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On the 3rd of September 2025 soprano Alexandra Marie performed a program featuring works by women composers, spanning from the early twentieth century to the present. Part of this performance at the Southwest Regional Library-Pembroke Pines included a song by Rachel Portman titled 'There Will Be A Place', a composition that premiered in London on the 20th of January 2024 at a performance by soprano Lucy Crowe and pianist Anna Tilbrook. A recording of the performance by Alexandra Marie can be viewed here.
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On the 5th of September 2025 Sony Classical released the single "The Swallow" through streaming media. The 3:33 minute track is a reflective composition for piano and violin, and is played by Rachel Portman and Niklas Liepe. On release Rachel Portman commented "Every year I feel moved to see the first swallow arrive at the farm after its long arduous flight from sub-Saharan Africa. This song is written for the first swallow, chattering outside my window, waiting on the telegraph wire for a fellow one to join".
The new single is the fifth in a series of singles published in 2025, after "Hannah's Song" (February 28th), "Eventide" (April 10th), "Moment In Time" (May 16th) and "June" (June 27th). All songs are planned for release on a new upcoming album in 2026, in collaboration with instrumentalists Niklas Liepe and Martin Fröst.
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On Saturday September 13th 2025 at 17:00 Rachel Portman will join Jess Gillam in an episode of "This Classical Life" on BBC radio 3, to share some of her favourite music, on the same day her new work ‘The Gathering Tree’ receives its world premiere at the BBC Proms. Rachel's wide-ranging music choices include Handel, Steve Reich and Joni Mitchell. Jess has music from Tchaikovsky, the mysterious Italian baroque composer Bernardo Storace, and American saxophonist Eddie Barbash.
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On the 22nd of August 2025 Sony Classical released the album "Dolomites" by the LGT Young Soloists through streaming media. The album contains two new works, "Dolomites, Pale Mountains" composed by Rachel Portman, and "Concerto No. 2 for cello and string orchestra, "Klatbutne / Presence" composed by Pēteris Vasks.
"Dolomites, Pale Mountains" was commissioned by The Südtirol Festival Merano . Meran on the occasion of its 40th anniversary. The composition is inspired by four striking photographs of the Dolomites, captured by the renowned photographers Georg Tappeiner and Ursula Stingel. These images served as the creative foundation for the four-movement work, which translates the majestic stillness and sublime grandeur of this unique landscape into music. The piece forms the centerpiece of the anniversary program and will celebrate its world premiere at the Südtirol Festival Merano on the 27th of August 2025.
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In advance of the premiere performance of "Dolomites, pale mountains", a composition by Rachel Portman, the LGT Young Soloists have released two tracks from the work on streaming media as a single. On the 24th of July 2025 "Dolomites, pale mountains: III. Rosengarten" was released, followed by "Dolomites, pale mountains: IV. Saslonch" on the 7th of August 2025.
Earlier this year Rachel Portman was commissioned by the Südtirol festival Merano to contribute a composition for the 2025 festival in celebration of their 40-year anniversary. The piece titled "Dolomites, pale mountains" will premiere at the Merano Kurhaus on the 27th of August 2025 at 20:30, and will be performed by the LGT Young Soloists including Alexander Gilman and Martin James Bartlett.
The complete composition is planned for release on the 22nd of August 2025 by Sony Classical on an album by the LGT Soloists, and consists of the following tracks:
Dolomites, pale mountains
- I. Marmolada
- II. Vajolet Towers
- III. Rosengarten
- IV. Saslonch
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On the 27th of June 2025 Sony Classical released the single "June" through streaming media. The 2:41 minute track is a reflective composition for piano by Rachel Portman which she wrote for her husband. In a promotional teaser Rachel Portman is quoted saying "This is inspired by the month of June which brings to mind fresh new green leaves and forests of beech trees". The new single is the fourth in a series of singles published in 2025, after "Hannah's Song" (February 28th), "Eventide" (April 10th) and "Moment In Time" (May 16th).
In a recent interview Rachel Portman stated that "I’m also working on a new album of piano music, collaborating with incredible instrumentalists like Niklas Liepe and Martin Fröst.". This confirms that "June" as well as the other singles are part of an upcoming album by Rachel Portman, featuring contributions by Niklas Liepe and Martin Fröst. The album is set for release in 2026.
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On the 28th of May 2025 Orchestral Tools released the new orchestral sample library "Tides", created in collaboration with Rachel Portman. Offering a curated selection of instruments designed to evoke human emotion "Tides" is geared towards emotive, nuanced arthouse scores. The library runs within Orchestral Tools’ free SINE player, which offers features like mic merging to conserve system resources, auto keyswitch options, easy remapping tools for greater usability, and the ability to download individual instruments and mic positions as needed.
Orchestral Tools: "Inspired by Rachel Portman’s work and created together with her, Tides gives you a carefully curated orchestra to navigate the waves of human emotion and expression. Chamber strings combine with a cast of special character instruments, and everything is designed to soar and sing—recorded in a musical context with a very special lyrical legato. Tides encourages you to write what you feel. Ideal for scores beyond the mainstream, where subtlety, nuance, and ingenuity combine."
On behalf of the release of "Tides", Orchestral Tools published an interview with Rachel Portman, as well as a couple of other interesting videos:
- "Tides" trailer
- "Tides" announcement
- "Tides" walkthrough
"Tides" by Rachel Portman is available now for an introductory price of €349 Euro until June 11th, 2025.
Update July 15th 2025: two more videos with live performances of Rachel Portman compositions for "Tides":
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On the 16th of May 2025 Sony Classical released the single "Moment In Time" through streaming media. The 3:09 minute track is a reflective composition for piano and violin by Rachel Portman. The violin is played by Niklas Liepe, with whom Rachel Portman earlier also worked on their concerto "Tipping Points". A short video of recording "Moment In Time" in the studio was published on Instagram.
The new single is the third in a series of singles published in 2025, after "Hannah's Song" (released on the 28th of February) and "Eventide" (released on the 10th of April). At the moment a new album has not been announced, but it is possible these songs are part of an upcoming project. Hopefully more of this soon!
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The BBC Proms this year runs from 18 July to 13 September 2025, and features the world premiere of 'The Gathering Tree', a new composition by Rachel Portman. The piece, which is a special commission for this event by the BBC, will be performed on the last night of the Proms, the 13th of September 2025, at the Royal Albert Hall in London. Conducting the BBC Symphony Orchestra and Chorus in all the traditional favourites is Elim Chan with solo performances by soprano Louise Alder and trumpeter Alison Balsom.
Update: view the performance here.
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On the 3rd of July 2025 the Emilia-Romagna Festival celebrates its 25th anniversary with an inauguration at the Stignani Theatre in Imola (Italy). Highlight of the event will be the performance of 'Filmscapes for Flute and Orchestra', a composition by Rachel Portman exclusively commissioned by the Festival. The evening is scheduled to start at 21:30 hrs, and apart from Rachel Portman's commision features compositions by Nino Rota, Benjamin Britten and Dmitri Shostakovich . Tickets will be available online here from the 12th of May 2025.
Update July 5th 2025: a short interview with Rachel Portman and news item about the festival on TG3.