PENTATONE is proud to announce that Marin Alsop, one of the foremost conductors of our time and a powerful and inspiring voice, has joined the label’s roster of distinguished artists. Among the recording plans that will form part of this new partnership are extensive symphonic surveys of Mahler and Shostakovich. Alsop will become the first woman conductor ever to record these surveys.
“I’ve had the great honor of working with Marin Alsop for two decades, including as a composer under her baton, and in helping guide her wide and diverse recording strategy,” said Sean Hickey, the label’s managing director. “We welcome her to PENTATONE and we look forward to shaping her legacy further in the coming years with new recordings of timeless orchestral music.”
“I’m delighted to join the roster of a record label as respected as PENTATONE,” said Alsop, who has been making acclaimed recordings since the early 1990s, championing not only European classics but also American composers and contemporary music. Alsop is Artistic Director and Chief Conductor of the Polish National Radio Symphony, Principal Guest Conductor of the Philadelphia Orchestra, and Principal Guest Conductor of London’s Philharmonia Orchestra, among other appointments. “These symphonic surveys will be a thrilling undertaking, and I am confident that this wonderful music will reach new audiences around the world with PENTATONE’s support,” she added.
The Mahler symphony cycle will feature both the Philharmonia and the Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra, demonstrating Alsop’s close relationship with the two ensembles and showcasing their unique sound and performing traditions.
The first recording planned for release is Mahler’s poignant Symphony No. 9 — his last completed symphony — with the Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra, for which Alsop served as Chief Conductor from 2019 to 2025. She is now Honorary Conductor with the orchestra. The recording is scheduled to be released by the end of 2027.
More details on this and Alsop’s other upcoming recording projects on PENTATONE will be announced soon.
Alsop is a visionary leader and a passionate advocate for the transformative power of music. She is celebrated for her innovative programming, dedication to audience engagement, and commitment to education. Alsop has broken barriers throughout her career, becoming the first woman to lead major orchestras in the United States, South America, Austria, and Great Britain. As The New York Times aptly described, she is “a formidable musician and a powerful communicator,” and “a conductor with a vision.”
Her discography comprises more than 200 titles, some of which have been recognized by BBC Music and have received Emmy nominations, in addition to GRAMMY, Classical BRIT, and Gramophone awards. She has recorded works from the standard repertoire and by a variety of contemporary composers. Her recordings include releases by Decca, Harmonia Mundi, and Sony Classical, as well as acclaimed Naxos cycles of Brahms with the London Philharmonic, Dvořák with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, and Prokofiev with the São Paulo Symphony. Her 2024 album featuring John Adams’ City Noir, performed by the Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra, was nominated for a Best Orchestral Performance GRAMMY Award. Her latest album is Abstractions, featuring music by Anna Clyne and performances by the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra (Naxos). Other recent releases include a live account of Candide with the London Symphony Orchestra & Chorus; a Kevin Puts collection with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra; a Margaret Brouwer collection and a complete Schumann symphonic cycle for Naxos, and the world premiere recordings of two concertos by Malek Jandali for Cedille Records, all with the Vienna RSO.
One of the leading classical music labels in the world, PENTATONE presents a diverse range of world-class artists, and is dedicated to premium quality productions captured in exceptional sound. Alsop joins a renowned lineup that includes conductors Vladimir Jurowski, René Jacobs and Esa-Pekka Salonen, singers Piotr Beczala, Lisette Oropesa, Javier Camarena, Ian Bostridge and Magdalena Kožená, pianists Pierre-Laurent Aimard and Francesco Piemontesi, cellist Alisa Weilerstein, guitarist Sean Shibe and renowned ensembles that include the Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin, the Gewandhausorchester Leipzig and the Czech Philharmonic.