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  Preludes and Dances from Brazil [Pure DSD]
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Originally written for HRAuido.net

There is nothing colloquial about Sergio Assad’s captivating Colloquial Preludes – written for star guitarist, Ricardo Gallén – with which this new Eudora release begins. At first listening, it becomes immediately clear that these are anything but ‘colloquial’. It’s magical. All of it. The composition, the playing and the recorded result are simply brilliant. Released on record for the first time, the twelve preludes explore the twelve most common guitar composition keys. Acoustic Guitar players should not be without it. For that reason alone, this album is a must buy.

But there is much more to enjoy.

Gallén is not the only one who has put the 5 Préludes and Suite populaire brésilienne of the disc’s ‘flag bearer’ composer Heitor Villa-Lobos on record. But I can’t think of anyone having it done better. In his review En Silencio: Latin American guitar music – Gallén John Miller raved about him, and in this one, too: Sor: Guitar Sonatas – Gallén. Adding my voice to it would be like carrying water to the sea.

For a change, I followed a different path to keep up with the many times more cyber-literate Joneses. I asked Chat GPT to share its views with me. This is (partly) what I got: “Ricardo Gallén is a distinguished Spanish classical guitarist renowned for his exceptional technical prowess and profound musicality. His interpretations are celebrated for their nuance and expressiveness, earning him acclaim from both critics and fellow musicians. The esteemed Cuban composer and conductor Leo Brouwer has praised Gallén’s “great creativity and virtuosity that is felt only by looking at his hands”.”

For some, it may be tempting to facilitate the job by calling in the assistance of Artificial Intelligence. However, as it turns out, AI is not as intelligent as the Joneses might have hoped for. All was stolen from the web, though ‘honestly’ mentioned at the bottom of the text in hardly discernible script: “Six String Journal”.

Nonetheless, although I could not ‘see his hands’ my ears concur with the author of the article “Artist Spotlight: Ricardo Gallén” in the Six Strings Journal’s issue of September 29, 2016, about the “exceptional technical prowess and profound musicality”.

Summing it up: The long and the short of it is that in this kind of repertoire Ricardo Gallén is the reference to which others will have to be judged.

Compulsory stuff, recorded in the fine acoustic of the Auditorio de San Francisco, Avila, Spain, and engineered to perfection by Gonzalo Noqué in an original immersive 7.0.4 DSD 256 recording.

Blangy-le-Château, Normandy, France

Copyright © 2025 Adrian Quanjer and HRAudio.net

The post Ricardo Gallén Sets New Standard appeared first on NativeDSD Music.

For the first time, I heard the Dutch pianist, van Poucke, in a carefully crafted Schumann recital – The Schumann Collection Vol 1 – recorded by TRPK in 2020. A revelation! Against fierce competition, he showed himself to be a genuine Schumanesque interpreter. Poetically tender, emotionally convincingly strong. His deep understanding of Robert’s often enigmatic soul continued in Vol 2. For me, a great talent was born. At age 32 he is on the brink of joining the Great Masters. And clearly, I’m not alone. Being invited to play in the Dutch Hall of Fame: The Royal Concertgebouw, says it all.

This ‘short-play’ release is taken from a concert van Poucke gave on the 8th of October 2024. It is the pre-interval programme. Missing, therefore, is the second part with Rachmaninoff’s Moments Musicaux. Let us hope there will be a complete release in the non-too-distant future. 

What I particularly like, is that the recording is a realistic and ‘unpolished’ version. Noises from the Hall (and the pedals), as well as the inclusion of applause, make it life-like. Especially the roaring applause after Mozart’s Piano Sonata No. 9 in D major, K.311. Van Poucke begins the Sonata with a captivating Allegro con spirito, followed by a thoughtful and poetically rendered Andante con espressione. Both are typically not run-of-the-mill Mozart. But I think it was the dazzling and powerful rendition of the final movement that aroused the enthusiasm of a strikingly young audience. Van Poucke at its best. Wonderfully unconventional. The hallmark of a real artist.

The richness of van Poucke’s pianistic baggage comes furthermore to life in the contrasting 6 Variations on ‘Mein junges Leben hat ein End’ by the Dutch composer Sweelinck, and Debussy’s Images (Prèmiere Série): I. Reflets dans l’eau. These are graceful performances of sensitivity and reflective poetry.

Blangy-le-Château, Normandy, France.
Copyright © 2025 Adrian Quanjer and HRAudio.net

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  Souvenir de Posen (World Premiere Recording)
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A Reputation Only Few Can Hope to Attain.

