greek term daimon expresses – her calling. Since then, she has never lost sight of her purpose.
Olivia Belli studied with distinguished pianists and pedagogues including Alexander Lonquich, Jörg Demus, Franco Scala, and Piero Rattalino, and also pursued composition studies, enriching her artistic identity. She has performed at acclaimed events such as the Piano Nights in Amsterdam, the Montreal Jazz Festival, and the Steinway & Sons Piano Series at the Royal Albert Hall (Elgar Room). Olivia Belli has also composed works for various artists, including Norwegian violinist Mari Samuelsen, French cellist Gautier Capuçon, and British organist Anna Lapwood. Above all, she has continually embarked on sonic explorations for her own recordings – often inspired by nature or Greek mythology. Her latest creative phase, especially with the piano concerto Daimon, has produced something truly exceptional for a neoclassical artist. Rather than relying on force and orchestral grandeur, this work calls for sensitivity – expressed in Olivia Belli’s unmistakable musical language. She favors gentleness, nuanced emotion, and pastel tonal colors.
Following Daimon, her recording continues with the Ithaca Suite, another musical journey into ancient Greece. This piece portrays the characters Odysseus encounters upon his return – including his father Laertes and his son Telemachus. In these Rencontres, cellist Raphaela Gromes, violinist Eldbjørg Hemsing, and saxophonist Jess Gillam shine as guest musicians. Olivia Belli not only contributes her musical signature but also embraces the collaborative spirit with her fellow artists. Her openness to shared creative processes and her refined sense for musical dialogue make her a sought-after partner – both as a pianist and composer. This artistic connection is also reflected in Olivia Belli’s own compositions, where she interweaves personal themes with universal emotions.
Odysseus’ wife Penelope is honored by Olivia Belli with a piano solo at the heart of the Ithaca Suite, its melody gently oscillating between melancholy and hope. “There is no Odysseus without Penelope,” the musician reflects. “Knowing you’re not alone is essential. We exist above all thanks to the people by our side.”
The album concludes with a sonata that openly reveals its unpretentious beauty: the Sonatina for Nausicaa. Nausicaa was the daughter of the Phaeacian king. She did not shy away when she found the shipwrecked Odysseus on the shore, but instead offered him clothes and food. “Nowadays, few would invite a homeless person into their home,” Olivia Belli observes. “For many, a person’s worth is measured primarily by success or money. Yet we all have our own unique calling.”
Daimon: Piano Concerto, Ithaca Suite & Sonatina for Nausicaa
Release Date: February 20, 2025
Concerto for Piano and String Orchestra Daimon
1 I. The Departure
2 II. The Journey
3 III. The Return
Ithaca Suite
4 I. Proci
5 II. Telemachus
6 III. Eumaeus
7 IV. Penelopeia
8 V. Eurycleia
9 VI. Laertes
10 VII. Pax Athenae
Sonatina for Nausicaa
11 I. Semplice
12 II. Andantino
13 III. Allegretto
Olivia Belli & Eldbjørg Hemsing – Telemachus (Official Music Video)
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CONNECT WITH OLIVIA BELLI
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Sony Music Masterworks comprises Masterworks, Sony Classical, Milan Records, XXIM Records, and Masterworks Broadway imprints. For email updates and information please visit www.sonymusicmasterworks.com.
March 6: Anna Lapwood Returns with New Sony Classical Choral Album Arise, Shine – Featuring The Chapel Choir of Pembroke College, Cambridge
March 6: Anna Lapwood Returns with New Sony Classical Choral Album Arise, Shine – Featuring The Chapel Choir of Pembroke College, Cambridge
Anna Lapwood Returns with New Sony Classical Choral Album
Arise, Shine
Featuring The Chapel Choir of Pembroke College, Cambridge
Album Release Date: Friday, March 6, 2026
Pre-Order Available Now
Following a stellar 2025, sensational musician Anna Lapwood starts 2026 with the announcement of her brand-new choral album, Arise, Shine – pre-order here. This new recording follows her 2025 chart topping album, Firedove, and sees Anna conducting her beloved Chapel Choir of Pembroke College, Cambridge for the very last time.
