Rhorer tells us that his interpretation pays close attention to the question of tempi, which have often become progressively slower and heavier since the post-Romantic period. The tempi have ‘a direct bearing on the vocal comfort of the singers, since breath control is one of the great difficulties of this work’, he says.

For this recording, he has called in a quartet of top-flight soloists along with the Audi Jugendchorakademie, a remarkable German youth choir founded in 2007. In conjunction with his period-instrument orchestra, soon to celebrate its twentieth anniversary, they offer a passionate vision of Beethoven’s masterpiece.

Audi Jugendchorakademie
Le Cercle de l’Harmonie
Jérémie Rhorer, Conductor

The post Beethoven: Missa Solemnis appeared first on NativeDSD Music.

The Kreutzer Sonata is one of Beethoven’s most iconic works, full of fire, beauty, audacity – and just a touch of humor where you’d least expect it. This complete ‘Kreutzer’ Sonata (40 minutes) is filmed during the recording sessions and available as FullHD video. Unlike usual, the audio was completely leading for the entire video editing. This required a special approach by video director Onno van Ameijde. Knowing that possibly every take could be used in the final editing, the camera operators were actually only allowed to shoot perfect images. Their effort and concentration are therefore continuously equal to that of the musicians. The result is a spectacular experience of a live video session in which all the expression of the musicians in sound and image come together at the cutting edge.

The Boundary-Challenging new recording of Beethoven’s Complete Sonatas for Piano and Violin features the acclaimed duo: violinist Shunske Sato and pianist Shuann Chai. Beethoven’s pieces occupied a special place in their repertoire for a long time – in fact the Kreutzer Sonata was the very first piece they played together. Apart from playing Beethoven, both of them spent an inordinate amount of time delving into historical sources and old recordings.

We soak up what we can – reading anecdotes, newspapers articles, letters from people who heard Beethoven. And then… we let go and make it our own.
– Shunske Sato

‘Copying’ Beethoven is never the goal. Anyway, from what we know about his edgy and near-scandalous performances, I get the feeling that nothing we do now would be far enough! In a live performance we rarely plan what to do specifically; we agree on some general things. Our recording, then, is a version of what we might do, not the version. Beethoven had so much to say, and left us with so many possibilities. His scores are like treasure maps – there’s something wonderful everywhere you look, and it’s our responsibility to dig around and show what we’ve found! And everyone who searches will find something different, so I think it is important to own one’s interpretation.
– Shuann Chai

Shunske Sato, Violin
Shuann Chai, Piano

The post Beethoven: Violin Sonata no. 9, ‘Kreutzer’ [Visual Video Album] appeared first on NativeDSD Music.

This Boundary-Challenging new recording of Beethoven’s Complete Sonatas for Piano and Violin features the acclaimed duo: violinist Shunske Sato and pianist Shuann Chai. Beethoven’s pieces occupied a special place in their repertoire for a long time – in fact the Kreutzer Sonata was the very first piece they played together. Apart from playing Beethoven, both of them spent an inordinate amount of time deling into historical sources and old recordings.

We soak up what we can – reading anecdotes, newspapers articles, letters from people who heard Beethoven. And then… we let go and make it our own.
– Shunske Sato

‘Copying’ Beethoven is never the goal. Anyway, from what we know about his edgy and near-scandalous performances, I get the feeling that nothing we do now would be far enough! In a live performance we rarely plan what to do specifically; we agree on some general things. Our recording, then, is a version of what we might do, not the version. Beethoven had so much to say, and left us with so many possibilities. His scores are like treasure maps – there’s something wonderful everywhere you look, and it’s our responsibility to dig around and show what we’ve found! And everyone who searches will find something different, so I think it is important to own one’s interpretation.
– Shuann Chai

The motivation to make this recording arose when Shunske Sato and Shuann Chai played all Sonatas as a mini-marathon. It turned out to be a worthy endeavor: they got tremendously positive feedback. This recording allows them to share ‘their’ Beethoven with even more people.

Beethoven: The Complete Violin Sonatas in a nutshell:
*10 sonatas
*235 minutes of music
*Creative, expressive and daring musicians *Gorgeous sounding historical instruments *Recent insights from the historical informed
performance practice

Beethoven: Violin Sonata no. 9, ‘Kreutzer’ [Visual Video Album]
The Kreutzer Sonata is one of Beethoven’s most iconic works, full of fire, beauty, audacity – and just a touch of humor where you’d least expect it. This complete ‘Kreutzer’ Sonata (40 minutes) is filmed during the recording sessions and available as FullHD video. Unlike usual, the audio was completely leading for the complete video editing. This required a special approach by video director Onno van Ameijde. Knowing that possibly every take could be used in the final editing, the camera operators were actually only allowed to shoot perfect images. Their effort and concentration are therefore continuously equal to that of the musicians. The result is a spectacular experience of a live video session in which all the expression of the musicians in sound and image come together at the cutting edge.