The Meccore String Quartet has built a concert hall reputation that only few can hope to attain. In their home country recognised as ‘the best Polish string quartet’, they also have garnered acclaim after acclaim on many international stages. Their recent tour in The Netherlands, so I hear, was a great success with standing ovations.

Established in 2007, The Meccore String Quartet has won many hearts among classical music collectors with a small yet enviable number of widely appreciated recordings. It’s now high time for a quantum leap into the perfectionist world of High Resolution, reaching out to an audience of connoisseurs who accept nothing but the best. 

Fascinating is a weak Description.

For me, it’s no secret that the best productions come from labels managed by ‘music lovers’ rather than ‘music factories’ merely focused on commercial results. Prelude Classics label manager and executive producer, Michał Bryła, has recently joined the ranks of those music-loving producers. Like the previous two, this third album won’t fail to impress with its musicality, impeccable engineering and not least a smart choice of repertoire. Both Wieniawski (Józef, not Henryk) and Paderewski (World Premiere) are Firsts in the High-Res domain. 

Perhaps not core repertoire for many, but hearing these melodious works in the Meccore String Quartet’s reading, one will definitely be won over; at least, I was. Fascinating is a weak description of the verve and emotional depth with which these Polish musicians interpret their national heroes. A more than welcome addition to our library.

Listening is More Convincing than Words Can Express.

It dawned on me that more than words (and, let it be said:  ChatGPT-generated texts) can express, it is indeed by listening that one fully appreciates the sheer beauty these four players elicit from their period instruments; some are copies (by Krzysztof Krupa), but the first violinist, Wojciech Koprowski, uses (Henryk) Wieniawski’s own instrument (1846 Ch. F. Gand, père) from the collection of the National Museum in Poznan, Poland. 

Much of their persuasive charm may also be attributed to them having the right mindset and proper genes to understand the West Slavic soul of both composers, resulting in positive emotion coming from the heart rather than from artificially dramatized excitement. The opulent engagement in the performance lends both works more weight than the score suggests at first sight reading. 

Striving to reach the Summit of Excellence.

Drawing parallels with other String Quartets can be hazardous. Still, when I compare Meccore with the late Alban Berg Quartet, my conclusion is that whilst interplay and virtuosity are of a similar and technically excellent standard, the Meccores add some of the missing human compassion. 

Moreover, with advances in modern recording, the Meccore String Quartet has the advantage of a more realistic sound picture with a discrete surround projection. The recorded level is high. So, be warned and be modest with the volume setting to keep ‘presence’ in the upper strings under control. 

Summing it up: This release is a lucid example of a String Quartet that doesn’t sit on its laurels but keeps striving to reach the summit of excellence. The balance between the players is exemplary, as is the accuracy in tone and phrasing of each. I’ve greatly enjoyed the “Souvenirs of Posen” and I’m pretty sure you will like it as much. 

Blangy-le-Château, Normandy, France.

Copyright © 2024 Adrian Quanjer and HRAudio.net

The post ‘Souvenir de Posen’ from the Meccore String Quartet appeared first on NativeDSD Music.

Notre Dame de Paris …

This latest release of Jake Purches’ is special on more than one count. Base 2 Music, being a respected organ music label, has released something that not only marks the centenary of one of France’s most famous organists, Pierre Cochereau, but also ties, by coincidence, in with the reopening of the restored Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, gravely destroyed by fire in 2019, of which Cochereau was its titular. 

… and Anglo-French Friendship Restored.

But there is more. In the wake of British Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer’s recent visit to the French President, Emanuel Macron, celebrating 120 years of ‘Entente Cordiale’, it may even be taken as a post-Brexit signal of renewed Anglo-French friendship. An English label featuring French organ music. In this particular case, in recognition of Cochereau’s and his illustrious Christmas Eve improvisations in the Notre Dame Cathedral. 

Sacred Rock around the Pipes

In his remarks in the accompanying booklet, David Briggs writes about a concert in Notre Dame: “It was like some extraordinary sacred rock concert, with the improviser seemingly assuming a semi-mythical status.” And that is exactly what this album is all about. Paying respect to Pierre Cochereau’s nationality, it opens with two differently styled improvisations of the French national Anthem ‘La Marseillaise’. The first, pulling all the stops of the JW Walker Organ of Exeter College, Oxford University, Oxford, England, is taken from the funeral service of President Charles de Gaulle, and the second, more modest and emotional in tone, was improvised by Cochereau at a ‘Mass for Peace’ in the French capital’s monumental Cathedral. 

