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Decca Classics Signs Sir Anthony Hopkins - The Academy Award-winning Actor Unveils Major New Recording Project Comprising Over 6 Decades Of Original Compositions

"Music was my first desire, my first wish" Sir Anthony Hopkins
First single 'Bracken Road' from Hopkins' 1947: Suite for Solo Piano and Orchestra <a href="https://anthonyhopkins.lnk.to/BrackenRoad">OUT TODAY</a>
Decca Classics is delighted to announce the exclusive signing of Sir Anthony Hopkins as a composer. The Academy Award-winning actor will release his first recording with the label next month, bringing together a selection of orchestral works written across more than six decades.
After a lifetime of composing, Hopkins shares his most personal musical project to date, entitled <a href="http://anthonyhopkins.lnk.to/LifeIsADream">Life is a Dream</a>. Performed by Grammy Award-winning conductor&nbsp;Gustavo Dudamel&nbsp;and the&nbsp;Philharmonia Orchestra, the album presents new recordings of original works inspired by Hopkins&rsquo; family, Wales and a lifetime of experience.
Known around the world as one of the most celebrated actors of his generation, Hopkins has maintained a parallel creative life as a composer since childhood. Long before acting became his profession, music was his first passion. Born in Port Talbot, Wales, he began playing the piano at the age of four and was performing Beethoven and Chopin just a few years later. He started improvising as young as six years old, and was composing music for local plays as a teenager in the 1950s.
"Music was my first desire, my first wish," says Hopkins.&nbsp;"I've been composing music all my life. Some of these pieces have lived with me for decades and I still find myself returning to them."
The new recording project features works written across different periods of Hopkins' life, revealing a composer whose music shares the same emotional depth and storytelling that define his screen career. Here is an intimate musical memoir shaped by loved-ones, imagination, and heritage. Several pieces draw directly on his Welsh upbringing and the landscapes of his boyhood, while others reflect important people and experiences that have accompanied him over the years.
The first piece of music to be released is 'Bracken Road'&nbsp;from&nbsp;Hopkins' 1947: Suite for Solo Piano and Orchestra. Inspired by childhood memories of Margam, South Wales, it is a nostalgic musical portrait of the streets, meadows, farmland and mountains that surrounded his family home in the 1940s.
Originally conceived as a song while Hopkins was a young actor at the Liverpool Playhouse in 1963, the melody emerged during quiet mornings improvising at an upright piano backstage before rehearsals. Its blues-inflected character reflects the influence of the Harry James Orchestra and Jackie Gleason's lush orchestral ballads, while the orchestration pays tribute to the slow movement of Elgar's First Symphony, with soaring strings, muted trumpet, clarinet and solo piano creating a warm, reflective soundscape.
There is a further tribute to Wales in My Fatherland&nbsp;&ndash; a piece to, as he puts it,&nbsp;&ldquo;honour my humble beginnings. I am the son of my father, the baker.&rdquo;&nbsp;It is inspired by traditional Welsh melodies and his enduring connection to the country of his birth. Other compositions on the album draw on memories of Port Talbot, childhood visits with his grandfather, the cinema that first caught his imagination and the people closest to him:&nbsp;Stella Aria&nbsp;for his beloved wife, and&nbsp;Tara&nbsp;for his niece.
Sir Anthony Hopkins&nbsp;says of the signing,&nbsp;&ldquo;My whole life is a dream. Signing with Decca is the honour of a lifetime. It has been a true privilege to collaborate with the distinguished Philharmonia Orchestra and the virtuoso soloists, cellist Gregorio Nieto and classical pianist Sergio Tiempo. My deepest gratitude and respect go to Maestro Gustavo Dudamel, whose artistry is an integral part of this musical journey. With the graceful precision of his baton, he transformed each note with profound and indelible meaning, creating a pictorial landscape that invites the listener to feel and imagine something uniquely personal.&rdquo;
Gustavo Dudamel&nbsp;says, "Sir Anthony Hopkins is one of those rare artists whose creative voice transcends any single medium. The same depth of imagination, humanity, and emotional truth that has defined his extraordinary work on stage and screen is present in his music. Listening to his composition, I am struck by its beauty, craftsmanship, and the unmistakable sense of wonder that animates it. Anthony approaches music with the heart of a storyteller and the instincts of a poet, creating sound worlds that are both deeply personal and universally resonant. It has been a privilege to collaborate with him on this recording alongside my friends Gregorio Nieto, Sergio Tiempo, and the Philharmonia Orchestra, and to help bring to life the musical voice of an artist whose creativity knows no boundaries.&rdquo;
President of Decca, Laura Monks, says:&nbsp;&ldquo;It is such a privilege to have the great Sir Anthony Hopkins join Decca Classics. His depth of talent and classical music knowledge, honed over a lifetime, is a joy to celebrate with this new album. Hearing his incredible compositions come to life at the recording sessions in London with Gustavo Dudamel and the Philharmonia Orchestra was a once in a lifetime experience that we are excited to bring to the world.&rdquo;
&nbsp;Alongside Gustavo Dudamel and the Philharmonia, the recording features pianist Sergio Tiempo, cellist Gregorio Nieto, The Bach Choir and the Boy Choristers of Winchester Cathedral. The album was recorded at Alexandra Palace, London in April 2026.
In support of the people of Venezuela during this time of profound hardship, Anthony Hopkins will be making a donation from the sales of the&nbsp;Life Is a Dream CD and vinyl to the United Nations Development Fund.
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<a href="http://anthonyhopkins.lnk.to/LifeIsADream">&lsquo;LIFE IS A DREAM&rsquo;</a>&nbsp;IS RELEASED 21ST&nbsp;AUGUST 2026 ON DECCA CLASSICS

Jess Gillam Announces 'Shine' - A joyful new album spanning 900 years of music, from Hildegard of Bingen to David Bowie

Decca Classics announces SHINE, the new album from saxophonist and broadcaster Jess Gillam, released on 9 October 2026.
"I had one ambition with this project: to make an album that would make people smile," says Jess. "I wrote down an album manifesto about a year ago and it simply said: BIG ENERGY. BEAUTY. MUSIC TO MAKE PEOPLE SMILE. MUSIC TO LIFT PEOPLE UP."
Spanning 900 years of music, SHINE brings together folk traditions, Baroque masterpieces, jazz, classical music and contemporary song in a programme that reflects Jess's eclectic musical upbringing. &nbsp;
"I know music alone can&rsquo;t fix the world but it can be a positive, unifying light in a world that can feel increasingly overwhelming and chaotic. That positive power is what I&rsquo;m trying to celebrate on this album. I&rsquo;m hoping that across these 11 tracks, you&rsquo;ll find music packed with a whole lot of raw, impactful energy &ndash; whether you&rsquo;ll be dancing to Bechet&rsquo;s riotous riffs, comforted by the tender beauty of Ó Catháin&rsquo;s &ldquo;Tabhair dom do Lámh&rdquo; or celebrating life with Hildegard von Bingen&rsquo;s &ldquo;Spiritus sanctus vivificans&rdquo;.
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Keeping collaboration and connection at its heart, the album pairs well known classics with new discoveries. Alongside Jess are Max Baillie and Ellie Consta (violin), Ali Vennart (viola), Hadewych van Gent (cello), Sam Becker (double bass), Sam Wilson (drums/percussion) and Leif Kaner-Lidstr&ouml;m (piano). She&rsquo;s also joined by an extended string group for the C.P.E. Bach.
Recorded over just three days at School Farm Studios in Cambridgeshire, SHINE marks Jess's first album as co producer, working alongside Norwegian violinist and artistic director of Barokksolistene, Bjarte Eike, Sam Becker and engineer and mixer Will Purton.&nbsp; &nbsp;
"Making this album was honestly one of the best experiences I've ever had," says Jess. "The dedication and skill of the musicians in the room made me feel unbelievably grateful to have picked up a saxophone at the age of seven and for it to have become my life. I've loved co-producing this album and I&rsquo;ve learnt so much along the way. I'm so thankful to all of the players and everyone behind the scenes for giving this album absolutely everything."
The album includes music by Rune Tonsgaard S&oslash;rensen, Kate Bush, Barbara Strozzi, C.P.E. Bach, Sidney Bechet, Barbara Thompson, Joni Mitchell, Corelli, David Bowie and Hildegard of Bingen. It also features Prelude to Hildegard, an improvisation on the final track, Hildegard of Bingen's&nbsp;Spiritus sanctus vivificans.
Described by&nbsp;The Times&nbsp;as "everybody's favourite saxophonist" and praised for her "breath-taking high wire virtuosity" by&nbsp;The Arts Desk, Jess has become one of Britain's most distinctive musical voices. The first saxophonist to sign with Decca Classics, she is the award-winning presenter of BBC Radio 3's&nbsp;This Classical Life, became the youngest ever soloist to perform at the BBC's Last Night of the Proms and was awarded an MBE for services to music in 2021.
The music of SHINE will continue to be heard throughout 2026, with performances including Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festival, Hamburg's Elbphilharmonie and Lichfield Festival during the summer, followed by a series of UK dates after the album's release, including Kings Place, Saffron Hall, St George's Bristol, Wiltshire Music Centre and The Glasshouse.
Alongside performances of SHINE, Jess&rsquo; 2026 season includes appearances at the BBC Proms, where she performs the premiere of Gwilym Simcock's&nbsp;Triple Concerto&nbsp;alongside Sheku Kanneh-Mason and Ben Goldscheider, as well as engagements with BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland, Antwerp Symphony Orchestra and Odense Symphony Orchestra. From September 2026 she also begins her tenure as Artist in Residence with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra.

