Julius Asal’s second DG album, SIENA TAPES (out now), was recorded in the Chapel of the Sun on Rick Rubin’s Tuscan estate and blends Ravel’s piano works with his own compositions and improvisations. Conceived as a 150th-anniversary tribute to Ravel, the album includes Jeux d’eau, Prélude in A minor, À la manière de Borodine, and Menuet sur le nom de Haydn, alongside Asal’s Prélude (3191) and the three-part Cascades cycle.
The programme also features Petites Vagues by DG producer and composer Christian Badzura, written as a dialogue with Ravel and Debussy and reflecting the album’s focus on water, movement, and transformation. Recently named the 2025 Terence Judd–Hallé Award winner, Asal continues to expand his artistic reach, curating an album that feels both deeply personal and closely tied to tradition.
SIENA TAPES is out now and available on all formats, Listen here.