Whilst JW Walker & Sons in England may not have the same stature as Cavaillé-Coll in France, their pipe organs are nonetheless impressive instruments, capable of a wide range of settings and sounds. The one in Exeter College is an intermediate ‘instrument after the French Romantic style’ taking into account the size of the chapel, with two manuals and sophisticated stop and combination actions. Pipe organ lovers who want to know more about the organ history of Exeter College will find much to read in Andrew Allan’s notes and in ‘A Festschrift in honour of the twentieth anniversary of the Walker Organ in the Chapel of Exeter College, Oxford’ to be found HERE.

The Name of the Game is Briggs

As there is no dedicated biography in the booklet, I may add, for the benefit of those who may be less familiar with this phenomenal organ player, some brief notes about the soloist. Although currently Artist-in-Residence at the Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine in New York City (having held the same position at the Cathedral Church of St. James in Toronto), David Briggs is by birth as British as an Englishman can be. Born in Bromsgrove, Worcestershire, England, he started his career as an Assistant Organist at Hereford Cathedral, moving on to Truro and Gloucester Cathedrals in the capacity of Organist and Master of the Choristers, before becoming a freelance concert organist and composer. 

“Recognized as one of the world’s most renowned improvisers” he surprises audiences during his busy concert schedule with transcriptions of such major symphonic works as Mahler’s Second Symphony and brilliant improvisations like, for example, last month’s ‘Silent Movie Improvisation Concert’ in the Herz Jesu Kirche, Graz, Austria. 

He has recorded over 40 CDs, though this new one is the only one in Surround High-Resolution, befitting his mastery to the fullest extent in its naturally sounding habitat. 

In this new album, all but one of the transcriptions of the original Pierre Cachereau’s improvising diagrams are Brigg’s, Those who like to listen to an organ at its mightiest will enjoy the pomp of track 1 and the paraphrase of the French traditional song (and used by Georges Bizet in l’Arlésienne) ‘La Marche des Rois’, or ‘La Marche des Rois mages’ on track 9, whereas ‘hurried’ souls will appreciate the tranquillity in the Berceuse ‘à la mémoire de Louis Vierne’, track2, where Briggs dwells on the beauty of the instrument, and the peaceful mood in ‘flûtes’ track 4. Storm can be harvested in Track 8 ‘Scherzo Symphonique’. 

In short, this is a kaleidoscope of sounds, moods and reflections dished up by someone who knows better than most how to stir up our emotional minds.

It Needs an Organ-Loving Engineer to Make It Sound as Good as It Is.

This release is indeed a perfect sampler of what an amazing organist-improviser can do on an equally amazing organ and recorded by a master engineering specialist in this field: Jacob (Jake) Purches, assisted by Christoph Martin Frommen for the mastering of the physical end product. 

Whether or not JW Walker sounds like a “French organ with an English accent” (dixit Olivier Latry, titular de Notre-Dame de Paris) or the other way around, as I see it: An English organ with a distinct majestic French sound, the inevitable bond between the two countries it represents remains the same, and those listeners who are not nationals of any of these two will surely enjoy it as much as I for what it is: A memorable concert by one of the world’s great organists.  

Blangy-le-Château, Normandy, France.

Copyright © 2024 Adrian Quanjer and HRAudio.net

The post David Briggs Pulls All the Stops appeared first on NativeDSD Music.

More Lessons for the Classical Niche Crowd?

Several composers have written music for study purposes. Two typical examples are Bach’s Trio Sonatas to teach one of his sons how to master the three simultaneous voices of the organ (two keyboards with obligato pedal), and Chopin’s two sets of Etudes to practise his fingers to be able to compete in a strong field of excellent pianists. With this second release by the Polish quality label Prelude Classics, another series of study materials comes our way. The possibly for many not-so-well-known Belgian-born composer, Jean-Baptiste Loeillet, wrote several ‘Lessons’ for practising, six of which, composed for the Harpsichord, are now put on record by Michał Bryła. Bach’s and Chopin’s works meant for study purposes, have since become part of the core keyboard repertoire. Will the Six Lessons by Loeillet follow the same path? 

For a good understanding: In Loeillet’s days ‘Lessons for the Harpsichord’ were nothing special. Several composers, including Handel, produced them for obvious reasons. Not all reached the level of core repertoire. As for Loeillet; at the end of the day, it is the listener who decides. The performer and the sound quality are nonetheless compelling factors for the final verdict.

Whose lessons are they anyway?