Shunske Sato, Violin
Shuann Chai, Piano

The post Beethoven: The Complete Violin Sonatas + Sonata no. 9, ‘Kreutzer’ [Audio & Video Bundle] appeared first on NativeDSD Music.

This Boundary-Challenging new recording of Beethoven’s Complete Sonatas for Piano and Violin features the acclaimed duo: violinist Shunske Sato and pianist Shuann Chai. Beethoven’s pieces occupied a special place in their repertoire for a long time – in fact the Kreutzer Sonata was the very first piece they played together. Apart from playing Beethoven, both of them spent an inordinate amount of time deling into historical sources and old recordings.

We soak up what we can – reading anecdotes, newspapers articles, letters from people who heard Beethoven. And then… we let go and make it our own.
– Shunske Sato

‘Copying’ Beethoven is never the goal. Anyway, from what we know about his edgy and near-scandalous performances, I get the feeling that nothing we do now would be far enough! In a live performance we rarely plan what to do specifically; we agree on some general things. Our recording, then, is a version of what we might do, not the version. Beethoven had so much to say, and left us with so many possibilities. His scores are like treasure maps – there’s something wonderful everywhere you look, and it’s our responsibility to dig around and show what we’ve found! And everyone who searches will find something different, so I think it is important to own one’s interpretation.
– Shuann Chai

The motivation to make this recording arose when Shunske Sato and Shuann Chai played all Sonatas as a mini-marathon. It turned out to be a worthy endeavor: they got tremendously positive feedback. This recording allows them to share ‘their’ Beethoven with even more people.

Beethoven in a nutshell:
*10 sonatas
*235 minutes of music
*Creative, expressive and daring musicians *Gorgeous sounding historical instruments *Recent insights from the historical informed
performance practice

Shunske Sato, Violin
Shuann Chai, Piano

The post Beethoven: The Complete Violin Sonatas [Triple Album] appeared first on NativeDSD Music.

Beethoven’s symphonies have been a point of reference for the orchestra over the last few decades, serving as a bright beacon at the very heart of symphonic literature. While Beethoven’s Second Symphony follows the classic trajectory of his First Symphony, it marks a transition from his earlier works to a more assertive and individual style, demonstrating his defiance against personal struggles, particularly his encroaching deafness.

Representing a monumental shift in the symphonic genre, Beethoven’s Third Symphony, ‘Eroica,’ breaks away from conventional norms. It revolutionized symphonic composition by expanding the symphony’s scope, duration, and expressive potential, laying the foundation for Romanticism in music.

Flanders Symphony Orchestra
Kristiina Poska, Conductor

The post Beethoven Complete Symphonies Vol. 2 (Nos. 2 & 3) appeared first on NativeDSD Music.

In 1735 he composed the Italian Concerto in F Major, which, as a result of his meticulous research combined with genius, became one of Bach’s most popular works. It is followed by Ludwig van Beethoven’s ‘Waldtsein’ Sonata. The composer’s Op. 53 in C Major is one of the greatest sonatas in the piano repertoire and the twenty-first work of his in the genre.

Also in three movements, it opens with the taut rhythm of horses galloping. After a brief Intermezzo, the third movement is grandiose, reminiscent of a sunrise. The two concluding movements of the concert are the best-known works in Liszt’s cycle of Paganini etudes.

It was the playing of his contemporary, the great Italian violinist, that inspired the Hungarian composer-pianist to translate the virtuosic and profound playing of Niccolo Paganini, who had mastered the violin to the highest level, into the possibilities offered by the piano. Thus were born the Paganini etudes, known as the greatest challenge of all, of which the sixth in A Minor and the third in G Sharp Minor, the bells, better known as “La campanella”, are the most known.

As an encore, the concert will feature Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s choral work “Ave verum corpus”,
arranged for piano by Ferenc Liszt. The work, one of the composer’s last, is rich in subtlety and depth.

Misi Boros, Yamaha CFX Concert Grand Piano

The post Times Of The Day: Morning, Daylight, Evening (Triple Album) [Pure DSD] appeared first on NativeDSD Music.

Beethoven String Trios, Op. 9 is the fourth album from the Ssens Trio at NativeDSD.

The Three String Trios, Op. 9 were composed by Ludwig van Beethoven in 1797–98. He published them in Vienna in 1799, with a dedication to his patron Count Johann Georg von Browne (1767–1827). They were first performed by the violinist Ignaz Schuppanzigh with two colleagues from his string quartet.