HIMARI Presents Debut Album, Recorded Live With The Berliner Philharmoniker

On her 15th birthday, Decca Classics today announces the debut album from violinist Himari, released on 25 September 2026. Her first full-length recording since signing exclusively to the label in 2025, the album centres on Henryk Wieniawski's Violin Concerto No. 1, recorded live with the Berliner Philharmoniker and Sebastian Weigle at the Philharmonie in Berlin during her debut performances with the orchestra in March 2025.
The recording marks Decca Classics' first new recording project with the Berliner Philharmoniker since Sir Georg Solti 30 years ago. It brings together music that has shaped Himari&rsquo;s musical journey and reflects the repertoire she feels most deeply connected to.
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"For my first album, I wanted to choose music I truly love and feel deeply connected to, not just pieces that are famous," says Himari. "I hope this album reflects both my love for the violin and my curiosity about music and expression."
The concerto has played an important role throughout Himari&rsquo;s musical life under the expert and inspirational tutelage of Ida Kavafian at Philadelphia&rsquo;s Curtis Institute. Himari chose the work for a performance with the New Japan Philharmonic in 2023.
At just 13 years old, she made her debut with the orchestra at the Philharmonie in Berlin, the youngest violinist to perform with the orchestra since Sarah Chang in 1994 and Yehudi Menuhin in 1929. That performance, recorded live with conductor Sebastian Weigle, forms the centrepiece of this album.
"That concert remains one of the most memorable moments of my musical life so far," says Himari. "The energy of a live performance is very special, and I felt incredibly honoured to perform with such an extraordinary orchestra. From the very first rehearsal, I was inspired by the richness of their sound and by how naturally they listened and responded."
For Himari, the concerto is more than a career milestone: "I feel deeply connected to this concerto," she says. "As with all the works on this album, it's music that is often very virtuosic and romantic, but which for me is also very personal and expressive."
Alongside Wieniawski's Violin Concerto No. 1, the album includes his Fantasia on Themes from Gounod's&nbsp;Faust, one of the great virtuoso works of the violin repertoire. The programme also includes works by Chopin in transcriptions by Jascha Heifetz and Nathan Milstein, alongside Leopold Godowsky's&nbsp;Alt Wien&nbsp;and Sibelius's&nbsp;Mazurka&nbsp;from&nbsp;Five Pieces for Violin and Piano.
Himari recorded the recital repertoire with pianist Chelsea Wang. Together, the live concerto recording and the recital performances reflect the range of music she wanted to include on her first album.
"This is what I enjoy," says Himari. "To explore the finest details of phrasing and sound, while expressing myself freely."
Dominic Fyfe, A&amp;R Director of Decca Classics, writes:&nbsp;&ldquo;A debut album is always cause for celebration and none more so than this from Himari. Her debut with the Berlin Philharmonic aged 13 was the kind of historic moment great live recordings are all about: an unrepeatable event captured for posterity. Decca Classics also celebrates its first recording with the Berlin Philharmonic since Sir Georg Solti in 1996, a recording which marked his 50th&nbsp;anniversary as an exclusive artist with the label&rdquo;.
Himari has already appeared with orchestras including the Berliner Philharmoniker, Philadelphia Orchestra, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, London Philharmonic Orchestra, Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra and Orchestre de la Suisse Romande.
Before her fourteenth birthday, she had signed with Decca Classics, made her debut with the Berliner Philharmoniker and begun recording for the label.
While her international profile continues to grow, Himari has already built a remarkable following in Japan, where her performances have attracted millions of online views and widespread media attention, while a recent NHK documentary charting her musical development introduced her story to a national television audience.
This recording was made possible by the generous support of Mr Kunio Yamada, ROHTO Pharmaceutical Japan.

Obituary: Stanley Goodall (31 May 1934 – 11 June 2026)

Stanley (&lsquo;Stan&rsquo;) Goodall, one of the recording engineers who shaped the sound of Decca&rsquo;s golden era, was born on 31 May 1934 in Paddington, London, and joined Decca Records on 28 December 1949, aged fifteen. His career would go on to span nearly every audio medium of the twentieth century, from wax to compact disc.
When Stan arrived at Decca, he was one of only about twelve employees. His potential was recognised early by balance engineers Arthur Bannister and Arthur Lilley, who soon inducted him into their West Hampstead studios and the world of recorded sound. He learned his craft in a company then at the forefront of its field, under figures such as the Technical Director Arthur Haddy and Kenneth (&lsquo;Wilkie&rsquo;) Wilkinson, whose pioneering work on &lsquo;Full Frequency Range Recording&rsquo; had given Decca its competitive edge in the post-war years. It was here that Stan&rsquo;s own talent was able to flourish, as 78rpm discs gave way to LPs and mono opened into stereo.
In today&rsquo;s immersive world of Dolby Atmos, it seems almost unbelievable that stereo was not only regarded with suspicion during those immediate post-war years but was tolerated only as a secondary technique to the principal mono product. Recorded by an additional balance engineer through different microphones to a separate tape machine, those stereo tapes remained untouched for many years, and it was not until 1958 that Cyril Windebank oversaw the cutting of those tapes to disc. By then Stan was nine years into his career, already versed in every stage of the recording chain and experienced in cutting 78s, 45s and LPs, including discs of recordings made in Africa by the engineer Ken Cress, adventurous work for its time. Recognising both his ability as an outstanding cutting engineer and his appetite for new methods, Windebank entrusted him with some of Decca&rsquo;s first stereo discs.
His work with Windebank brought him repertoire and interpretations that were brand new to him, and he enjoyed the challenge. Among the first recordings he was entrusted to transfer from tape to disc was Kenneth Alwyn&rsquo;s celebrated 1812 Overture with the London Symphony Orchestra, an early sign of the work that would come his way. The cutting of Solti and Culshaw&rsquo;s landmark Das Rheingold with the Vienna Philharmonic proved a more significant challenge still. The great anvil blow near the work&rsquo;s end pushed the system to its limits, and it was the balance engineer Gordon Parry who came in to help reproduce it successfully on disc. Parry, delighted with the result, became an important mentor, giving Stan his first opportunities in Vienna. His method was to set a studio up, tell Stan to get on with the session and leave him to it.
From the cutting room and the lathe, Stan naturally progressed to microphones and tape machines at venues across the country. Gradually, his career took off across Europe, the United States and Canada, and having learned his craft from Kenneth Wilkinson, Arthur Haddy, Arthur Bannister and Arthur Lilley, Stan went on to become a key player in defining Decca&rsquo;s &lsquo;Golden Era&rsquo;, which lasted from the 1950s to the 1990s. Stan&rsquo;s contributions to legendary Decca recordings include: the 1969 Argo recording of Vivaldi&rsquo;s Four Seasons by the Academy of St Martin in the Fields with Alan Loveday and Sir Neville Marriner; the 1970 set of Verdi&rsquo;s Macbeth with Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, Elena Souliotis, Nicolai Ghiaurov, Luciano Pavarotti and Lamberto Gardelli; the 1971 Christmas Festival album with Renata Tebaldi, a personal favourite of Stan&rsquo;s; the 1987 disc of Bart&oacute;k&rsquo;s Concerto for Orchestra with Charles Dutoit and the Montreal Symphony Orchestra, which was nominated for the Best Engineered Classical Recording at the 1990 Grammy Awards; the 1990 recording of Carl Orff&rsquo;s Carmina Burana with Herbert Blomstedt and the San Francisco Symphony, which won the 1993 Grammy for Best Choral Performance; the 1993 CD of The Impatient Lover with Cecilia Bartoli and Sir Andr&aacute;s Schiff, which won the 1995 Grammy for Best Classical Vocal Performance; and the 1994 discs of Anton Rubinstein&rsquo;s Piano Concerto No. 4 with Shura Cherkassky and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Vladimir Ashkenazy and of Mendelssohn&rsquo;s Four Pieces for String Quartet with the Ysa&yuml;e Quartet that marked Stan&rsquo;s last recording sessions before retirement.
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During his forty-five years with Decca and its subsidiary Argo, Stan worked on a dazzling array of albums that featured some of classical music&rsquo;s finest exponents, including Sir Georg Solti, Vladimir Ashkenazy, Dame Joan Sutherland, Luciano Pavarotti, Riccardo Chailly, Istv&aacute;n Kert&eacute;sz, Sir Andr&aacute;s Schiff, Radu Lupu, Alicia de Larrocha, Jorge Bolet, Sir Neville Marriner, George Guest, John Ogdon, David Munrow, Sir Roger Norrington, Felicity Palmer and the Aeolian Quartet.
Beyond the faders, Stan was renowned for his good humour and guileless charm, qualities that landed him in trouble more than once, even earning him the occasional &lsquo;sack&rsquo; from Arthur Haddy, though he always found his way back into the fold. One such indiscretion involved a starting pistol which he had been sent to buy for a Billy Cotton LP. After trying to make it work all the way home, Stan finally managed to trigger the pistol back at Decca headquarters. It went off with a deafening bang, which prompted fits of involuntary laughter. Upstairs, however, Haddy was entertaining the head of Decca, Sir Edward Lewis. Incandescent with rage, Haddy rushed down and shouted: &lsquo;You&rsquo;re sacked. Go!&rsquo; But when Stan showed up for work the following Monday morning, Haddy barked: &lsquo;What are you doing here? I thought I&rsquo;d fired you!&rsquo; Stan replied simply: &lsquo;I didn&rsquo;t think you meant it.&rsquo; Once Haddy had walked away muttering, he got straight back to work.
Above all, Stan channelled his efforts into keeping the Decca ethos alive. He always pushed technical boundaries and was soon dubbed the &lsquo;King of the Red Lights&rsquo; by his peers. Never one to shy away from an acoustic challenge, Stan would get a recording&rsquo;s absolute maximum range without creating distortion. He regularly pushed contemporary technology to its limits and allowed the results to speak for themselves. When he announced his retirement in 1994, Decca, reluctant to lose his wealth of experience, asked him to help guide the next generation&mdash;a role he took to with characteristic grace and came to regard as two of the most rewarding years of his career. But what made Stan a great balance engineer was not simply his technical expertise. He had a remarkably intuitive grasp of balance&mdash;an innate feel for what would work and what would not&mdash;and he relied on that instinct with exceptional success.
Ultimately, there are far more wonderful anecdotes and stories around Stan than any tribute could hold, the kind still fondly recounted at Decca reunions in Bounds Green and beyond. But what those who knew him will remember above all was his irrepressible good cheer, and the warmth and joy he brought to every room he worked in. Stanley Goodall found his place in the history of recording, and he will live forever in the hearts and minds of all who knew and worked with him.
Stanley Goodall died peacefully at home on 11 June 2026, aged 92, and is survived by his wife Julie and their daughters, Pippa and Rosanna.
David Gleeson  Head of Recording, Royal Academy of Music
David Gleeson&rsquo;s first job out of university was working for Decca, where he was taught by none other than Stan