Confusion exists about the Loeillet family and who wrote what. There is an earlier recording of ‘Six Suits of Lessons for Harpsichord or Spinet’, released in 2019 on the Urania Label (Leonardo Digital Collection) with the Italian Harpsichord player Luigi Chiarizia, advertised as Jean-Baptiste (John) Loeillet. A mistake. They were composed by Loeillet’s Flemish cousin, Jean Baptiste Loeillet de Ghent. And then there is a Jacques Loeillet … Furthermore, according to La Sala del Cembalo del Caro Sassone (The Handel Harpsichord Room), there is a 2018 recording of John Loeillet’s ‘Six SuIts of Lessons’ with the Italian Harpsichordist Fernando de Luca, but is nowhere listed as CD. The Loeillet we are talking about, is the one that settled in England referring to himself as ‘John L. of London’ and the Suites recorded here are his.

A World’s First?

Looking at it from different angles, it is not clear whether or not John’s set has been recorded previously. However, World Premiere or not, Michał Bryła has, in my view, hit for more than one reason the jackpot. Firstly, the soloist, Maria Banaszkiewicz-Bryła, professor at the Paderewski Academy of Music in Poznań, Poland, turns out to be a phenomenal harpsichordist; secondly, these Suites are now for the first time available in Super Audio; and last but not least, reading the technical specifications in the booklet, Bryła has not spared any technical means to produce all Six at the highest possible engineered level. 

Mother and Son at work.

My listening sessions confirmed Maria’s pleasing style; a style that matches, in all its shades and colours, the intimacy of this sophisticated and noble instrument. Yet, she shows her technical aptitude i.a. in a magnificently projected Corrente (Courante) in the Fifth Suite. Harpsichords can sometimes sound like someone scraping his throat. A warm sonority is on display thanks to Bryła’s careful engineering with a realistic sonority and discrete surround sound pattern. A family in harmony is what I sensed; Mother and Son at work. 

I shan’t pretend that Loeillet’s Suites are of a similarly high level as Bach’s Trio Sonatas. It would need more time to wait and see if confirmed harpsichord players will put and keep it in their repertoire. For the time being, however, and surely in Madame Maria Banaszkiewicz‒Bryła’s interpretation, they have given me immense listening pleasure. We must be thankful for her having taken them out of oblivion. 

The liner notes by Lilianna Stawarz are equally outstanding! It makes the ‘Six SuIts of Lessons for the Harpsichord or Spinnet in most of the Key’s with Variety of Passages and Variations Throughout the Work’ all the more monumental. A true contribution to the classical catalogue and to all those who demand nothing less than the best.  Simply said: A Must Have.

Epilogue.

More from Michal Bryla and Prelude Classics:

Blangy-le-Château, Normandy, France

Copyright © 2024 Adrian Quanjer and HRAudio.net

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  Young & Foolish: Mozart & C.P.E. Bach
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Music that makes you happy.

If there is anything these days that we need in large quantities, it’s music that makes you happy. Well, here it is, thanks to Alpha Classics. It is said that Mozart’s music has a positive effect on the psyche. Studies prove it though others -as always- deny such an effect. Whatever the truth, test it for yourself. I have no reliable information on a similar spin-off from C.P.E. Bach, but by listening to the works recorded here, it worked for me. 

In this context, Café Zimmerman and its ‘bartender’ Pablo Valetti are a further uplifting element. With Madame Frisch as a ‘regular’ at the harpsichord, and visiting artist, Monsieur Melnikov, playing the fortepiano, your enjoyment can’t go wrong.

Who is the Young; who is the Foolish?

The title of this release is puzzling. Reading the liner notes to discover why ‘Young & Foolish: Mozart & C.P.E. Bach’ was chosen, the ‘Why’ doesn’t become altogether clear. In the sense: Young Mozart against foolish C.P.E. Bach, is not very complimentary for the second ‘Hamburg & Berlin’ son of Pappa Bach. The other way around, then? Mozart the Fool? Could be. But then again C.P.E. Bach was years his senior and not Foolish. So, we must accept the explanation of Café Zimmermann: “One can readily imagine them, the young man and the old, crafting the history of music and of art .. with the enthusiasm of reckless youth: young & foolish”. 

Or is it ‘Fresh & Fruity’?

Reading the accompanying booklet, one searches in vain for details about Café Zimmermann. It is not a pub, but a French Baroque Orchestra, created in 1999, with a complement of around 20 musicians, led by violinist Pablo Valetti and harpsichordist Céline Frisch. It is named after and aims at “bringing together soloists who strive to revive the artistic emulation brought about by the establishment of Gottfried Zimmermann (Zimmermannsches Kaffeehaus, or Coffeehouse) in Leipzig in the 18th century”. The place no longer exists. It was destroyed at the end of the Second World War. But its importance for the world of Baroque lingers on in Avignon, in the South of France, the home base of this ensemble. In this new recording, their playing is straightforward. No unnecessary salon-style frills. Firm in tone and attack, committed and virtuoso in a brilliantly shaded execution of the scores. ‘Fresh & Fruity’, that’s how it sounds to me. 