Ssens Trio
Sølve Sigerland, Violin
Henninge Landaas, Viola
Ellen Margrete Flesjø, Cello

The post Beethoven String Trios, Op. 9 appeared first on NativeDSD Music.

Dedicated to one of his teachers in Vienna, Antonio Salieri, the Sonatas Op.12 were received unfavorably by critics because of their unconventional harmonic structure, but their success with the public was attested by the eight reprints in less than ten years. The style of these Sonatas was something radically new. The great innovations of the young Beethoven’s music were the daring use of the full textures of the two instruments, the frequent dynamic contrasts and the unusual use of sforzatos, all in a perfect architectural construction.

Salvatore Accardo – Violin
Stefania Redaelli – Piano
Maria Grazia Bellocchio – Piano
Laura Manzini – Piano

The post Beethoven: Sonatas for Violin and Piano No. 4 & No. 8 [Download & Vinyl Bundle] appeared first on NativeDSD Music.

The recording collaboration with the great violinist Salvatore Accardo, which began 30 years ago, continues. In this project Maestro Accardo masterfully interprets the Sonatas for Violin and Piano n.4 and n.8 by Ludwig Van Beethoven with the pianist Laura Manzini.

I recorded this album at Sala dell’Ermellino – Casa della Musica in Milan on 23th-24th November 2019. For this recording I brought all my equipment both analog (Ampex ATR 102 Electronic Tube Ampex Model 351-1965, 2 tracks, 1/2 inch, 30ips modified by David Manley) and digital (Pyramix Recorder, dCS A / D and D / A converters). For this prestigious recording I used the legendary original Neumann U47, U48 tube microphones from the years 1947 and 1949 with a very natural tone using field effect bi-microphone techniques. These microphones have an important history: they are in fact the original microphones used to record, among others, the Beatles performances in the Abbey Road Studio and by RCA for the “Living Stereo” recordings.
The sound I can capture with these legendary microphones is perfectly in line with my sonic taste. No other microphone has such a true timbre and the ability to engrave all the nuances of sound and all the richness of the harmonics. The uniqueness of these microphones is linked to their ability to make a perfect “sound photograph” and to put the music perfectly placed in the sound space chosen for the recording

A state-of-the-art system with no sound manipulation, no equalization, no reverb, no compression and expansion … but natural sound with true timbre to best enhance the acoustics of the Sala dell’Ermellino. Fonè has been offering for 40 years recordings made in the name of technological refinement and aimed at recovering the original musical atmospheres. The result of this recording is fantastic. With this recording I wanted to give the listener a unique experience. It is as if the listener were sitting on an armchair positioned in the ideal point in the Sala dell’Ermellino. In this position the sound has a field effect and its depth, width and height are very noticeable. Great dynamics and great precision.
– Giulio Cesare Ricci, Fone

Salvatore Accardo, Violin
Laura Manzini, Piano

SIDE A

Sonata n. 4 for Violin and Piano in la min. Op. 23
Presto                                                                 8’13”
Andante scherzoso – più Allegretto                    9’04”
Allegro molto                                                      5’54”

Total Time 23’11”

SIDE B

Sonata n. 8 for Violin and Piano in sol magg. Op. 30
Allegro assai                                                       6’55”
Tempo di Minuetto                                              9’19”
Allegro vivace                                                     3’49”

Total Time 20’03”

The post Beethoven: Sonatas for Violin and Piano No. 4 & No. 8 [180g Vinyl] appeared first on NativeDSD Music.

Continuing his cycle of Beethoven’s Symphonies with the Budapest Festival Orchestra, Iván Fischer presents Beethoven’s Symphony No. 3 ‘Eroica’ paired with the Coriolan Overture.

The album is Exclusively Available from NativeDSD in Stereo and 5 Channel Surround Sound DSD 256, DSD 128 and DXD plus Stereo DSD 512.

These warhorses of the symphonic repertoire showcase how Beethoven writes not only dramatically, but also profoundly lyrically.

Fischer’s process of recording the cycle has been notably drawn out, having first insisted on performing and touring the music with his outstanding orchestra before committing to a studio recording.

Previous releases from Ivan Fischer and the Budapest Festival Orchestra at NativeDSD feature Beethoven’s Symphonies Nos. 1, 4, 5, 6 and 7 . They have been roundly praised, with The Guardian saying “the performance of the Seventh ranks, without question, among the greatest ever recorded. Utterly compelling.”

Iván Fischer, Conductor
Budapest Festival Orchestra

The post Beethoven Symphony No. 3 ‘Eroica’ & Coriolan Overture appeared first on NativeDSD Music.