IT001 — Release: 1 September 2026

Felt Close is the inaugural release on Isolde Tone and presents pianist Roland Pöntinen in an unusually intimate recording of selected classical piano repertoire.

Following an international career spanning over four decades with leading orchestras, festivals and concert halls worldwide, Pöntinen is heard here in a different light: close, personal and deeply attentive to colour, resonance and musical presence.

Roland Pöntinen made his debut at the age of 17 with the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra and has since performed with major orchestras around the world, including the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Philharmonia Orchestra, Scottish Chamber Orchestra, and the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande.

He is particularly drawn to the intimacy of the recital format and to creating compelling and imaginative concert programmes. Pöntinen has given solo recitals in New York (at The Frick Collection), at Wigmore Hall in London, as well as in Bogotá, Istanbul, and Verbier.

Roland Pöntinen has made more than 100 recordings and is also active as a composer and arranger. In 2001, he was elected a member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Music, and the following year he received the royal gold medal Litteris et Artibus in recognition of his outstanding artistic achievements. Pöntinen is the recipient of the Royal Swedish Academy of Music’s Interpreter Prize 2024 and the Stockholm City Honorary Award for Music 2025.

Felt Close was produced by Matti Bye and recorded in Stockholm using ribbon microphones and analogue recording techniques, Felt Close explores another way of listening to classical piano music — warm, immediate and quietly detailed.

Release concert
Rönnells Antikvariat, Stockholm
1 September 2026

A special release evening celebrating the first Isolde Tone edition.

Isolde Tone - Carefully produced recordings shaped by presence, sound and time.

Isolde Tone is an independent record label founded by composer, pianist and producer Matti Bye.

The label is dedicated to carefully curated recordings in the meeting point between classical music, contemporary piano and artistically driven sound worlds. With an emphasis on presence, sound quality and artistic identity, Isolde Tone works slowly and selectively — allowing each release to develop as a complete artistic work.

At the centre of the label is a close and human approach to recorded sound. Productions are developed in intimate collaboration with the artists and recorded using ribbon microphones, analogue signal paths and carefully selected instruments and vintage equipment, seeking warmth, detail and presence rather than perfection.

Isolde Tone focuses on recordings with long life — musical works intended to return, resonate and deepen over time.