Stern Lutheran North meets Sunny Catholic South.

The Sunnyside first. One of the most inspiriting parts of this release comes from Mozart. Who else? His popular Third Divertimento KV 138 was indeed meant for pleasure. Not too difficult and full of charm. Café Zimmermann play with gusto and succeed in making the listener happy. Most enjoyable!

From the North comes C.P.E. Bach’s Symphony in D major WQ 1831/1, and double keyboard concerto, in a version for harpsichord (Mme Cécile Frisch, playing a 2013 Christoph Kern copy after Michael Mietke, Berlin 1710) and fortepiano (Monsieur Alexander Melnikov, playing a 2007 Christoph Kern pianoforte copy after Anton Walter, Wien 1795). I wonder how many are familiar with these works. They are new to me. Looking at bot, typically a case of Lutheran North meets Sunny Catholic South. Different in structure, but similar in bringing new to old, whether or not that be ‘Foolish’ is not up to me to judge. 

In the Double Concerto, both soloists treat us with a buoyant and sparkling performance that can best be compared to a glass of bubbling Champagne. Tossing the narrative back and forth between harpsichord and fortepiano, interspersed with glowing accentuating strings and twinkling flutes, in the outer movements, and a stern more solemn (Nordic?) tone in the middle to remind us that joy is a bonus that needs to be earned.    

Covering More Drama than the album’s etiquette suggests.

The orchestral forces deliver the perfect background for Alexander Melnikov to perform Mozart’s 17^th piano concerto on a fortepiano. Though the final part of the programme, it is by all means its central main item. Melnikov’s reading breathes the genius of a talented composer. Popular as it was at the time and now still is, it is more dramatic than the album’s etiquette suggests. Melnikov adds baroque-style ornaments, which I like. And not only to reinforce the orchestral body in the tuttis. At the same time, however, the andante foreshadows elements of Romance. Carefully and sensitively portrayed. The final movement is the cherry on our longing for optimism, ending with lots of blustering conviction. I find his reading altogether a gripping mix of insight, virtuosity and musicality.

Blangy-le-Chateau, Normandy, France.

Copyright © 2024 Adrian Quanjer and HRAudio.net

The post Young & Foolish: Mozart & C.P.E. Bach from Café Zimmermann appeared first on NativeDSD Music.

A PCM recording needn’t be a dark horse

Having spent a fortune on a (multi-channel) system, some classical music buffs can be dismissive about everything that may not meet their expectations. A PCM recording for example. I’ve fallen into that trap several times, too. Not without reason. Depending on your ears, equipment, and mood, it’s only logical that one demands nothing but the best in sound quality. Isn’t that the core business of Native DSD? Does that rule out PCM? Listening to this new Linn release, we ought to remedy the idea that a PCM recording cannot be good enough for the ultimate musical experience. In such general terms, it simply isn’t true. If the music is well played, an original PCM recording can be as rewarding as any. The more so if, as is the case here, it is subsequently expertly remastered in DSF.

The Maxwell Quartet‘s fresh approach in Haydn’s three Op. 74 String Quartets is the proof of the pudding. One may argue that these are not ‘salon’ compositions, and some do. Haydn wrote them at the time he composed his London Symphonies and it is a general belief that this Apponyi threesome should be played similarly. To my ears, that’s what the Maxwell readings are all about. Sturdily convincing with a taste of a good glass of malt followed by and mixed with a generous dose of wit. 

The winning stroke of the Scots.

For real competition, one may turn to BIS and its Haydn (PCM!) String Quartet releases with the Chiaroscuro Quartet, having earned so many accolades. However, thus far with no Op. 74 on the menu. The choice in high resolution is indeed limited. Praga Digitals issued the same set 20 years ago with the Kocian Quartet. I have it and the comparison reveals that the quality of both playing and recording are at par with the Maxwell’s but in readings that are quite different from one another. Should anyone be tempted, the label has long stopped producing SACDs and this set is now difficult to get.

Besides, one should not only look at what someone else has to offer but also at what someone else has not. In my view, the winning stroke of the Scots is the combination of the three quartets with neat arrangements of several Scottish Folk Songs, whether anonymous or written by respectively Nathaniel Gow (1763-1831), Niel Gow (1727–1807), Sìne NicFhionnlaigh (?), William Marshall (1748–1833) and Isaac Cooper (c. 1755–c. 1811). Everything beautifully done.