Arise, Shine will be released on Friday, March 6, 2026 on Sony Classical and comes at a pivotal moment in Anna’s career, marking the conclusion of her tenure as Director of Music at Pembroke College, Cambridge, a role she held for nine years until the end of the summer term in 2025. The album is a deeply personal project, highlighting Anna’s close connection to The Pembroke College Chapel Choir and her committed mentoring of the students. The album features a rich and varied programme, including two original compositions by Anna – Arise, Shine and An Irish Blessing – written in response to special people and key moments during her time with Chapel Choir of Pembroke College, Cambridge.
Of the album, Anna notes:
“As I was preparing to leave Pembroke, I felt it was really important to do one final album with the Chapel Choir to mark their incredible hard work over the course of the last nine years. The choir has grown so much in that time - both in size but also in ambition and identity, and I have learned so much from working with these singers. I wanted to curate an album that felt like it summed up just a little of what makes Pembroke unique, pairing traditional repertoire with modern reinterpretations, and showcasing music written by young composers from within Pembroke Choir and beyond. It feels particularly special to include a piece written by Maryam Giraud who was one of my first girl choristers when I set up the Girls’ Choir, and who is now an undergraduate at the College. Her piece sets a text written by Cassidy McKinlay, one of our other altos, and it’s this kind of creative teamwork that I feel sums up Pembroke so beautifully. This is an album that is all about the unique warmth of making music with friends and being able to share that experience with others”.
The track list reflects Anna’s fascination with contrasting interpretations of sacred texts, pairing works such as Ubi Caritas by Maurice Duruflé and Ola Gjeilo, and O Sacrum Convivium by Olivier Messiaen and Lucy Walker. Walker, a former alto in the choir who knows its sound inside out, has become its most-performed living composer and contributes several works to the album. Other Pembroke highlights include Rain, a joint project between two more Chapel Choir altos where Maryam Giraud sets a text written by her fellow chorister, Cassidy McKinlay. Giraud’s journey from a young singer in the Girls’ Choir, founded in 2018, to composer on this album is a testament to Anna’s commitment to nurturing talent and creating opportunities for women and girls in music. The album also features Abide With Me by Maggie Kaposamweo, a young composer living in Zambia. Anna set up an online mentoring scheme for Maggie with Lucy Walker, and the commission fee for this composition helped fund Maggie’s music studies at the University of Lusaka, Zambia.
2025 was an extraordinary year for Anna Lapwood. Her album Firedove soared to No.1 on the Official Classical Artist Album Chart. She became the Royal Albert Hall’s first-ever Official Organist, premiered Max Richter’s new concerto Cosmology alongside Kristina Arakelyan’s Toccata and captivated audiences with her all-night BBC Proms event From Dark Till Dawn. International acclaim continued to grow with a landmark performance in Cologne, Germany, drawing a crowd of 13,000 people, forming a one-mile queue around the city.
Beyond the concert hall, Anna’s infectious enthusiasm for music has reached new audiences and she has achieved some remarkable milestones, including an appearance at New York Fashion Week, being featured on the Sunday Times Power List, and even giving Hollywood icon Tom Cruise an impromptu organ lesson. She rounded off 2025 with a sold-out nationwide tour ‘Christmas with Anna Lapwood’ and a Royal Albert Hall headline Christmas show.
ARISE, SHINE : TRACKLISTING:
1. Arise, Shine
Composer: Anna Lapwood
2. Adoro Te Devote
Composer: Cecilia Mcdowall
Lyricist: Saint Thomas Aquinas
3. Miserere
Composer: Gregorio Allegri
4. Regina Caeli
Composer: Lise Borel
5. Rain
Composer: Maryam Giraud
Lyricist: Cassidy Mckinlay
6. Ubi Caritas
Composer: Maurice Duruflé
7. Silent Night
Composer: Franz Xaver Gruber
8. The Lord’s Prayer
Composer: Lucy Walker
9. O Sacrum Convivium
Composer: Olivier Messiaen
Lyricist: Saint Thomas Aquinas
10. Ubi Caritas
Composer: Ola Gjeilo
11. A Hymn For St Cecilia
Composer: Lucy Walker
Lyricist: Ursula Vaughan Williams
12. Abide With Me
Composer: Maggie Kaposamweo
Lyricist: Maggie Kaposamweo & Henry Francis Lyte
13. O Sacrum Convivium
Composer: Lucy Walker
Lyricist: Saint Thomas Aquinas
14. An Irish Blessing
Composer: Anna Lapwood
15. Somewhere Over The Rainbow
Composer: Harold Arlen
Lyricist: Yip Harburg
Visit: www.annalapwood.co.uk
Feb. 13: Superstar Cellist HAUSER Revisits The Magic of Great Classical Melodies with The Swan – New Album on Sony Masterworks
Feb. 13: Superstar Cellist HAUSER Revisits The Magic of Great Classical Melodies with The Swan – New Album on Sony Masterworks
International cello sensation HAUSER adds a grace note to his global hits Classic and Classic II, with the release of The Swan, a new “musical love letter” to his instrument. The new musical collection features seven beautiful classical melodies transformed by the HAUSER’s deeply felt signature style and virtuosity, once again with the London Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Robert Ziegler. Available for pre-save now, The Swan is set for release on February 13, 2026 via Sony Masterworks on all digital music platforms.