Decca Classics Signs Breakthrough Pianist Tianyao Lyu

&ldquo;For me, playing the piano itself feels like resting &mdash; it is my most natural state.&rdquo; Tianyao Lyu
Decca Classics is delighted to announce the signing of Chinese pianist Tianyao Lyu to an exclusive multi-album recording agreement, following her breakthrough at the 2025 International Chopin Piano Competition in Warsaw, where she became one of the competition's most talked-about young pianists.
At just 16 years old during the competition, Tianyao became one of its youngest finalists. Although she did not take first prize, audiences around the world were captivated by her warmth, spontaneity and unmistakable joy at the piano. By the final round, audiences in Warsaw felt they were witnessing the emergence of a major new artist.
In addition to receiving joint 4th Prize, Tianyao was awarded one of the competition&rsquo;s most prestigious special prizes for the best concerto performance, recognising the exceptional impact of her appearances with orchestra during the final round.
Throughout the competition, critics repeatedly singled her out as one of its most distinctive young artists. Polish critic Adam Suprynowicz Gmys described her performances as a &ldquo;near revelatory moment&rdquo;, while Piotr Chęćka called her a &ldquo;serious talent&rdquo;. Writing in Gramophone, Jed Distler praised her playing for its &ldquo;consistent sparkle and rhythmic point in every phrase&rdquo;, describing her concerto performance as the one that truly &ldquo;brought this concerto to life&rdquo;.
As the competition progressed, Tianyao rapidly became one of the names audiences whispered about most between performances. Clips of her playing spread widely online and listeners returned repeatedly to her performances, drawn not only to her playing, but also to the joy she brought to the stage.
Lyu has often spoken about approaching music not as competition, but as communication. Reflecting on the Chopin Competition, she later said: &ldquo;I viewed the competition as a concert that belonged to me, rather than as an arena.&rdquo;
That philosophy was especially evident in her performances with orchestra, for which she received the competition&rsquo;s special prize for best concerto performance. &ldquo;For me, a concerto is a mutual journey,&rdquo; she explains. &ldquo;It is not a monologue of the piano, but a dialogue.&rdquo;
Born in China, Tianyao comes from a musical family. Her father is a pianist and her mother played the violin. She began studying piano in Beijing before continuing her artistic development in Poland with the distinguished pianist and pedagogue Professor Katarzyna Popowa-Zydroń, former Chair of the International Chopin Competition jury.
Living in Poland has deepened Tianyao&rsquo;s connection to Chopin and to the musical culture surrounding his work. Poznań has become a second home for the young pianist, bringing her closer to the musical tradition most closely associated with Chopin. During the Chopin Competition, Polish audiences embraced her with extraordinary warmth. As the Fryderyk Chopin Institute explained: &ldquo;The competition is where the audience met the wonderful pianist Tianyao. Polish music lovers affectionately call her Nasza Marysia, which translates as &lsquo;our dear little Mary&rsquo;, an affectionate way to say thank you for her wonderful music-making.&rdquo;
Still only 17, Tianyao already performs major works by Chopin, Bach and Mozart with remarkable maturity and individuality. Asked why she feels so connected to Chopin&rsquo;s music, Tianyao explains simply that it reflects &ldquo;humanity itself&rdquo;. She has also spoken about approaching music not as self-expression, but as understanding: &ldquo;Once true understanding is reached, one&rsquo;s own voice emerges naturally within it.&rdquo;
Music became deeply personal to Tianyao following the illness and death of her grandmother when she was eight years old. During that period, her grandmother listened daily to Beethoven, Rachmaninoff and Chopin. &ldquo;Music gave her immense strength during her most painful days,&rdquo; Tianyao recalls. &ldquo;That experience taught me that music is not merely an art &mdash; it can be a force that sustains life.&rdquo;
Away from the piano, Tianyao enjoys horseback riding, skiing, skating, ballet, drawing, writing and composing. Despite her growing international career, audiences and colleagues alike have been struck by her sincerity, curiosity and natural connection to music.
Decca Classics Executive Producer Helen Rogers says:&nbsp;&ldquo;From the earliest rounds of last year&rsquo;s Chopin Competition, Tianyao Lyu transported us all into her world through effortlessly beautiful, imaginative interpretations. Her poise and youthful approach was captivating, and her profound joy in sharing her artistry with an audience was palpable. We couldn&rsquo;t be happier to welcome her to Decca Classics.&rdquo;
President of Decca Records Laura Monks says:&nbsp;"Tianyao Lyu is an outstanding young talent who has already captured people's attention around the world. A true star has emerged. We are so proud to be Tianyao's exclusive recording partner as she begins what I am sure will be an illustrious recording career.&rdquo;
Tianyao says: &ldquo;I am delighted to join the Decca Classics family, where I feel so grateful to have found both an exceptional team and true friends who share my passion for music. Recording is a process of constant rediscovery and rethinking of music, and it will allow me to capture and preserve my life's milestones, sharing my understanding with listeners. I am especially happy to begin this journey with Chopin. His timeless music speaks to our deepest human emotions, allowing us to see ourselves and feel our connection with one another.&rdquo;
Tianyao&rsquo;s first recording projects for Decca Classics will centre around the music of Chopin, with further details to be announced soon.

Obituary: Ruth Slenczynska, 1925–2026

Ruth Slenczynska Kerr (January 15, 1925 - April 22, 2026)
Ruth Julia Slenczynska Kerr (nee Slenczynski) was born in Sacramento, CA in 1925 to Josef Julius and Dorothy (Goldstein) Slenczynski. Her early life was dominated by her extraordinary talents as a pianist. Her first performances were at the age of three and by the age of five, she had received the recognition of pianist Josef Hofmann who proclaimed her as &ldquo;the most astonishing child prodigy&rdquo; he had ever heard. Her fame continued to grow as the family moved to Berlin in Oct. 1930 and then to Paris in 1932. With each move, came additional performances, rave reviews and introductions to famous pedagogues and musicians.
At age eight, she gave her New York debut. The&nbsp;New York Times described this concert as an &ldquo;electrifying experience, something nature has produced&nbsp;in one of its most bounteous moods&rdquo; and the reviewer, Olin Downes called her the &ldquo;greatest piano genius since Mozart.&rdquo; Her fame spread throughout the world. In January 1934, Ruth filled in for the legendary Ignacy Jan Paderewski and later that year, she substituted for Sergei Rachmaninoff in a recital at Philharmonic Auditorium in Los Angeles, playing the major work on his program: Schumann&rsquo;s&nbsp;Carnaval.  This concert was such a success that Rachmaninoff invited her to play for him at his house, which resulted in a series of lessons. 
As a teen, she had gained international success and performed throughout the world with major orchestras. In 1941, at age 16, she took a pause from performing. She resumed her performing career after the death of her father in 1951, receiving high acclaim for her performances at the Carmel Bach Festival that year. She changed her surname to &ldquo;Slenczynska&rdquo; shortly thereafter.
As an adult, she recorded 14 albums for the Music Library, RCA, and Decca labels. In addition to her extensive solo recital and concerto performances, she gave over 360 concerts while on tour in the late 1950s with Arthur Fiedler and the Boston Pops Orchestra.  In her 80s and 90s, she gave extensive tours throughout Japan and Taiwan. The LiuMAER label published ten volumes of recordings of these live performances in their 10-volume CD series The Art of Ruth Slenczynska.&nbsp;In 2020, Slenczynska&rsquo;s American Decca LPs from the 1960s were reissued on 10 CDs by the Eloquence label which received rave reviews. Her final professional recording,&nbsp;My Life in Music, was produced by David Frost in NYC on the Decca Classics label. This recording remains on the Amazon Best Seller listing for Classical Music CDs. Ruth received many distinguished awards throughout her life. The most recent awards included an honorary doctorate from Curtis Institute of Music in 2022 and the &ldquo;Lifetime Artistic Achievement Award&rdquo; from the New York Dance &amp; Arts Innovations at the Polish Embassy in 2024.
In addition to her major teachers--Josef Hofmann and Isabelle Vengerova at Curtis Institute; Egon Petri and Artur Schnabel in Berlin; Alfred Cortot and Nadia Boulanger in Paris; and Sergei Rachmaninoff, she also knew the giants of her time. To name only a few, she met and performed for Francis Poulenc, Igor Stravinsky, Samuel Barber, and Hector Villa Lobos. She performed for USA presidents including: Herbert Hoover and John F. Kennedy, and she was given distinguished awards by Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan. She played a four-hand duet with Harry Truman. She was invited for tea by the Empress of Japan during her tours there and was personal friends with other great artists such as Alicia de Larrocha, Jorge Bolet, Vladimir Horowitz, Artur Rubinstein, Claudia Arrau, Yvonne Loriod, and Jascha Heifetz. She also was friends with Hollywood stars such as Olivia de Havilland from&nbsp;Gone with the Wind and Clifton Webb.
Ruth cared deeply about those who heard her music. Prior to the dominance of the Internet, every fan or student who wrote her a note received a long-handwritten note in reply. In later years, she replied via email when possible. She maintained this practice until 2024 when she was no longer able to monitor her correspondence.
Ruth was a devoted pedagogue who gave generous amounts of time to each student. Her primary position was as at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (SIUE) where she served as the Artist-in-Residence from 1964 to 1987 and then part-time until 2001. In addition to this primary position, she was the Artist-in-Residence at Soochow University in Tapei, Taiwan from 2002-2003 where she gave a series of masterclasses with students and teachers performing piano concertos. In addition, she gave masterclasses and workshops all over the world throughout her life and taught private students in her apartment in NYC from 2003-2020.
In addition to her teaching and concert work, Slenczynska wrote numerous articles which were published in&nbsp;Clavier, Fanfare, Keyboard, and&nbsp;Piano Quarterly&nbsp;and two books:&nbsp;Forbidden Childhood&nbsp;(Doubleday,1957) which deals with life as a child prodigy and&nbsp;Music at Your Fingertips:&nbsp;Advice for the Artist&nbsp;and Amateur on Playing the Piano (Da Capo press 1961, 1976) which includes numerous practice tips. 
Ruth was a devoted wife and aunt. She married James Kerr, a Professor of Political Science at SIUE, in 1967. Jim was the love of her life and soulmate. They enjoyed cooking gourmet meals together, travel, and art. When reflecting on these years in her 2022 interview for CBS Sunday Morning, she recalled that these were the happiest years of her life and that &ldquo;I would marry him all over again.&rdquo;
Ruth was a lifelong learner. She never included fingering in her scores because she wanted to discover the score anew each time she prepared the work for a performance. Prior to each lesson, she reviewed the music for the works that the student was scheduled to play. She was never content to rely on her past knowledge or experiences but stayed current with recent scholarship. Each weekend, she studied the&nbsp;New York Times to discover new composers and trends in music. The following day often included a trip to the Julliard bookstore to purchase a score. Her apartment in NYC was filled with books on a variety of topics. Even in her final years, in addition to books about music, she often read short stories by Guy de Maupassant in French and American classics. &nbsp;
She regularly shared her love for art with her students and family. Visits to NYC to see her often included visits to the Metropolitan Art Museum or the Museum of Modern Art where Ruth was a member. She especially enjoyed Impressionistic art and studied its work and history a great deal.
She loved to walk, and regularly students and friends reveled in the fact that they had to run to keep up with her pace! Paris was her favorite city in all the world, and she loved everything that reminded her of this location, including croissants. She spoke fluent French until the end of her life.
Ruth gave tirelessly to others through her music and financial support. At the request of Michelle Obama, she gave numerous recitals to help raise money for an all-black student college. In addition, she performed recitals throughout Japan to help raise money for the tsunami victims. She regularly supported Doctors Without Borders and other charity organizations. &nbsp;
Ruth was an inspiration to all through her resilient nature. Despite her difficult childhood as a child prodigy with a demanding father who put enormous pressure on her, she overcame her past and continued to perform. She overcame periods of great loss, such as the death of her husband, and moved forward. She always adapted to the challenges that surrounded her, including learning new technologies during the Pandemic, and learning to live with an aging body in the final years. She encouraged everyone around her to keep their thoughts and mind on the future and not to dwell on past successes or failures. &nbsp;
Her musical career is documented through the Ruth Slenczynska Collection in Lovejoy Library at SIUE.  At Ruth Slenczynska&rsquo;s request, her two grand pianos have been recently gifted to the college. In addition, a display case for the music department has been purchased which will display the Faberg&eacute; egg that Rachmaninoff gave her as a child, as well as a revolving display of her books, CDs, awards, photos and various documents from the collection.
A memorial service will be held at SIUE on August 30, 2026 at 3:00 pm. In addition, memorial concerts at various locations will be announced at a later date.
Ruth Slenczynska Kerr was preceded in death by her parents and sisters, Helen Lee and Gloria Vickers. She is survived by nieces, nephews, admirers, and thousands of past students all over the world who think of her as their Mother Music. We will always remember the smile on her face when she played her music and the joy that she felt at our successes. Her music and legacy will live on forever.
Dr. Shelly Moorman-Stahlman Professor of Music, Lebanon Valley College