As things stand, this is the best choice available. 

Blangy-le-Château, Normandy, France.
Copyright © 2024 Adrian Quanjer and HRAudio.net

The post Maxwell Quartet ‘Haydn: String Quartets Op. 74 & Folk Music from Scotland’ on Linn Records appeared first on NativeDSD Music.

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  Williams: Violin Concerto No. 1 [DSD EP]
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This Stereo & 5 Channel Surround Sound DSD EP has been sourced from the DXD original edit master and is available only at NativeDSD!

Check out the full album that was put out by Pentatone, which also contains Berntein’s Serenade:

I don’t know anyone who doesn’t know John Williams’s music for Steven Spielberg’s 1993 film ‘Schindler’s List’ and notably its ‘Theme for Violin and Orchestra’. Still, I wonder how many are familiar with his two Violin Concerti, the first of which is recorded here with one of the better and second oldest American Orchestras and one of the best Canadian violinists, both conducted by Stéphane Denève, risen to stardom in only a few years. I, for one, didn’t know the concerto, which, I think – and with hindsight – is a big shame. I was perhaps too focused on the idea that film music composers are ‘different’ from sheet music composers. With Korngold as an example, I should have known better! 

It poses the question of to what extent music and film are different. Many composers have said that they ‘saw things’ when composing, and some even went as far as to say – and insist – that music must have a Programme. If the ‘programme’ is a ‘film’, Williams must be a perfect composer because able to look both ways. 

In this release, however, there is no film reference. Or is there? I think there is. In my view, this violin Concerto is as much about music as it is about film. Not literally, but all the more so in spiritual expression.  Listening to the recording with an open mind and not having heard it before, it dawned on me that there was something intangible, a sense of emotion connecting me to filmed episodes. 

The funny thing though, is that Williams doesn’t seem to agree. At least not if we accept what he says in his programme notes to his Second Violin Concerto (2022 DGG Blu-Ray Pure Audio release): ”And while music has many purposes and functions, I’ve always believed that, in the end, it (what the music is about) ought to be interpreted through the prism of every listener’s own personal history .. ”.  Modesty? I believe so. Williams conceded in the end: “ I took my inspiration and energy directly from this great artist (Anne-Sophie Mutter, for whom he composed the concerto) herself.” Ergo: Music doesn’t come out of nothing.

It is real and it is beautiful

In the Hi-Res EP download release, there is no booklet, but in the RBCD release (26/04/2024, coupled with Bernstein’s ‘Serenade after Plato’s Symposium’) there is. It says: “ .. hints of his work as a film composer; the slow movement brings to mind a scene of emotional gravity.” Of course! Williams’s music is not abstract. It is real and it is beautiful. And the performers do all they can to honour the composer.

In the good old Super Audio days, Leonard Slatkin and the St Louis Symphony graced the young Hi-Res community with some excellent releases, and it is great to have the orchestra back in the picture and blossoming like Spring. And with Ehnes holding the fiddle and Denève the baton, the stage is set for a stellar performance. 

I‘m sure that many discerning classical music lovers will value a concerto that may not be at the cutting edge of experimental composition but is instead at the zenith of emotional creation based on the same traditional values that have marked all truly sensitive and inspirational composers over the ages.  

This short release brings the best of two worlds, real and imaginative, making it, despite the missing Bernstein Serenade, worth all your while.

Blangy-le-Château, Normandy, France

Copyright © 2024 Adrian Quanjer and HRAudio.net

The post Music, Film or Both? appeared first on NativeDSD Music.

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  Mysterium [Pure DSD]
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A growing number of Spain’s classical prominence has gained worldwide recognition thanks to Gonzalo Noqué, the driving force behind the Spanish audiophile label, Eudora Records. Noelia Rodiles is one of them. I’ve greatly admired her interpretation of Schubert’s Moments Musicaux D.780 (Rodiles 1823) with which she joined in my view the ranks of Schubert notables. Still, her reach is much farther than that, as I (and not just me) noted in another Eudora recording ‘The Butterfly Effect’. With this new release, she continues to surprise with her rendition of two concerti by Hispanic composers: Julián Orbón de Soto of Cuban nationality but spending much of his productive life in Spain and his younger Spanish colleague, Manuel Martínez Burgos.

Not all contemporary music from the second half of the previous century has captured my interest. I’ve listened to several that did not ring my bell, to put it mildly. In those days, innovation seemed to be de rigueur. There is nothing wrong with that if it weren’t for the fact that for some, notably in some parts of Western Europe, it became a goal in itself. Their ‘creative innovations’, were being published with much aplomb and a disdain for those who did not ‘understand’ their twists of art. But for my ears, they had little else to communicate than ‘noise’. Innovation for the sake of it without any artistic idea behind it.

