Music Reviews
A grand collection of reviews. If you are a professional music reviewer and would like to contribute a review to this blog, please contact us.
Some Surprises
While looking (and listening) for prospective nominations for the Album of the Year Nominations of 2021 list, I was pleased to rediscover some wonderful releases. These are not “also-rans”! They are top quality recordings of superb musicianship– easily recommendable on their own. So… Schumann is not a name one associates with Organ music, but these […]
And when it’s done, the pleasure is yours
What is the secret? Find some good players, select music that is not yet (Mozart) or hardly (Beethoven) available in high definition, written by famously appreciated composers, and recorded by Jared Sacks. That’s all. And when it’s done, the pleasure is entirely yours. So, what more need I say? The logo? The cover of the […]
Rosanne Philippens & The Vondel Strings
It is said that many good things have their origin in bad times.The proof is here. No matter what national policies had to be followed, fact is that over the past two years most of international cultural life came to an abrupt halt. Empty venues, concerts postponed, musicians hoping for better times. However, and thanks […]
An inconspicuous instrument in the middle?
An inconspicuous instrument in the middle? In a personal note, Dana Zemtsov says that there is no real shortage of good viola music. Despite general belief to the contrary, with this new release of rarely heard pieces, I tend to agree with her statement. On the other hand, and for all sorts of reasons, it […]
Aimez-vous Brahms? (Do you like Brahms?)
Photo credit: Marco Borggreve « Croyant voir en lui un être sensible à la musique, elle cède et, pendant plusieurs semaines, accepte la passion que lui offre le jeune homme ». Madame Paule, the main character in Françoise Sagan’s masterpiece “Aimez-vous Brahms”, could not resist the passion of the 14-year younger ‘beau garçon’, Simon, who invited her […]
An unexpected gift from Spain
Adrian Quanjer is back with a new DSD Review at the NativeDSD Music Blog. Here he reviews the recent album recorded & released by Eudora Records: Slavic Soul. The Pure DSD Editions in DSD 512, DSD 256 & DSD 128 are only available from NativeDSD. A composer doesn’t need to be an innovator to be […]
What would Brahms have chosen?
Photo credit: Felix Broede Adrian Quanjer is back with a new DSD Review at the NativeDSD Music Blog. Here he reviews the recent album released in the Reference Recordings Fresh! Series: Brahms 4 / MacMillan Larghetto by Manfred Honeck and the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. Exclusively Available in Stereo and 5 Channel DSD 256, DSD 128 […]
A fallback position?
Many politicians, parliamentarians, diplomats, generals, and even ordinary souls like me should have one. And what’s more, for clever people it may even be a better position than the one advanced in the first place! Such was my feeling when listening to this new release of Eudora. Reviewing often means listening to a great variety […]
The Best DSD. Does Bill Dodd Agree with Gramophone Magazine?
Gramophone says they’re among the very best! Founded almost 100 years ago (1923), Gramophone is one of the world’s most important music publications. Over the past few weeks Gramophone has posted on social media lists of the top recordings of works by various composers. It should come as no surprise that we can find many […]
A Dream Come True: Anna Fedorova’s Chopin
Did Chopin ever die? Chopin belongs to a group of composers who never tire, no matter how often you listen to the same piece. Just like Johann Sebastian Bach, his music can be listened to anytime anywhere. I do not know of anyone who dislikes his music. On the contrary. For countless lovers of the […]
Growing Into Gershwin
Use coupon: GERSHWIN for 20% OFF the DSD Albums below!Ends: September 30, 2021 Once upon a time, about 27 years after Gershwin first introduced his Three Preludes for Solo Piano, my piano teacher gave me Prelude No. 2 to learn. My hands were a bit small for one of the chords, so I had to cheat […]
LSO: Rachmaninoff Symphony No.2 in E minor, Op.27
This is Rob’s review of Rachmaninoff’s Symphony No.2 in E minor, Op.27 performed by the London Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Simon Rattle on the LSO Live label. Recorded live at the Barbican Hall, London in September 2019. Rob reviewed the Stereo DSD 512 edition download from NativeDSD Music. Originally published in Audiophile Sound (Italy). In […]