Decca Classics Announces First Original Concert Work by Nobuo Uematsu - Merregnon: Heart of Ice

Decca Classics announces Merregnon: Heart of Ice, a newly composed orchestral symphonic fairy tale by Nobuo Uematsu. The album will be released worldwide on 19 June 2026.
Recorded at Abbey Road Studios with the London Symphony Orchestra, the album marks Uematsu&rsquo;s first original large-scale composition written specifically for the concert hall. The work features narration by Academy Award-winning actress Alicia Vikander, known for her performances in Ex Machina and The Danish Girl, and is based on an original story by German author Frauke Angel.
For decades, Nobuo Uematsu&rsquo;s music has defined the sound world of the Final Fantasy series, one of the most successful and influential fantasy franchises in video game history. Since its debut in 1987, the series has sold more than 207 million copies worldwide. With Merregnon: Heart of Ice, Uematsu now turns fully towards the symphonic tradition with a standalone orchestral work conceived for the concert hall rather than the screen, bringing together storytelling, illustration and newly composed music in a large-scale orchestral work.
Merregnon: Heart of Ice tells the story of Kjugo, a cheerful wooden robot who embarks on a journey across a frozen landscape in search of his creator, the inventor Nuobi. The land of Merregnon lies trapped in eternal winter under the rule of the embittered Ice Wind Dancer, forcing its people to live hidden beneath the snow.
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Conceived in the tradition of Prokofiev&rsquo;s Peter and the Wolf, each of the central characters is represented by its own musical motif and orchestral identity, allowing the drama to unfold through sound alone. The story follows Kjugo&rsquo;s journey from underground workshops and icy labyrinths to a final confrontation that restores warmth and life to the frozen world. The English narration was written by BAFTA and BAA-winning writing duo Ciaran Murtagh and Andrew Barnett Jones. Highlights include the forward momentum of Sliding Through The Snow and the emotional centre of the work, Frozen Tears.
Nobuo Uematsu composed the music for many of the most celebrated titles in the Final Fantasy series, whose distinctive sound world has shaped the landscape of video game music for decades. His melodic style has since reached concert audiences worldwide, with orchestras regularly performing symphonic programmes dedicated to his music, reflecting the growing presence of video game scores in contemporary concert halls.
The project forms part of the Merregnon series, created by producer and artistic director Thomas B&ouml;cker, which blends orchestral storytelling with fantasy worlds designed to introduce new audiences to symphonic music.
The album artwork and illustrations were created by artist Tobias Orderud, whose images bring the characters and frozen world of Merregnon vividly to life.
The album was recorded after the work&rsquo;s live premiere performances in Germany. In the studio, the London Symphony Orchestra brings Uematsu&rsquo;s richly melodic score to life in a programme that moves between lyrical reflection, rhythmic drive and moments of orchestral brilliance.
The work continues its concert life in 2026. On 25 June, Merregnon: Heart of Ice will be presented at the Grande salle Pierre Boulez at the Philharmonie de Paris as part of Symphonic Selections, a concert celebrating Uematsu&rsquo;s orchestral music.
Executive Producer at Decca Classics, Helen Rogers, says: &ldquo;Merregnon: Heart of Ice captured our hearts with its charming story, beautiful illustrations, and unforgettable melodies from Nobuo Uematsu, who is unquestionably one of the greatest video game composers of our time. Thomas B&ouml;cker is a visionary, and all of us at Decca Classics share his belief in the power of the symphony orchestra to entertain and move ever-broader audiences. We&rsquo;re excited to bring the world of Merregnon to a new generation of classical music fans, as well as those who have grown up on Uematsu&rsquo;s legendary scores.&rdquo;
Speaking about the project, Thomas B&ouml;cker says: &ldquo;Merregnon: Heart of Ice grew out of a wish to create an original symphonic fairy tale that families could experience together. Working with Nobuo Uematsu and an extraordinary creative team helped shape a world of wonder and adventure, brought to life through artistic expression that feels distinctly human.&rdquo;
Nobuo Uematsu comments: &nbsp;&nbsp; &ldquo;It is very fulfilling to be able to create melodies for an audience of young people around the world. It is such a charming story; I really admire the vision Thomas has for this project. This is something that will delight a whole new generation of concert attendees. I am very thankful to be asked to be part of this wonderful production.&rdquo;
Merregnon: Heart of Ice is set for release June 19, 2026 and will be available on CD, LP and digitally. <a href="https://merregnon.lnk.to/HOI">Pre-order now and listen to the first single here.</a>

Isata Kanneh-Mason: A Personal Letter to Prokofiev - Out April 10, 2026

Decca Classics announces Prokofiev, the new album from pianist Isata Kanneh-Mason, released on 10 April 2026. The recording stems from a long and personal relationship with the composer&rsquo;s music, which reached a major public milestone when she made her BBC Proms solo debut in 2023, performing Prokofiev&rsquo;s Piano Concerto No. 3.
The eldest of the famous musical siblings, Isata recalls at the time: &ldquo;I&rsquo;m playing Prokofiev&rsquo;s Third Piano Concerto, one of my favourites, completely crazy and very rhythmic.&rdquo;. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s something I really relate to, the patterns and precision.&rdquo; She first heard the concerto at the age of 18 through a YouTube performance by Yuja Wang. &ldquo;I instantly fell in love with it and dreamed about playing it,&rdquo; she says. &ldquo;It was another eight years before I started learning it properly, but I listened to it constantly. It&rsquo;s always exciting to bring this piece to new people. The music speaks to a place deep inside of me. I feel very free when I perform it.&rdquo;
The concerto has been a key part of Isata Kanneh-Mason&rsquo;s concert life. She has performed it with orchestras across the UK, Europe, and North America, including the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra, Bremer Philharmoniker, Barcelona Symphony Orchestra, Toronto Symphony Orchestra, and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra on tour in the United States, and brought it to a wide national audience at the BBC Proms.
A significant milestone came with performances of the concerto in Toronto under the baton of Ryan Bancroft, followed by her BBC Proms debut with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales. These performances directly informed the recording, which was made with Bancroft and the Philharmonia Orchestra, bringing a shared performance history into the studio.
&nbsp;Prokofiev places the Concerto at the centre of a wider programme exploring the composer&rsquo;s piano music across different periods and styles. Alongside the concerto, which moves between dreamy lyricism, percussive rhythms and dazzling virtuosity, the album includes early pieces such as the Toccata, Ten Pieces for Piano and the striking Sonata No. 3, works that already show Prokofiev&rsquo;s restless imagination and rhythmic bite. These sit alongside piano transcriptions from Romeo and Juliet and Cinderella, where pointed energy and humour contrast with moments of tenderness and lyrical ease, as well as music from The Love for Three Oranges, whose March and Scherzo capture the composer&rsquo;s satirical edge. Completing the programme is Troika from Lieutenant Kij&eacute;, a piece full of colour and character that reflects Prokofiev&rsquo;s gift for memorable melody and vivid storytelling.
Highlights of Isata Kanneh-Mason&rsquo;s 2026 season include concerto appearances with the Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra at the Rudolfinum, performing Rachmaninoff&rsquo;s Piano Concerto No. 3, followed later in the summer by further performances of the same work with the Budapest Festival Orchestra at the Gstaad Festival and at La Chaise-Dieu. Alongside these orchestral engagements, she undertakes an extensive international solo recital tour, appearing across Europe and the UK at the Societ&agrave; Filarmonica di Trento, Brucknerhaus Linz, De Bijloke in Ghent, the Norwegian National Opera in Oslo, Buxton Festival, Bold Tendencies in London, Snape Maltings, and with the Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra at Merton College Chapel. In North America, highlights include recitals presented by the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston, the Philadelphia Chamber Music Society, the St Louis Symphony Orchestra, and the Howland Chamber Music Circle in Beacon, New York. In June, she is joined by members of her family for chamber concerts at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama in Cardiff, Wigmore Hall, Perth Concert Hall, and Munich&rsquo;s Herkulessaal.
Prokofiev is set for release April 10, 2026. <a href="https://isatakannehmason.lnk.to/prokofiev" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Listen to the first single 'The Love for Three Oranges, Op. 33ter&nbsp;I. March' now and pre-order the album here.</a>
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Decca Classics Proudly Launches a New All-Analogue Vinyl Series

