The Dutch independent has signed the French pianist whose plans include Messiaen’s mighty Catalogue d’Oisseaux.

The Dutch independent label Pentatone has scored a major signing by tempting Pierre-Laurent Aimard away from Deutsche Grammophon. The highly respected pianist has had a nearly ten year relationship with the yellow label, but his half a dozen releases over that period have been sporadic with nothing since his well-received first book of The Well Tempered Clavier back in 2014.

“I am delighted to be starting on this new collaboration with Pentatone and am looking forward to working on the many exciting repertoire plans that we have been discussing,” Aimard said in the label’s press release.

The French pianist, who won this year’s Ernst von Siemens Music Prize, is especially noted for 20th-century repertoire and beyond, having enjoyed close relationships with both Messiaen and Boulez. For Pentatone, he intends to record key works from his repertoire ranging from the keyboard works of JS Bach to the music of György Kurtág.

He will begin, however, by scaling one of the repertoire’s highest peaks: Messiaen’s complete Catalogue d’Oiseaux, due for release next March. Aimard last performed the marathon 18-hour cycle last year at the Aldeburgh...