Saved from Oblivion

Orbón followed a different path. He has something to communicate. His Partite No. 4, a Symphonic Movement for Piano and Orchestra, commissioned, composed and premiered in 1985 by the Dallas Symphony under the baton of Eduardo Mata, turned out to be an immediate success. However, after repeats in some of the great Halls in Europe and the death of the Mexican conductor, it somehow fell out of grace. All that was left was a 1989 Olympia recording (OCD 351).

In her preface, Noelia writes that she found the full score in the library of Indiana University Bloomington, embracing it from the very start. The title is deceptive. The Movement is a monumental 23-minute piece, the same length as, for instance, a three-movement Mozart Piano Concerto. Moreover, ‘Symphonic’ suggests that the orchestra gets an equal part in the common effort. It thus falls on the shoulders of Lucas Macias, the conductor of the Oviédo Filharmonía, to guide his musicians into shaping, side by side with the soloist, a mysteriously medieval atmosphere alternating with a dazzlingly modernist work. The result is remarkable.

I’d never heard it before, but contemporary as it is, it has an immediate appeal. Listening to this reimagining of old into new, one gets the feeling that the Partita has become part of Sra Rodiles herself! Her playing is sensitive and brilliant as the score demands. At the same time, this wonderful work highlights an orchestra I also had never heard of before. It is one of Spain’s still existing traditional City Orchestras (Orquesta Sinfónica Ciudad de Oviédo) with an attractive and well-balanced sonority. I cannot compare it with the Olympia recording (possibly no longer available), but one thing is sure, we may count ourselves lucky to have the Partita No.4 once more on record, but this time in a superior resolution.

Burgos’s Tolling Bells Premiered for All

Manuel Burgos is from a different age when many composers returned to the core of their trade, composing music. Unlike previously mentioned ‘innovators’, he clearly did have an idea on why and how to let his in 2021 composed ‘Cloches’ toll. Was Orbón’s Partita built on concepts from the pre-Baroque era (O Magnum Mysterium), the idea behind Manuel Burgos’s piano concerto goes even further back in time. “From the beginning of our era until recently”, writes the composer in his introduction to the score, “the bell has been .. a privileged instrument of mass communication” .. “part of the soundscape of cities and towns since they distinguish themselves from other sound productions”, giving several examples, be they religious, civil, or simply marking time. My appetite was whetted.

This work is indeed turn-of-the-century modern, capturing the listener’s attention in its diverse facets. Nonetheless, I needed several listening sessions to grasp the essence and above all, how Noelia plays a central role in her interaction with her fellow orchestral percussionists (yes, the piano, too, is a percussion instrument) and to sustain a dialogue with the orchestra. Each time I listened, I discovered something new, like receiving new messages from near and far away in a sometimes-misty valley, getting more urgently alarming toward the end of the first movement. The second movement takes us to the bells of the Santa Maria church in Wamba, a township in the Province of Valladolid the autonomous region of Castille-et-León in Spain. Such magic from all sides, the composer, the soloist, the conductor, and the committed members of the Oviédo Symphony.

As for the “Grand volée de cloches à Notre-Dame de Paris”, the final movement in three parts, we hope that the sound of Emmanuel, the great bell of the cathedral Notre-Dame de Paris (and the second largest bell of France) will soon sound like it did before the tragic fire that devasted this cathedral in 2019. In the meantime, we must make do with the vision of Manuel Burgos as so passionately performed by Noella and her supporting forces.

Need I say something about the sound quality? It’s Eudora’s. That’s enough.

Blangy-le-Château, Normandy, France

Copyright © 2024 Adrian Quanjer and HRAudio.net

The post Noella Rodiles Continues to Surprise appeared first on NativeDSD Music.

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Get Volume 1 & Volume 2 for 40% off when you buy the Double Album

With this Sibelius you get more

Some scholars advance the idea that Sibelius’s chamber music is not at par with, for instance, his symphonic output. I do not agree. Less mature? Yes, by all means. These are youth compositions. But that doesn’t automatically mean that it lacks inspirational quality. The three piano trios recorded and released by Yarlung Records in two volumes stem from the same genial mind that produced the peerless tone poems. The difference is that they were meant to serve another purpose: Intimate music to be played by him (Janne) on the violin, his sister, Linda, on the piano, and his brother, Christian, on the cello. A gifted family affair, one might say. 