Iconic recordings from legendary artists on the DECCA and PHILIPS labels
All titles mastered and cut at Emil Berliner Studios&nbsp;from original stereo and quadrophonic analogue tapes&nbsp;plus previously unreleased analogue masters of early digital recordings
November 7, 2025: Decca Classics announces the launch of the&nbsp;<a href="https://deccapureanalogue.lnk.to/dpa" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Decca Pure Analogue</a>&nbsp;vinyl series, presenting&nbsp;iconic recordings from the Decca and Philips catalogues. The series is mastered by Rainer Maillard and cut by Sidney C. Meyer at the renowned&nbsp;Emil Berliner Studios&nbsp;utilising their 100% pure analogue techniques (AAA). Only analogue sources from the original stereo and quadrophonic master tapes are used, including recently discovered analogue masters of early digital recordings.&nbsp;
Pressed in Germany at Schallplattenfabrik Pallas on 180g virgin vinyl, these limited-edition deluxe gatefold releases will feature: the original artwork and liner notes; archival photos and facsimiles of original recording session sheets. Each individual release includes bespoke notes by Dominic Fyfe, detailing the history of the recording, the technical background and the mastering process.
Featured in the first selection of Decca Pure Analogue titles:&nbsp;
&middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <a href="https://deccapureanalogue.lnk.to/sacre" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Sir&nbsp;Georg&nbsp;Solti&rsquo;s</a> classic 1974 Chicago &lsquo;Rite of Spring&rsquo; is mastered from the original edited two-track &frac14; inch Decca stereo tapes and cut at 45rpm for the first time to secure a more extended high frequency response and to best recapture the full &ldquo;fury and clarity&rdquo; (Chicago Tribune) of the original recording.
&middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <a href="https://deccapureanalogue.lnk.to/sibeliussymphonies" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Colin Davis&rsquo;s</a> 1975 Philips coupling of Sibelius&rsquo;&nbsp;5th&nbsp;and 7th&nbsp;symphonies with the Boston Symphony Orchestra has been mixed and cut directly from the original &frac12; inch edited four-track quadraphonic master tapes. Spread across two LPs for optimal side lengths, the release now includes Davis&rsquo;s &lsquo;Tapiola&rsquo; from the original multitrack (4-track) master.
&middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <a href="https://deccapureanalogue.lnk.to/newyearsday" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The 1979 Vienna New Year&rsquo;s Day Concert</a> with Willi Boskovsky&nbsp;conducting the Vienna Philharmonic was long f&ecirc;ted as Decca&rsquo;s first digitally-recorded release. Recent research has unearthed a set of previously unused &frac14; inch two-track analogue masters which allows us to hear this famous recording in analogue for the first time.
Dominic Fyfe, A&amp;R Director, Decca Classics, writes: &ldquo;Decca Pure Analogue will be a revelation for collectors and audiophiles, as well as introduce new audiences to the warmth and brilliance of an all-analogue sound. Recordings we thought we knew have emerged with arresting immediacy, presence and newfound detail. There is unlimited treasure: the jewels of the Decca and Philips catalogues as well as rediscovered masters, including analogue versions of Decca&rsquo;s early experiments in digital recording. The series opens a window onto the golden age of the analogue LP, when &lsquo;ffrr&rsquo;, &lsquo;ffss&rsquo; and the Decca &lsquo;Tree&rsquo; were King. Both Decca and Philips were fabled for the quality of their original LP pressings &ndash; setting the bar high for the new series &ndash; but the painstaking care with which the original masters have been treated, together with the bespoke presentation, give these legendary recordings a new lease of life.&rdquo;
The first three titles will be released on 16 January 2026. Further selections of titles will be released in May and September.
<a href="https://eur02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fdeccapureanalogue.lnk.to%2Fsacre&amp;data=05%7C02%7CAdam.Freeman%40umusic.com%7Ca2b3a7ecd7a04dea026e08de04e5fbb0%7Cbbcb6b2f8c7c4e2486e46c36fed00b78%7C1%7C0%7C638953582988253850%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=OhO1oR4dbGUX%2BhS6tauIv62yclKm7urCscDkxmFksHQ%3D&amp;reserved=0">https://deccapureanalogue.lnk.to/sacre</a>
<a href="https://eur02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fdeccapureanalogue.lnk.to%2Fsibeliussymphonies&amp;data=05%7C02%7CAdam.Freeman%40umusic.com%7Ca2b3a7ecd7a04dea026e08de04e5fbb0%7Cbbcb6b2f8c7c4e2486e46c36fed00b78%7C1%7C0%7C638953582988237605%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=Aa1C%2BmLTWSXv9YZSCkJMHnIfqNw4ySKQKzn7LhL3hDI%3D&amp;reserved=0">https://deccapureanalogue.lnk.to/sibeliussymphonies</a>
<a href="https://eur02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fdeccapureanalogue.lnk.to%2Fnewyearsday&amp;data=05%7C02%7CAdam.Freeman%40umusic.com%7Ca2b3a7ecd7a04dea026e08de04e5fbb0%7Cbbcb6b2f8c7c4e2486e46c36fed00b78%7C1%7C0%7C638953582988216359%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=5joanoOewXHQCwvXxwCepUr%2FoIO0wkmvfuJV4OpXAzY%3D&amp;reserved=0">https://deccapureanalogue.lnk.to/newyearsday</a>
<a href="https://eur02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fdeccapureanalogue.lnk.to%2Fdpa&amp;data=05%7C02%7CAdam.Freeman%40umusic.com%7Ca2b3a7ecd7a04dea026e08de04e5fbb0%7Cbbcb6b2f8c7c4e2486e46c36fed00b78%7C1%7C0%7C638953582988269686%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=aRyEVt5sEpf0EHPQTwGKs0R0eLXr%2FFl9CodWVw37G5I%3D&amp;reserved=0">https://deccapureanalogue.lnk.to/dpa</a> <a href="https://deccapureanalogue.lnk.to/dpa">Explore the Decca Pure Analogue series here.</a>
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Yunchan Lim presents Bach’s Goldberg Variations 'Live at Carnegie Hall’

