Castle Falls (2021)

This new OSR recording presents the two most ambitious musical responses to Maurice Maeterlinck’s 1893 epoch-making play Pelléas et Mélisande.

A show rather than a group, Celtic Thunder was conceived by Sharon Browne and written and arranged by Phil Coulter and designed as a contemporary exploration of Celtic music, which means it falls to the pop-dance side of the spectrum more than it does to the traditional side. The show was staged, recorded, and filmed in Dublin in August of 2007 and featured five male vocalists, Damian McGinty (only 14 years old when the show was recorded), Keith Harkin, Paul Byrom, Ryan Kelly, and George Donaldson, rotating leads through a set of traditional and contemporary songs, several of them written by Coulter.

From death defying heroics to fantastic visions of the future and adventures beyond imagination. For decades the world has been enthralled by the television and film productions of Gerry Anderson. Perhaps the one thing which binds this remarkable canon of work together is an incredible tapestry of music which enriches each series and instalment. Despite all the impressive techniques and technical wizardry employed by Derek Meddings and his special effects crew, Stingray’s launch wouldn't have half the impact if robbed of Barry Gray’s sweeping crescendo. Similarly, the ponderous ache of the Alphans plight and a police cruiser chase in Demeter City are brought to life by their respective musical accompaniments. The Stand By For Action! concert in April 2022 was a celebration of this incredible body of music which helped to bring life to some of the most popular television series ever made. This sensational show transported fans through over 60 years of the Gerry Anderson back catalogue, paying homage to his special partnership with composers including Barry Gray, Richard Harvey and Crispin Merrell.

The Orchestre symphonique de Montreal and its Music Director Rafael Payare celebrate Arnold Schoenberg's 150th birthday with a recording of two of his late-Romantic masterworks: Verklarte Nacht and Pelleas und Melisande. Both pieces are based on stories evolving around love, jealousy, acceptance and forgiveness, and showcase Schoenberg's expressive harmonic language and scintillating, multifarious orchestration. The album booklet features unique photography and paintings by Arnold Schoenberg, sketching a vivid picture of this extraordinarily versatile artist. After their acclaimed PENTATONE recordings of Mahler's Fifth Symphony (2023), as well as his Ruckert-Lieder and Strauss's Ein Heldenleben (2024), Payare and the orchestra further explore this late-Romantic repertoire that fits them like a glove.

The Orchestre symphonique de Montreal and its Music Director Rafael Payare celebrate Arnold Schoenberg's 150th birthday with a recording of two of his late-Romantic masterworks: Verklarte Nacht and Pelleas und Melisande. Both pieces are based on stories evolving around love, jealousy, acceptance and forgiveness, and showcase Schoenberg's expressive harmonic language and scintillating, multifarious orchestration. The album booklet features unique photography and paintings by Arnold Schoenberg, sketching a vivid picture of this extraordinarily versatile artist. After their acclaimed PENTATONE recordings of Mahler's Fifth Symphony (2023), as well as his Ruckert-Lieder and Strauss's Ein Heldenleben (2024), Payare and the orchestra further explore this late-Romantic repertoire that fits them like a glove.