Steinway & Sons is excited to present the debut album of the one-of-a-kind chamber music collective ensemble132. A Steinway Ensemble of artists who have performed around the world to great acclaim, ensemble132 (e132) excites the imagination of audiences with its uniquely genre-defying programs, artist-crafted arrangements, and unparalleled artistry.

A single from the album, Stravinky's Danse Russe from Petrushka, will be available on February 6, 2026.

STEINWAY & SONS will release ensemble132's debut album, Masques and Marionettes (STNS 30254), in summer 2026. The program showcases the group’s electricity and dynamism in their original chamber arrangements of Igor Stravinsky’s enchanting Petrushka and Two Poems of Balmont arranged for piano quintet, Clara Schumann’s intimate Three Romances, and Robert Schumann’s boisterous Carnaval arranged for piano quartet.

In his program notes for the album, ensemble132's Co-Artistic Director Zachary Mowitz writes:
The works on this album capture vivid stories and characters from the imaginations and lives of their authors, all unified by universal experiences of love, longing, celebration, and friendship – with a touch of mystery and humor. Each piece is also inextricably linked to the piano and its most magical qualities, which Co-Artistic Director Sahun Sam Hong’s visionary arrangements explore through the endless possibilities of texture and color of the piano and string instruments. Masques and Marionettes combines ensemble132’s richness of character and nuance with the exhilaration of retelling each of these musical narratives.

Igor Stravinsky’s Petrushka (1911), arranged for piano quintet by Sahun Sam Hong, was originally performed as a large-scale ballet by Diaghilev’s Ballet Russe. It tells the story of a puppet magically brought to life by a mysterious sorcerer, naïvely navigating intensely human emotions and dynamics as he adoringly pursues the Ballerina – also under the sorcerer’s spell. Petrushka revels in Russian folk melodies and stories, but it also signals Stravinsky’s growing desire to experiment and push the boundaries of Western music. The arrangement is a faithful re-working of the intricate textures and boundless energy of the original large-format 1911 orchestration, expressed with the versatility of the piano quintet.

Stravinsky’s Two Poems for Balmont, written the same year as Petrushka, was originally a diptych of two short but moving songs setting the poetry of Konstantin Balmont. «Незабудочка‑цветочек» (Nezabudochka‑tsvetochek, “Forget‑me‑not blossom”) and «Голубь» (Golub, “The Pigeon”)  turn seemingly mundane snapshots from nature into vividly emotional vignettes centered around a pigeon and a flower. If you listen carefully, you may find musical fragments from Petrushka, which Hong illuminates in this piano quintet rendition.

Clara Wieck-Schumann wrote her radiantly intimate Three Romances, Op. 22 (1853) in dedication to violinist Joseph Joachim, her life-long friend. Schumann, one of the most remarkable pianists of the Romantic era, premiered it herself with Joachim. To honor her artistry and legacy, we recorded each of the three movements as a different duo combination, featuring the  violin, viola, and cello paired with piano, exploring the many shades of Clara Schumann’s great artistry and humanity.

Robert Schuman’s Carnaval, Op. 9 (1835) is one of the most well-loved pieces in the solo piano canon. With this set of colorful and animated character pieces, Schumann manifested a unique vision: a musical exhibition of scenes depicting both real-life and imaginary characters, transformed into masked revelers at a Carnival celebration. Like Petrushka, many of these characters derive from the Commedia dell’arte, although just as many come from Schumann’s own relationships, including Clara Schumann. In this new version, the original piano solo part has been expanded to the ensemble of piano quartet, affording newfound hues of humor, sparkle, and intensity.

While Masques and Marionettes explores the entrancing worlds that each of these composers creates, it also tells the story of our collective. We first found our footing as an ensemble as we developed these arrangements and explored great chamber music together as friends. As we have lived with these pieces, we have found ways to breathe new life into each one of these four works, hopefully giving them new homes in the chamber music repertoire.

—  Zachary Mowitz

“Ensemble 132’s performance of this impossibly complex reduction of full orchestra instrumentation to that of five feverishly skilled musicians [Petrushka] is a remarkable achievement both for the players and their fellow pianist/arranger.”

The Talbot Spy
 

“The five players evinced collegial cohesion, especially admirably in Petroushka’s fast tempi and complex rhythms... The strings played with abandon and conviction... Hong the arranger made virtuosic demands upon himself, enlarging the orchestral piano part into a constantly engaging character.”

Boston Musical Intelligencer

Album Credits

Masques and Marionettes - Stravinsky: Danse Russe / ensemble 132 • STNS 30259

Release Date: 02/06/2026

Recorded August 14-18, 2025 at Futura Studios, Roslindale, Massachusetts

Producer: Jesse Lewis

Engineer: Christopher Moretti

Mastering/Editing:

Piano Technician: Paul Rattigan
Piano: Steinway Model D #512061 (New York)

Executive Producers: Eric Feidner, Jon Feidner, Vivian Chiu

Art Direction: Jackie Fugere

Design: Time Koloszvary
Project Coordinator: Renée Oakford

About the Artists

ensemble132 is an American collective of soloists and chamber musicians of the highest caliber, uniting with a shared mission to reimagine the chamber music landscape. The only group of its kind to continually create and premiere new standards in the chamber music repertoire with its artist-crafted arrangements, ensemble132 excites the imagination of audiences across the country with its uniquely genre-defying programs.

 At every e132 event, audiences can expect a one-of-a-kind chamber music experience characterized by ensemble132’s versatile artistry and limitless programming possibilities. Chamber ballets, transcriptions of symphonies and jazz standards, and orchestrations of solo works comprise just a few of ensemble132’s programming highlights. Each member of ensemble132’s dynamic roster, all with stellar careers and accolades, brings their unique blend of uncompromising individuality and collaborative spirit to traditional masterworks as well as unearthed gems.

The group’s arrangements have been praised by critics and renowned musicians alike as “Audacious… liberating… illuminating” (Jon Sobel), “absolutely terrific ... a delight … [they] succeed in opening up the sound of the piece in meaningful ways” (Robert McDonald), and “a fresh approach to music that is second to none” (Herbert Greenberg).

The artists of ensemble132 have collaborated closely at music festivals such as Marlboro, Ravinia, Music@Menlo, Verbier, and Taos, and they appear regularly with ensembles such as the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, Catalyst Quartet, Borromeo String Quartet, and Orpheus Chamber Orchestra. They are prizewinners at major competitions such as the Paganini, Joseph Joachim, Tibor Varga, Sibelius, Primrose, Beethoven Vienna, Vendome Prize, and American Pianists Awards.

Alongside its traditional concerts, ensemble132 takes a uniquely creative approach to community engagement, sharing the joy of musical creation through interactive workshops. At these events, e132 artists guide listeners in real time through the arranging process. ensemble132 also presents cross-disciplinary programs and innovative educational programs. Most recently, e132 presented a residency at Texas Christian University where ensemble members both coached and played alongside students in mixed groups. 

In January 2026, ensemble132 is premiering a new chamber ballet production of Stravinsky’s Petrushka in collaboration with BalletX and Philadelphia Chamber Music Society.  In 2025, ensemble132 became a Steinway Ensemble and was awarded an Artistic Projects Award from Chamber Music America. 
 

About Steinway & Sons label

The STEINWAY & SONS music label produces exceptional albums of solo piano music across all genres. The label — a division of STEINWAY & SONS, maker of the world’s finest pianos — is a perfect vessel for producing the finest quality recordings by some of the most talented pianists in the world.