The once-in-a-generation pianist offers a deeply personal vision of Bach&rsquo;s masterpiece as &ldquo;a journey of life in music&rdquo; (Yunchan Lim)
Decca Classics today announces Yunchan Lim: Bach, Goldberg Variations &lsquo;LIVE AT CARNEGIE HALL&rsquo;, released on 6th February 2026. The full concert film will be available on <a href="https://www.stage-plus.com/de/artist/artist_85P78QBJEHFJADPM6SP0">STAGE+</a> and Carnegie Hall+ starting from February 6th.
Revered for its technical complexity and emotional depth, the (nearly) 300-year-old solo keyboard masterpiece is an established peak for any concert pianist to conquer.
Here Yunchan Lim does just this, with his fourth album since signing with Decca Classics in October 2023. This landmark Carnegie Hall live recording offers a deeply personal vision of Bach&rsquo;s famous work, and is something Lim has thought about for most of his life so far.
Lim describes the Goldbergs as &ldquo;a journey of life in music &mdash; from the first opening of our eyes in the Aria, through thirty deeply human variations, to the final Aria, when our eyes gently close.&rdquo; He reminisces, &ldquo;The first time I heard Bach&rsquo;s Goldberg Variations was when I was eight years old and I discovered a box set of Glenn Gould&rsquo;s Bach recordings. When I first listened to it, I was amazed by its grandeur and beauty, and it has remained close to my heart ever since. I&rsquo;ve dreamt of releasing this piece as a live album from Carnegie Hall.&rdquo;
Executive and Artistic Director of Carnegie Hall, Sir Clive Gillinson, explains in the album sleeve-notes, &ldquo;Following Yunchan&rsquo;s winning performance at the Cliburn Competition, our artistic planning team made one of our easiest decisions ever in immediately offering him a solo recital in our main hall&hellip; We knew we were listening to a very special artist at the start of what will undoubtedly be an extraordinary career, an artist who will bring inspiration to audiences worldwide for a very long time.&rdquo;
Lim&rsquo;s interpretation of the Goldbergs has already captivated audiences worldwide and garnered glowing reviews. The Guardian praised his Wigmore Hall performance of the piece for its &ldquo;youthful vibrancy with interpretative maturity&rdquo; and the Financial Times noted his &ldquo;intellectual precision, baroque elegance, expressive balance and virtuosic flair&rdquo;. Internationally, El Pa&iacute;s reports that it is &ldquo;considered by many as the best version of this work currently available.&rdquo;
Since becoming the youngest-ever winner at the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition in 2022 aged 18, where his electrifying performance of Rachmaninoff&rsquo;s Piano Concerto No. 3 moved conductor Marin Alsop to tears, Lim&rsquo;s rise has been meteoric.
His debut studio recording, Chopin &Eacute;tudes (Decca Classics, 2024) made history at the BBC Music Magazine Awards 2025 as the first artist to take home three awards for one recording. The album also went quadruple Platinum in Korea, won the Diapason d&rsquo;or de l&rsquo;ann&eacute;e in France and topped charts internationally. The Guardian described it as &ldquo;The most thrilling pianistic debut of the last decade.&rdquo;
Lim&rsquo;s second Decca release, his live recording of Rachmaninoff No. 3 (Decca Classics, 2025), the landmark Cliburn performance, is now the most-watched version of the concerto on YouTube with over 17 million views. The Times said Lim is &ldquo;a pianist in complete command of his instrument&rdquo; with The Guardian calling it a recording that &ldquo;deserves a place alongside Argerich and Rachmaninov himself.&rdquo; His third album, Tchaikovsky&rsquo;s The Seasons (Decca Classics, 2025), was praised for its sincerity and vision, with the Financial Times declaring, &ldquo;this new recording edges into the number one spot.&rdquo; and Gramophone writing, &ldquo;Few if any young pianists have shown such unfaltering assurance and never more so than when going against the conventional grain.&rdquo;&nbsp;
Lim&rsquo;s concert appearances have confirmed his standing as a global phenomenon, with sold-out debuts at Carnegie Hall, Wigmore Hall, and the BBC Proms 2024 at The Royal Albert Hall. His NPR Tiny Desk Concert has garnered a million views, with NPR commenting on his &ldquo;powerful command of every note&rdquo; and that he made their upright piano sound like a concert grand, adding, &ldquo;Lim will be enchanting listeners for a long time.&rdquo;
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LIVE:
Lim&rsquo;s 2025&ndash;26 season includes a series of high-profile engagements across the United States, Europe, and Asia. He performs at Santa Cecilia Hall, Rome (13&ndash;15 Nov) and Taipei&rsquo;s National Theater and Concert Hall (25 Nov), before returning to Chicago (18&ndash;20 Dec). Early 2026 brings concerts at Amsterdam&rsquo;s Concertgebouw (15 &amp; 18 Jan), Konzerthaus Dortmund (16 Jan), Kulturpalast Dresden (21 Jan), and Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles (12&ndash;15 Feb). March sees three Paris appearances at the Philharmonie and Cit&eacute; de la Musique (11&ndash;13 Mar), followed by Boston&rsquo;s Symphony Hall (19&ndash;22 Mar), Carnegie Hall, New York (24 Apr), Seoul Arts Center (12 May), Wigmore Hall, London (29 May), and finally Gewandhaus Leipzig (18&ndash;21 Jun).
The full concert film of Yunchan Lim: Bach, Goldberg Variations &lsquo;LIVE AT CARNEGIE HALL&rsquo; will be available on STAGE+ and Carnegie Hall+ starting from February 6th 2026.

From Busking Siblings to the World Stage: The Balanas Sisters Sign to Decca Classics

Two sisters who began by busking in Latvia, powered by sibling love and family sacrifice, have risen to some of the world&rsquo;s greatest stages.
They now bring to Decca Classics their unique mix of Latvian fire, sibling energy, and modern vision, sharing it with audiences in the UK and beyond.
&ldquo;If one of us succeeds, we all succeed.&rdquo; &ndash; Kristīne &amp; Margarita Balanas
Listen to Castillo Interior <a href="https://balanassisters.lnk.to/Vasks">HERE</a> - OUT TODAY
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Decca Classics is thrilled to announce the signing of the Balanas Sisters, violinist Kristīne and cellist and conductor Margarita. Their journey from playing on the streets of a Latvian town where they grew up, to performing at the world&rsquo;s great concert halls is one of energy, resilience and the power of sibling love.
Growing up in the small town of Dobele in Latvia, with no family background in classical music, the sisters discovered their gift almost by accident. They grew up singing rock&rsquo;n&rsquo;roll with their father and listening to The Beatles, The Beach Boys and Janet Jackson. As children, they staged impromptu &ldquo;mini-concerts&rdquo; for each other, and then for passers-by, busking in town squares, and at times earned more in a day than their father could in a month. The coins from the street funded their first big opportunities, with the family moving to Riga so that the sisters could study at a specialist music school, followed by Kristīne&rsquo;s life-changing masterclass in London that resulted in securing a place at the Royal Academy of Music in London.
At just 17, Kristīne travelled to London alone where she kept busking, even memorising police patrol times so that the music could continue. Margarita later followed her sister to the UK, winning a full scholarship to study at the Purcell School of Music in Hertfordshire aged 15. Kristīne, who is just three years older than her sister, became her legal guardian at aged 18. The sisters studied together at the Royal Academy of Music in London. &ldquo;We knew nobody&rdquo; they recall, &ldquo;but the UK gave us world-class teachers, friends from everywhere, and the belief that anything was possible.&rdquo;
Kristīne completed military training in Latvia, and during the pandemic Margarita turned her passion for conducting into action, assembling an audition tape that won her a place on a course run by the Grammy-winning Estonian conductor Paavo J&auml;rvi&rsquo;. One of today&rsquo;s most sought-after conductors, J&auml;rvi&rsquo; later appointed Margarita as his assistant at the Tonhalle Z&uuml;rich (one of Switzerland's leading orchestras) and she has since founded her own orchestra, Anonimi, in London, praised by The Arts Desk as &ldquo;the latest voice in the dialogue about what the future of classical music might look like&rdquo; (★★★★).
The Balanas Sisters have since lit up such prestigious stages as Carnegie Hall, the Sydney Opera House and London&rsquo;s Royal Albert Hall, Barbican, Wigmore Hall and Royal Festival Hall. They have performed as soloists with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, the London Philharmonic Orchestra, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and London Symphony Orchestra. Their reputation rests not only on dazzling virtuosity, but also on the magnetic sibling spark that makes every performance feel both spontaneous and deeply intuitive.
The sisters&rsquo; work ethic and determination shaped their philosophy as artists. &ldquo;We are so lucky in the end to be musicians,&rdquo; they say. &ldquo;It is a beautiful struggle. Music saved us.&rdquo; That attitude continues to inform their approach today, whether in concerts, education projects, or in the family-driven minibus that once carried them to performances and competitions across Europe. Together with their brother, cross-over violinist Roberts, they founded Balanas Classical, a platform for bold, imaginative concerts, education projects and masterclasses that bring classical music into new spaces and to the next generation of young musicians.
Now they will release their first recording for Decca, Castillo Interior, a meditative and spiritual piece inspired by the writings of St Teresa of &Aacute;vila. It&rsquo;s a journey of reflection and discovery that mirrors the sisters&rsquo; own path in music.
Executive Producer at Decca Classics, Helen Rogers, recalls first hearing the Balanas Sisters in Latvia having followed them for many years: &lsquo;Last winter, I had the privilege of hearing Kristīne and Margarita perform in an intimate recital setting among the snow-covered pines of Latvia. I was utterly captivated from the first note &ndash; their performance of Vasks&rsquo; Castillo Interior had such pristine clarity and deeply moving humanity. Their story is equally impressive, and we are thrilled to welcome these two formidable women to our roster at Decca Classics.&rsquo;
The Balanas Sisters commented, &lsquo;We&rsquo;re overjoyed to join the Decca Classics family. This is more than a signing for us; it is a chance to push boundaries and tell our story through music. For us, music has always been about freedom and finding our own voice, breaking a few rules, and discovering new ways to connect with people from all over the world. Signing with Decca gives us the chance to reimagine classical music for a new generation - full of energy, playfulness and a vision of what&rsquo;s ahead.&rsquo;
In 2026, the Balanas Sisters will return to London for a &lsquo;<a href="https://www.throughthenoise.co.uk/">through the noise</a>&rsquo; recital, marking their first UK concert as Decca Classics artists.
More on Kristine Balanas <a href="https://www.kristinebalanas.com/">here</a>.
More on Margarita Balanas <a href="https://www.margaritabalanas.com/">here</a>.

Decca Classics announces new recording  from Grammy-award-winning violinist Nicola Benedetti