Accompanying today’s news is the release of the title track and music video for The Swan, starring Italian prima ballerina Angelica Gismondo – watch here.
The Swan – a gentle, rapturous melody from Camille Saint-Saëns’ The Carnival of the Animals – is an obvious choice for HAUSER. The piece has a profound, personal meaning to him.
“I was just a few years old when I heard a cello on the radio for the first time, playing Saint-Saëns’ ‘The Swan’,” HAUSER recalls. “I just fell in love with the sound when I heard it. It was like… I can’t describe it. It’s not usual for a child to know what he wants at an early age. But that was the sound. I remember thinking, ‘That’s it.’”
The Swan also includes all-new arrangements of two favorites by the French composer Gabriel Fauré – Après un rêve (After a Dream) and the lightly dancing Pavane; perhaps Puccini’s most beloved aria, O mio babbino caro from the opera Gianni Schicchi, popularized on the soundtrack the classic film A Room with a View; a worldwide hit from over a century ago, Sir Edward Elgar’s charming Salut d’amour (Love’s Greeting); and the robust, instantly recognizable zest of Johannes Brahms’ Hungarian Dance No. 5.
HAUSER tops off this musical bouquet with a new take on the soaring pop anthem You Raise Me Up, best known in Josh Groban’s chart-topping recording.
Though Saint-Saëns’ The Swan was written for the cello, the other selections on The Swan were written for voice, various other instruments or the orchestra. Like the selections on Classic and Classic II, they reflect HAUSER’s passion for taking the most expressive and unforgettable melodies, and adapting them to showcase the warm, singing tone of the cello.
HAUSER – THE SWAN
RELEASE DATE: FEBRUARY 13, 2026
OFFICIAL TRACKLIST –
1. The Swan
2. Après un rêve
3. Pavane
4. mio babbino caro
5. Salut d'Amour
6. Hungarian Dance No. 5
7. You Raise Me Up
ABOUT HAUSER
Following an incredible 10-year run as half of 2CELLOS, global superstar HAUSER has ushered in a new era as a solo artist and visual concept creator, using his innovative musical skills and irresistible charisma to bring a new wave of cello music to fans everywhere. Making his solo debut in 2020 with the release of CLASSIC, followed by The Player (2022), HAUSER CHRISTMAS (2023), CLASSIC II (2024) and CINEMA (2025), HAUSER has amassed over 2 billion audio streams and 4 billion video views globally. Revered globally for his captivating live performance, the Croatian musician is a phenomenon that thrives on audience interaction, hitting the stage in over 40 countries across the globe including historic venues like New York City’s Radio City Music Hall and London’s Royal Albert Hall and performing alongside such wide-ranging acts as Andrea Bocelli, Red Hot Chili Peppers, and Elton John, as well as adored by Céline Dion. His electric stage presence has also led to several high-profile appearances, including an opening night performance at the 2022 Venice International Film Festival, performing at the Vatican for the Pope, and special features for both the NFL and UEFA. Named one of People Magazine’s 2022 Sexiest Men Alive and featured by the likes of Rolling Stone, Forbes, and The New York Times, HAUSER has graced the stage for numerous broadcast performances, most recently adding Love Island to a long resume of appearances that includes The Bachelorette, TODAY Show, Good Morning America, Ellen, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, CNN en Español and more. In 2025, HAUSER launched “Music Unites the World” on his social media -- a passion project where he will record an iconic song from each nation around the globe to spread a message of unity through music.
Connect With Hauser:
Website | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube | TikTok
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Sony Music Masterworks comprises Masterworks, Sony Classical, Milan Records, XXIM Records and Masterworks Broadway imprints. For email updates and information please visit www.sonymusicmasterworks.com/