As the proof of the pudding commonly is in the consuming, I invite you to listen to any, or better still, all of them as interpreted by the Finnish Sibelius Piano Trio in two Volumes. It convinced me. So, it may do the same to you. Furthermore, in doing so, you may count yourself lucky because you will get a series of unfamiliar yet brilliantly explorative ‘fillers’ and a supreme rendition of a well-known Finnish composer as well. 

The Sibelius Piano Trio, consisting of Juho Pohjonen, “the fast-rising Finnish star”, (The Guardian), at the piano, the violinist Petteri Iivonen (Second Prize in the 2010 International Jean Sibelius Violin Competition, playing Isaac Stern’s Carlo Bergonzi’s violin), and the cellist Samuli Peltonen (Principal at the Finnish National Opera), was established some years ago, with a view to promoting Finnish composers and, as it turned out, in preparation of a projected release in honour of Finland’s 1917 centennial of independence. In the meantime, however, their wings have already spread much farther. 

Non-damaging collaterals

Although the three Sibelius Piano Trios surely will attract most people’s attention, the Los Angeles-based label, Yarlung, together with the members of the Sibelius Piano Trio, have decided to add an interesting ‘collateral’ giving the unique possibility to familiarize ourselves with some modern composers hitherto largely unknown. Their contribution, which certainly is non-damaging to the overall result, consists of works dedicated to the Trio, like ‘Nene’, written for them by the Argentine composer, Diego Schissi, ‘Ruminations’, by the American music teacher and composer, David S. Lefkowitz, and ‘Päärme’, by the Finnish composer Lotta Wennäkoski. These add-ons are complemented by Kaija Saariaho’s well-known yet otherworldly ‘Je sens un deuxième cœur’ (I feel a second heart).

I’m not sure if all of this will please all ears. The fact is, however, that each of these gets an interpretation from a technical as well as a passionate angle which can hardly be bettered. For a good understanding of the scores, reading the notes is an absolute must. It helped me come to grips with the South-American-Inspired ‘Nene’ and, above all, the immensely and emotionally powerful ‘Je sens un deuxième cœur’, especially to discover how the text and subsequent score relates to the participation of each of the instruments in the overall framework. 

A rare opportunity in the highest resolution

Being an avid SACD Surround man, this recording of the three Sibelius Piano Trios, originally released as a 2 CD set in honour of the 1917 Centennial of Finland’s independence, escaped my attention. Only since I became aware of its availability on Native DSD was I pleased about the rare opportunity to get these in the most realistically attainable resolution, thus far nowhere else on offer. 

Philip O’Hanlon ‘a music lover of impeccable taste’ describes in the liner notes how Yarlung’s Arian Jansen Studio was built, using the most advanced digital recording equipment. But at the end of the day, it is Bob Attiyeh, Producer and Recording Engineer of Yarlung Records who guarantees the ultimate audio quality of whatever leaves the facility. For the techno-buffs, detailed information about set-up and equipment used is to be found in the booklet.

If you have a home system that can reproduce the technical effort that has gone into this release, you have already won a big chunk of the battle. The bulk, however, is delivered by the three soloists making up the Piano Trio, who, thanks to Bob Attiyeh, come each -and together- to full bloom in your listening room. If I have understood correctly, Bob asks musicians (like what used to be done for the Welsh Nimbus label) to play the score in one go. If so, it explains why this ‘studio recording’ sounds so excitedly life-like. On top of it, one becomes aware that reproducing it in high-resolution benefits only the best players, like the Sibelius Piano Trio undoubtedly are.

Beyond the grasp of anyone else

Despite being a youth work written for the family, the Sibelius Trio set down a memorable ‘Korppoo’, already some steps further on the ladder to fame than the previous Havträsk Trio. Listening to both, it felt like I was at one of Janne’s family summer vacation sessions. Joy and admiration in abundance. The final work on Volume 2, ‘Lovisa’ named after the town of Lovisa, where Sibelius composed it while staying at his aunt’s home, is perhaps the best-loved. The rendition by Pohjonen, Ivonen and Peltonen is one of a surprising freshness and lovable beauty in the second movement, which, after the dark-coloured ‘Je sens un deuxième cœur‘, brings the entire programme to an uplifting close.

In my possibly somewhat subjective opinion, there is no other interpretation that brings Sibelius’s intent so remarkably to life. Summing it all up: This release is beyond the grasp of anyone else. 

Get Volume 1 & Volume 2 for 40% off when you buy the Double Album

Blangy-le-Château, Normandy, France.

Copyright © 2024 Adrian Quanjer and HRAudio.net

The post ‘Sibelius Piano Trio’ from Yarlung Records appeared first on NativeDSD Music.