Violin Caf&eacute; will be released on 21 November
The album coincides with Nicola&rsquo;s first solo tour in over a decade performing at 14 venues across the UK and Ireland&nbsp;
Decca Classics is delighted to announce a brand-new recording from Grammy-award-winning violinist Nicola Benedetti. Violin Caf&eacute; is packed full of popular virtuosic and seductive romantic works, freshly arranged for a new dynamic group of instruments. Soon to be taken on tour, this album reunites Nicola with audiences she has known and been supported by for over 22 years. This is a thank you to the people of all ages, from all across the UK and around the world, who share a deep love of classical music and the violin, whose children Nicola has taught after concerts and whose curiosity of the arts she shares.
This inventive new line-up of instruments delivers a communal, conversational &lsquo;evening cafe appropriate&rsquo; sound. A sound with the flexibility to work across genres, cultures and performance environments. The guitar and accordion are beloved around the world, and in the masterful hands of Samuele Telari and Pl&iacute;nio Fernandes, these intelligent, creative arrangements have breathed new life into violin virtuosic classics and seductive lilting melodie. The cello brings an indispensable resonance and grounding in the hands of Thomas Caroll. Nicola is also joined by the wonderful Br&igrave;ghde Chaimbeul (smallpipes) for the traditional Scottish set, and virtuoso Yume Fujise (violin) for Sarasate&rsquo;s Navarra.
The Repertoire includes Sarasate&rsquo;s Carmen Fantasie and Navarra, and Wieniawki&rsquo;s Polonaise arranged by Steve Goss; Ponce&rsquo;s Estrellita and Maxwell-Davis&rsquo; Farewell to Stromness arranged by Paul Campbell; Bloch&rsquo;s Prayer and Debussy&rsquo;s Beau Soir arranged by Simon Parkin, Sicilienne arranged by Juliette Pochin and arrangements of traditional Scottish music by piper Br&igrave;ghde Chaimbeul.
Singles from Violin Caf&eacute; will be released on 10 October (Farewell to Stromness) and 24 October (Skye Boat Song) and 7 November (Sicilienne) in the lead-up to the full album being available from 21 November.
Nicola embarks on her first solo tour of the UK and Ireland in over 10 years, performing repertoire from Violin Caf&eacute; in 14 venues across the UK and Ireland from 12 October.
Nicola Benedetti commented, &lsquo;The ensemble combination of violin, guitar, accordion and cello came to me in the middle of the night. The standard violin and piano duo has a formality I knew wasn&rsquo;t right, and this line-up of instruments delivers a communal, conversational &lsquo;cafe appropriate&rsquo; sound. Our first rehearsal, given we were tackling brand new arrangements for the first time, had a higher dose of anticipation than is normal. But as we tore through one arrangement after another, we became increasingly bound as a group. We discovered the humour, textural wit and instrumental virtuosity of Stephen Goss&rsquo; &lsquo;Carmen Fantasy&rsquo;. We indulged in the conversational polyphony and sweet sonority of Juliette Ponchin and James Morgan&rsquo;s &lsquo;Sicilienne&rsquo;. We were challenged and inspired to bring our best playing to the integrity of Paul Campbell&rsquo;s &lsquo;Farewell to Stromness&rsquo;. We searched and gazed our way through the layering of Simon Parkin&rsquo;s tender &lsquo;Beau Soir&rsquo;. And I was hypnotised and compelled to follow the stillness, darkness and present-ness of the formidable Bridghe Chaimbeul.&rsquo;
Nicola continues, &lsquo;Although this formation of musicians, instruments and written arrangements were all brand new, things from the past always have a way of coming back around. And for me this is particularly true of my time at the Yehudi Menuhin School. As we began our first play through for a small invited audience, in order to test out the eclectic mix of pieces for real, not just imagined, people, I realised quite how much relevance this programme had to that time in my life. All the virtuosic pieces, I learnt for the first time in my early teens at the school studying with professor Natasha Boyarsky. I learnt not only the fundamentals of technical playing, but how to deepen the fire, passion and sonority of my playing. But although a fun, fulfilling yet challenging time was had in tackling all those notes and basking in all that charm, the slow, luscious, emotional writing has had my heart from my first days learning the violin. It&rsquo;s therefore unsurprising that there&rsquo;s no shortage on this album.&rsquo;
Nicola Benedetti is a GRAMMY Award winner (Best Classical Instrumental Solo, 2020), two-time winner of Best Female Artist at the Classical BRIT Awards, and in 2021 was recognised as BBC Music Magazine&rsquo;s &lsquo;Personality of the Year&rsquo; for her online support of young musicians during the pandemic. A long-time leader in music education, she established the Benedetti Foundation in 2019, delivering transformative experiences through mass music events. She was made an MBE in 2013, received the Queen&rsquo;s Medal for Music in 2017, and was appointed a CBE two years later. Since October 2022, she has been the Festival Director of the Edinburgh International Festival, becoming the first woman &ndash; and first Scot &ndash; to ever hold the position.
&nbsp;
Album track list
Wieniawski: Polonaise de Concert Opus 4 (arr. Stephen Goss)
Maria Theresia von Paradis: Sicilienne (arr. Juliette Pochin &amp; James Morgan)
Maxwell Davis: Farewell to Stromness (arr. Paul Campbell)
Sarasate: Carmen Fantasy Opus 25 (arr. Stephen Goss)
Bloch: Prayer From Jewish Life: I (arr. Simon Parkin
Trad: Skye Boat song (arr. Br&igrave;ghde Chaimbeul)
Trad: A' Choille Ghruamach (arr. Br&igrave;ghde Chaimbeul)
Trad: Hacky Honey Reel (arr. Br&igrave;ghde Chaimbeul)
Ponce: Estrellita (arr. Paul Campbell)
Sarasate: Navarra Opus 33 (arr. Stephen Goss)
Debussy: Beau Soir (arr. Simon Parkin)
&nbsp;
Tour dates
12 October, <a href="https://www.anvilarts.org.uk/events/nicola-benedetti">Anvil Arts, Basingstoke</a>
15 October, <a href="https://www.dundeebox.co.uk/online/default.asp?doWork::WScontent::loadArticle=Load&amp;BOparam::WScontent::loadArticle::article_id=3979244C-7D03-46BA-99CD-1F5E45DB0A95">Caird Hall, Dundee</a>
17 October, <a href="https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/whats-on/dumfries/easterbrook-hall/an-evening-with-nicola-benedetti/e-moyybm">Easterbrook Hall, Dumfries</a>
19 October, <a href="https://www.aberdeenperformingarts.com/whats-on/nicola-benedetti-2025/">Music Hall, Aberdeen</a>
21 October, <a href="https://www.usherhall.co.uk/whats-on/evening-nicola-benedetti">Usher Hall, Edinburgh</a>
24 October, <a href="https://tickets.eden-court.co.uk/Online/mapSelect.asp?doWork::WSmap::loadMap=Load&amp;createBO::WSmap=1&amp;BOparam::WSmap::loadMap::performance_ids=256F6872-0E27-48F1-9E65-7E57EBF7A73B&amp;returnTo&amp;_gl=1*1maj2pi*_ga*MTI4OTgwMjY2NS4xNzQ2MTM0MDAz*_ga_BS0SVHJ48E*czE3NDczNzUwMTYkbzIkZzAkdDE3NDczNzUwMTYkajYwJGwwJGgw">Eden Court, Inverness</a>
28 October, <a href="https://www.glasgowlife.org.uk/event/1/an-evening-with-nicola-benedetti">Royal Concert Hall, Glasgow</a>
31 October, <a href="https://thegaiety.co.uk/events/an-evening-with-nicola-benedetti-ayr-town-hall/">Ayr Town Hall, Ayr</a>
19 November, <a href="https://www.bridgewater-hall.co.uk/whats-on/nicola-benedetti-191125/">Bridgewater Hall, Manchester</a>
23 November, <a href="https://www.nch.ie/all-events-listing/nicola-benedetti-violin">National Concert Hall, Dublin</a>
27 November, <a href="https://www.royalalberthall.com/tickets/events/2025/nicola-benedetti">Royal Albert Hall, London</a>
29 November<a href="https://www.lighthousepoole.co.uk/event/nicola-benedetti/">, Lighthouse, Poole</a>
1 December, <a href="https://www.ulsterhall.co.uk/what-s-on/nicola-benedetti/">Ulster Hall, Belfast</a>
4 December, <a href="https://harrogateinternationalfestivals.com/event/an-evening-with-nicola-benedetti/">The Royal Hall, Harrogate</a>

Feliz Navidad! Celebrate a Cuban Christmas with Sarah Willis and “The Sarahbanda”

Sarah Willis, horn-player of the Berliner Philharmoniker, is releasing a new album with her Cuban band &ldquo;The Sarahbanda&rdquo; this Christmas on DG
Cuban Christmas weaves the sounds of salsa, mambo, bolero and son into festive favourites from Silent Night to White Christmas, Jingle Bells to Feliz Navidad
The album also includes reworkings of Bach and Tchaikovsky, full of Cuban flair
Cuban Christmas will be released on 3&nbsp;October 2025 &ndash; listen to Brandenburg Concerto No. 3 (1st mvt) <a href="https://www.universal-music.de/">here</a>
&nbsp;
Sarah Willis and &ldquo;The Sarahbanda&rdquo; present Cuban Christmas, a celebration of the vibrant rhythms heard in every corner of Cuba during the festive season.
Horn-player Sarah, a member of the Berliner Philharmoniker since 2001, created &ldquo;The Sarahbanda&rdquo; as a follow-on from her Mozart y Mambo project which saw her working with some of the country&rsquo;s finest musicians. &ldquo;The Sarahbanda&rdquo; is &ldquo;a Cuban band with a difference&rdquo; &ndash; Sarah&rsquo;s French horn bringing a &ldquo;touch of classical spice&rdquo; to a traditional Cuban dance band line-up.
Recorded in Berlin, Cuban Christmas features fellow soloists Yuniet Lombida (saxophone) and Harold Madrigal Fr&iacute;as (trumpet), pianists Ernesto Oliva and Edgar Olivero, percussionists Adel Gonz&aacute;lez, Alejandro Agu&iacute;ar and Jes&uacute;s Estrada, and Carlos Garc&iacute;a on bass. The strings are led by Anabel Est&eacute;vez and the band is conducted by Jos&eacute; Antonio M&eacute;ndez Padr&oacute;n, with Carlos Calunga, of Buena Vista Social Club fame, providing vocals on three of the tracks.
Cuban Christmas will be released digitally and on CD by Deutsche Grammophon on 3&nbsp;October 2025. The Bach arrangement will be released as a digital single on 22 August, followed by White Christmas on 5&nbsp;September and The Christmas Song on 19&nbsp;September.
Sarah Willis says, &ldquo;This album is a joyful mix of favourites like Jingle Bells and Silent Night, all infused with the irresistible grooves of salsa, mambo, bolero and son. And for something extra special, we&rsquo;ve given Tchaikovsky&rsquo;s Nutcracker Suite and Bach&rsquo;s Brandenburg Concerto No.3 a true Havana heartbeat.&rdquo;
As she explains, music is always central to life in Cuba, but never more so than during the holidays. &ldquo;Passed down through generations, Cuban rhythms bring families and communities together with spontaneous celebrations that often turn into all-night parties. Christmas in Cuba [is] about food, laughter, music, and, most especially, dancing.&rdquo;
On Cuban Christmas, the dance beats begin straightaway, with We Wish You a Merry Christmas swinging to a salsa groove, and Jingle Bells getting a &ldquo;mambo makeover&rdquo;. Gentle bolero rhythms come to the fore in soulful versions of Silent Night, featuring the mellow sonorities of Sarah Willis&rsquo;s horn on the melody, and White Christmas, to which Yuniet Lombida adds a touch of jazz. The band also give a heartfelt interpretation of the beautiful Cuban carol Criolla Navidad which they discovered on an early 70s LP.&nbsp;
In Edgar Olivero&rsquo;s arrangement of J.S. Bach&rsquo;s Brandenburg Concerto No.3, Baroque elegance does lighthearted battle with sizzling Cuban rhythms. The Cuban Nutcracker Suite meanwhile, translates Tchaikovsky&rsquo;s frosty Russian Christmas fantasy to warmer climes in another wonderful fusion of different traditions.
Finally, three tracks on Cuban Christmas feature the inimitable voice of Carlos Calunga. As well as joining the band for We Wish You A Merry Christmas, he adds expressive vocals to the Mel Torm&eacute;/Nat King Cole classic The Christmas Song and returns for the album&rsquo;s closing number &ndash; a salsa/timba version of Jos&eacute; Feliciano&rsquo;s Feliz Navidad that brims with charm and festive spirit.
&ldquo;Cuban Christmas is a celebration of culture, connection, and the music that makes the season magical,&rdquo; says Sarah Willis. &ldquo;I truly hope it brings as much happiness to your home as it brought to mine while creating it and that it will get you up and dancing this Christmas!&rdquo;
&nbsp;
Sarah Willis &amp; &ldquo;The Sarahbanda&rdquo; &ndash; Cuban Christmas concerts, 2025
<a href="https://www.universal-music.de/">19&nbsp;December &ndash; Konzerthaus Freiburg 21&nbsp;December &ndash; Meistersingerhalle, Gro&szlig;er Saal, Nuremberg 22&nbsp;December &ndash; Philharmonie Berlin</a>

