Born in 1870, the brilliant virtuoso pianist Leopold Godowsky composed twenty-four ‘free arrangements’ of music by masters of the Baroque. Among these, Roman Borisov has selected pieces based on works by Rameau, Corelli, Scarlatti and John Loeillet (whose pieces were originally mis-attributed to Lully)… In 1931, Rachmaninov composed his last original work for solo piano: a set of variations on ‘La Folia’, a 15th-century dance theme that Corelli famously used in one of his violin sonatas. The encounter between the Baroque style and the harmonic richness of the Russian composer is fascinating. The superb Prelude, Chorale and Fugue composed by César Franck in 1884, an obvious tribute to J.S. Bach, concludes Roman’s pianistic journey through time.

Roman Borisov, Piano 

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With this work, De Solaun becomes the first Spanish pianist to record Prokofiev’s Concerto No. 2, Opus 16, with the Castilla y León Symphony Orchestra conducted by Isabel Rubio, since its composition in 1912. As for Rachmaninoff’s Concerto No. 3, Opus 30, it has only been previously recorded in Spain by Alicia de Larrocha and Rafael Orozco.

It is the second album at NativeDSD featuring the Castilla y León Symphony Orchestra. It follows their album Homeland on Eudora Records. Which is one of only two existing large-scale orchestral albums that was recorded and mixed in Stereo and 5 Channel Surround Sound Pure DSD 256.

The event will include a talk-discussion about the recording and the artistic process behind this project. After the presentation, Josu de Solaun will give a concert, performing works by Tchaikovsky, Prokofiev, Chopin, and Manuel de Falla. Admission is free until the venue reaches full capacity.

Josu de Solaun (Valencia, 1981) is the only Spaniard to have won the International Piano Competition of Valencia (Iturbi Prize) in 2006 and the George Enescu Piano Competition in Bucharest in 2014, among other prestigious awards, such as two International Classical Music Awards (ICMA) and the European Union Piano Competition in 2009.

Josu de Solaun, Piano
Orquesta Sinfónica de Castilla y León 
Isabel Rubio, Conductor

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This is the 10th release from Michael Kevin Jones at NativeDSD. The album is Exclusively Available in Stereo DSD 512, DSD 256, DSD 128, DSD 64 and the recorded format and bit rate of 32 Bit DXD from NativeDSD.

The idea of Cello Meditation comes from the beautiful opera by Massenet “Thaïs”. You will enjoy here many familiar melodies heard before in a violin piano combination but not that often on a cello.

Our Cello Meditation ranges from Bach and Handel to Rachmaninoff, Fauré, Massenet, Gounod, Schumann. A very special composition closes the program: Max Bruch’s “Kol Nidrei” a feast for cello fans and everyone else.

Michael Kevin Jones, Violoncello
John Bryden, Piano

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“An exile deprived of his musical roots, traditions and native land has no desire to create, and has no consolation other than the inviolate silence of unvexed reminiscence,” said Rachmaninov in an interview in 1934. After emigration, his creative work came to a standstill that lasted for nine years; even after recovery, it could and did not progress with the same intensity. During the twenty-five years that he lived abroad (1918-1943), he composed only six works, out of a lifetime total of forty-five. He intended to express himself completely in each of those compositions, and to create a major work that would become his final one. As fate would have it, his penultimate work was to be the Third Symphony.

The symphony consists of three movements instead of the traditional four, although the second movement combines the functions of a lyrical core and a scherzo. Like Rachmaninov’s first two symphonies, the Third is monothematic. Its leitmotif is an austerely archaic melodic idiom, which had undoubtedly originated in the Old Russian znamenny chant. It sounds as a prophetic voice coming from the mists of antiquity, a theme of the fate of Russia that is interrupted by orchestral outcries even in the introduction. These opposites will continue through the entire course of the work, where the meditative character of the narrator will repeatedly give way to an acutely expressive report of the hero. The melodious motto of the first movement — with a characteristic inner voice in the form of the cuckoo’s call of a minor third — originates from a drawn-out chant and a lullaby, while the spirit of solemn songs of glory characterizes the second theme. This immediately conjures images of elegiac sadness and of springtime flood of feelings.

Ural Philharmonic Orchestra
Dmitry Liss, Conductor

The post Rachmaninov: Symphony No. 3 & Ravel: La Valse appeared first on NativeDSD Music.

My journey with this album began during a challenging period, but it turned out to be an incredible experience.

While I was in the hospital for heart surgery, I started listening to Beethoven’s Pathétique Sonata, performed by Barenboim. It lifted my spirits and sparked a thought – wouldn’t it be wonderful to spread happiness through music?

That’s when I began dreaming of becoming a concert pianist.

Liam Nassereddine, Piano

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

As an oboist, this debut album represents the culmination of countless years spent exploring the depths of my instrument and the limitless possibilities of musical arrangement. In crafting the arrangements for each piece on “Serendipity,” I found inspiration in unexpected moments and chance encounters with melodies that lingered in the recesses of my mind.

The oboe, with its hauntingly beautiful voice, became my companion on this artistic odyssey, allowing me to breathe new life into familiar tunes and unearth hidden gems. In addition to my own arrangements, I am also proud to bring to light an original oboe work that has never before graced the ears of an audience. These arrangements, along with the original composition, mark their world premiere on this album.

May the music of “Serendipity” resonate with you on a personal level, inviting you to discover your own moments of serendipity within a musical conversation that transcends the boundaries between me as an artist and you as a listener, creating an intimate connection through the shared language of sound and emotion.

Serol Yapici, Oboe
Héctor Sanz Castillo, Piano

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The hour-long emotional tour-de-force with cellist Mark Prihodko and pianist Viktoria Korolionok evokes a soul-searching journey that spans a century of romantic repertoire following the music-making traditions of Ysaye, Gershwin, and Rachmaninov.

Almost four years in the making, the album’s program selections relate less to each other than they mint each of the young cellist’s artistic phases, becoming an integral part of who Prihodko is, as a musician.

Mark Prihodko, Cello
Viktoria Korolionok, Piano

The post Cerdanyenca appeared first on NativeDSD Music.

Inon Barnatan presents Rachmaninoff Reflections, offering some of the composer’s most cherished piano works, including his Moments musicaux, Prelude in G-Sharp Minor and Barnatan’s own arrangement of the Vocalise.

The centerpiece of this project is Barnatan’s breathtaking new piano arrangement of the Symphonic Dances.

Inon Barnatan, Pianist

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Rachmaninoff presents works by Sergei Rachmaninoff, performed by the critically acclaimed British pianist Sebastian Stanley.

These works have been associated closely with Sebastian his entire performing life, having been at the heart of many of his early career competition successes. They include the monumental but highly underrated Variations on a theme of Chopin and the seldom performed Nocturnes.

Sebastian’s previous albums by Albeniz and Granados have been praised with 5 star reviews in many major magazines such as Fanfare, the American Record Guide, Carnet Critique and Musical Pointers. With this new Hi Resolution release for HR recordings, he dips his toe into the world of one of the great pianist-composers of the Romantic era. It marks the start of a great collaboration between Sebastian Stanley and HR recordings, with many and diverse new recordings to come.

Sebastian Stanley, Piano

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