Popular & Lesser-Heard Bartók Works Bookend New Recording from Toronto Symphony Orchestra & Harmonia Mundi

On the heels of their first European tour under Music Director Gustavo Gimeno, the Toronto Symphony Orchestra (TSO) will see the release of their third recording on the prestigious Harmonia Mundi label, featuring music by famed Hungarian composer Béla Bartók, on February 13, 2026. 

Captured live at Roy Thomson Hall on November 21–23, 2024, the recording is bookended by two Bartók works—his popular Concerto for Orchestra and the complete score to his controversial pantomime, The Miraculous Mandarin, which also features the ethereal voices of the Toronto Mendelssohn Choir. At the centre of the album is the sediments, a contemporary, TSO-commissioned piece by acclaimed Canadian creator Emilie LeBel, who is also the orchestra’s Composer Advisor.

“I was excited to select Bartók for our third collaboration with Harmonia Mundi because, like our first two recordings—of Messiaen’s Turangalîla-Symphonie and Stravinsky’s Pulcinella—his Miraculous Mandarin epitomizes 20th-century classical music, which has become a specialty of the TSO,” said Gustavo Gimeno. “In preparing for and recording this album, I found it extraordinary to witness the incredible motivation and focus demonstrated by the musicians. Their concentration mixed with adrenaline generated a palpable energy—one I certainly felt from the podium, our audience felt in the concert hall, and I hope listeners will feel as well.”

A Collective Showcase

The vision of the TSO’s 2024/25 season was one of “unified plurality,” according to Gimeno, with a focus on showcasing the collective talents of the orchestra’s musicians. To this end, seven concerti for orchestra, written by a wide array of composers within the span of close to 100 years, were performed on select concert programs. The pinnacle of this series was Bartók’s Concerto for Orchestra—the most famous contribution to the genre, and a fitting work to open the recording. Though Classical in its five-movement structure, the concerto, which Bartók composed in 1943, contains folk influences and mysterious harmonies, and requires virtuoso playing. It is regularly performed by orchestras around the world.

Conceived 25 years earlier in 1918, and completed in 1924, The Miraculous Mandarin also exhibits the colour and complexity that make Bartók’s music strikingly unique. It was one of just three theatrical works he wrote—along with the opera Duke Bluebeard’s Castle and the ballet The Wooden Prince—and the scenario provoked outrage from critics and audiences alike. The energy, intensity, and otherworldly nature of the music have since made the suite from the pantomime popular, but the full score is rarely performed. To present a novel perspective, Gimeno opted to record Mandarin in its entirety, restoring the final third of the score, which includes a short but vital choral part.

The concept of “unified plurality” is also embodied in the juxtaposition between the 20th-century sound of Bartók and the 21st-century music of Emilie LeBel. Continuing the practice of amplifying contemporary Canadian voices on TSO recordings, Gimeno selected LeBel’s 2021 piece the sediments to stand alongside Bartók’s works. Inspired by the writings of marine biologist and conservationist Rachel Carson, the piece presents Bartókian textures but is slow and meditative, making it tonally different from the kineticism of the pieces surrounding it. The TSO commissioned LeBel to write the piece in her role as RBC Affiliate Composer (2018–2022). She was subsequently named TSO Composer Advisor in 2023.

Building on a Legacy

This album adds to the TSO’s ever-expanding collection of recordings, which has been an integral component of the artistic legacy of the orchestra since its first release in 1952. Of the more than 150 titles in its discography, many have been recognized with prestigious awards. Most recently, its first recording with Harmonia Mundi, Messiaen’s Turangalîla-Symphonie, received the 2025 JUNO Award for Classical Album of the Year (Large Ensemble). Moreover, the TSO’s 2019 recording of works by Vaughan Williams, under TSO Conductor Emeritus Peter Oundjian, and 2021 recording of Massenet’s Thaïs, under late TSO Conductor Laureate Sir Andrew Davis, both on Chandos, won JUNO Awards, with the former also receiving a GRAMMY^® nomination. Other recordings under the TSO’s multi-disc partnership with Harmonia Mundi include the critically acclaimed Stravinsky’s Pulcinella (2025), and Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet, which was captured in November 2025 and will be released in 2027.

The Miraculous Mandarin will be available worldwide on February 13, 2026. 

Bartók: The Miraculous MandarinPhoto by Jae Yang/Courtesy of the TSOPhoto by Jae Yang/Courtesy of the TSO

Photo by Jae Yang/Courtesy of the TSOPhoto by Jae Yang/Courtesy of the TSO

About the Toronto Symphony Orchestra

For more than a century, the Toronto Symphony Orchestra (TSO) has played a fundamental role in shaping and celebrating Canadian culture. The TSO’s commitment to musical excellence and ability to spark connection remain as strong as ever. With a storied history of acclaimed concerts and recordings, Canadian and international tours, and impactful community partnerships, we are dedicated to engaging and enriching local and national communities through vibrant musical experiences. Music Director Gustavo Gimeno brings an expansive artistic vision, intellectual curiosity, and sense of adventure to programming the 93-musician orchestra that serves Toronto—one of the world’s most diverse cities. As a group of artists, teachers, and advocates who share the belief that music has the power to heal, inspire, and connect people from all walks of life, we engage audiences young and old through an array of community-access, health-and-well-being, and education initiatives including the TSO-affiliated Toronto Symphony Youth Orchestra—a tuition-free training program dedicated to cultivating the next generation of Canadian artists. Symphony With Us at a concert at Roy Thomson Hall, or experience the TSO in your neighbourhood. Visit TSO.CA or Newsroom.TSO.CA.

The TSO Season Presenting Sponsor is BMO.

The TSO acknowledges Mary Beck as the Musicians’ Patron in perpetuity for her generous and longstanding support.

The RBC Affiliate Composer is generously supported by RBC Foundation.

The TSO relies on the generosity of thousands of donors and partners who provide a critical base of funding that makes possible all of the TSO’s music-making on stage and in the community. 

The TSO is grateful for the support of the Toronto Symphony Foundation and all levels of government, including the Canada Council for the Arts, the Ontario Arts Council, the Toronto Arts Council, and the Government of Canada.