New Album 'River of Music' - An Intimate Story of Family, Home and the Sources of Their Music

Decca Classics announces River of Music the new album from &ldquo;musical marvels&rdquo; the Kanneh-Masons (The Guardian), set for release on 12 September 2025. Reuniting all seven siblings &ndash; Isata, Braimah, Sheku, Konya, Jeneba, Aminata and Mariatu &ndash; River of Music marks their second joint release with Decca Classics, following the success of Carnival (2020). The album features new arrangements of classical works and folk songs, with the centrepiece being Schubert&rsquo;s Trout Quintet &ndash; a beloved family favourite the siblings grew up listening to together.
Recorded in Abbey Road Studios in summer 2024, River of Music shares how the Kanneh-Masons&rsquo; love of music has been passed on through generations. As a river flows from multiple sources whilst carving its path, this album celebrates the sources of the Kanneh-Masons&rsquo; musical inspirations routed in personal stories of home, love and family. &ldquo;This is a story about our family and the sources of our music,&rdquo; writes Konya Kanneh-Mason, who shares a special family story with the album, Grandad&rsquo;s Dream. &ldquo;Music runs like a river through the generations&hellip; flowing from the places and dreams they passed on.&rdquo;
At the heart of River of Music is Schubert&rsquo;s Trout Quintet, recorded with Edgar Francis on viola, and Toby Hughes on double bass. This piece that has long been special to the Kanneh-Mason family. It was one of the first chamber works the siblings played together while growing up in Nottingham. As Sheku writes in his latest book, The Power Of Music &ndash; published by Viking and now available:&ldquo;Time in the family nine-seater car was always music time, whether we were on the way to piano lessons, or to a music festival competition, or to visit grandparents. We had been listening to Schubert&rsquo;s Piano Quintet in A Major, D.667, known as the &lsquo;Trout&rsquo; Quintet, on repeat for a whole week. We heard the chatter of five voices in the piano, violin, viola, cello and double bass, mimicking each other, joking, teasing, each trying to have the last comment, laughing, debating, talking seriously, questioning, having fun. It made me understand that chamber music is like family life. In the love and safety of those you know intimately, ideas are thrown around, caught, developed and changed in a glorious conversation of lively, individual voices. We loved this piece, and sang out each part. By the time we played it together, years later, we knew the piece intimately, and we were enduringly in love with chamber music.&rdquo;
Alongside Schubert&rsquo;s Trout Quintet, the album includes new arrangements of classical music, folk songs and spirituals. From Samuel Coleridge-Taylor&rsquo;s African American spiritual &ldquo;Deep River&rdquo; to traditional Welsh hymns like &ldquo;Ar Lan y M&ocirc;r&rdquo;, the music honours the family&rsquo;s roots and the stories passed down through generations. It pays tribute to their Welsh grandmother, who followed love across the sea to Sierra Leone, and their Antiguan grandfather, who once dreamed of a musical life.
The siblings showcase their unique connection through their performing, arranging and writing skills such as in Braimah and Aminata Kanneh-Mason&rsquo;s arrangement of John Hughes&rsquo; &ldquo;Calon L&acirc;n&rdquo;. The album also features &ldquo;Hiraeth&rdquo; by Isata Kanneh-Mason, with its title using the untranslatable Welsh word for longing, love and connection with the homeland. It encapsulates an impossible nostalgia for a home that is always in the heart and is evoked by all seven of the Kanneh-Mason siblings performing Isata&rsquo;s emotive work. Throughout the collaborative album, the Kanneh-Masons celebrate their familial bond and musical legacy whilst showcasing each musicians&rsquo; individual artistry and identity.
Other musical works on the album include Handel&rsquo;s Largo (Trio Sonata in G minor HWV 393), Elgar&rsquo;s Sospiri Op.70 for violin &amp; piano, Chopin&rsquo;s Fantaisie-impromptu, Liszt&rsquo;s Consolation No.3 and Dvoř&aacute;k&rsquo;s Song to the Moon.
Konya Kanneh-Mason commented, &lsquo;It was wonderful to be given the opportunity to share in my own words the stories and memories of our family through the generations. The creative arts are essential for all children and young people, and music and storytelling are central to our family life.&rsquo;
On the 12 September, the siblings will come together in a performance at the Barbican, for a very special evening in support of the music education charity Music Masters. This unique concert coincides with the release of their new album, River of Music, and will feature works from the album as well as selections from their first family album, Carnival. Decca Classics is proud to support Music Masters alongside the Kanneh-Mason family, with all proceeds going directly to the charity&rsquo;s transformative programmes to improve access to, quality of, and progression through music for children and young people in the UK, including through their Flagship Schools initiative and pioneering teacher training programme.
<a href="https://kannehmason.lnk.to/AtLanYMor" target="_blank" rel="noopener">River of Music is available for pre-order, listen to the first single&nbsp;Trad. Welsh: &lsquo;Ar Lan Y M&ocirc;r&rsquo;&nbsp;now here.</a>

Lise Davidsen Unveils New Album of Verdi’s Greatest Heroines

Recorded with Edward Gardner and the London Philharmonic Orchestra.
Released 11 September, one week before Davidsen opens the Metropolitan Opera's 2026/27 season as Lady Macbeth.
Release date: 11 September
&nbsp;Album information and pre-order&nbsp;<a href="https://lisedavidsen.lnk.to/Verdi" target="_blank" rel="noopener">HERE</a>
&nbsp;
Decca Classics proudly announces Lise Davidsen: Verdi, released on 11 September. Recorded with Edward Gardner and the London Philharmonic Orchestra, the album marks the Norwegian soprano's first recording devoted entirely to Verdi, bringing together scenes from five of the composer's greatest operas:&nbsp;Macbeth, Un ballo in maschera, La forza del destino, Don Carlo&nbsp;and&nbsp;Aida.
Described by Metropolitan Opera General Manager Peter Gelb as "in a league of her own," Davidsen is widely recognised as one of today's leading dramatic sopranos. Earlier this year, her role debut as Isolde in Wagner's&nbsp;Tristan und Isolde&nbsp;at Barcelona's Gran Teatre del Liceu prompted Fiona Maddocks in&nbsp;The Observer&nbsp;to ask: "Is Lise Davidsen the soprano of the century?" Following acclaimed performances as Elisabeth in&nbsp;Don Carlo, Leonora in&nbsp;La forza del destino and her recent role debut as Lady Macbeth in Copenhagen, the release arrives one week before she opens the Metropolitan Opera's 2026/27 season as Lady Macbeth, alongside fellow Decca tenor Freddie De Tommaso as Macduff.
<externalmediaembed class="mceNonEditable mce-youtube" type="youtube" data-id="Vz8Jg52Gyok"></externalmediaembed>
Although Davidsen first sang Verdi early in her career as Emilia in&nbsp;Otello, she deliberately waited before taking on the composer's great heroines until her voice and artistic maturity had fully developed. That journey culminated in London in 2023, where she made her debut in a leading Verdi role as Elisabeth of Valois in&nbsp;Don Carlo, marking the beginning of a new chapter in her relationship with the composer. "For me, a soprano who sings Verdi is a Verdi soprano."
Rather than simply bringing together some of Verdi's best-known arias, the album explores the emotional worlds of five remarkable women. From Elisabeth's quiet dignity and Leonora's search for redemption to Amelia's vulnerability, Lady Macbeth's psychological darkness and Aida's inner conflict, these performances reveal Verdi's extraordinary understanding of character and drama. Recorded with Edward Gardner, one of today's foremost interpreters of this repertoire, and the London Philharmonic Orchestra, the performances combine dramatic intensity with lyrical refinement, bringing fresh perspective to some of Verdi's greatest heroines.
The release follows Davidsen&rsquo;s acclaimed album&nbsp;Live at the Met, a live recital recorded during the soprano&rsquo;s landmark solo appearance at the Metropolitan Opera in September 2023 - which received widespread critical praise including 5-star reviews from The Guardian and The Mail on Sunday.
Future engagements include the title role in&nbsp;Macbeth&nbsp;at the Metropolitan Opera, opening the company's 2026/27 season (22 September&ndash;20 October 2026), followed by performances of Verdi's&nbsp;Requiem&nbsp;in Barcelona with the Orquestra Simf&ograve;nica de Barcelona i Nacional de Catalunya (3&ndash;4 November). In 2027, Davidsen returns to Verdi as Leonora in&nbsp;La forza del destino&nbsp;with the Berlin State Opera, before reprising Elisabeth of Valois in&nbsp;Don Carlo at Opernhaus Z&uuml;rich. Alongside her operatic engagements, she continues an acclaimed recital partnership with pianist James Baillieu, with performances across the United States and Europe.

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