It’s that exciting time of year again… time to begin our Album of the Year Awards process! Highlighting and honouring the highest quality DSD music is what we do at NativeDSD. And there is no better way than to let you, our trusted music-loving audiophiles, vote on the top albums from the last year.

Throughout 2024 we have continued our mission of growing the largest DSD music collection. We have started exclusive partnerships with labels and worked hard to continue showcasing the great DSD music being made around the world. We have a lot to celebrate! Next comes the difficult part… 

How do we select the nominees for our anticipated Albums of the Year Awards? As has been our tradition, NativeDSD has asked Senior Reviewer Bill Dodd and Technical Advisor Brian Moura to carefully review the year’s DSD releases and bring our listeners their nominations in several musical categories.

This is a great way to applaud and reward the excellent music and performances that the music labels and artists have brought us this year. And it also is a guide for our listeners to see what we have selected as the best DSD music in 2024.

Part 2 contains the following categories:

Concertos / Orchestral with Soloist
(Bill Dodd)

Ning Feng, Bochum Symphony Orchestra, Tung-Chieh Chuang
Channel Classics – 45924

The amazing Ning Feng has a number of superb Albums available on Channel Classics, and this one is no exception.  Tung-Chieh Chuang and the Bochum Symphony Orchestra (Germany) provide excellent backing as Ning Feng dazzles with these two Soviet era concertos.  This is superb musicianship!

Akademie Für Alte Musik Berlin, Ernst Schlader, Bernhard Forck 
PENTATONE – PTC5187208

The Symphonies are great, but for me the prize is for the Clarinet Concerto with soloist Ernst Schlader.  The Concerto was originally written for the basset (bass) clarinet, but that version was lost when the original score was was rewritten for what we know as the modern clarinet.   For this recording, Both the original score and an “original” instrument were reconstructed, and this recording brings us a new level of detail. The result is wonderful!

Mari Kodama, Momo Kodama, Karin Kei Nagano, Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, Kent Nagano
PENTATONE – PTC5187202

Mari Kodama, her sister, her daughter, and her husband make this a family affair!  Once again, the Mozart, being Mozart, is good to have; but the  Poulenc Concerto for Two Pianos and Orchestra with Mari, sister Momo, and husband Kent Nagano conducting the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande that dazzles!  

Opera
(Bill Dodd)

Marnie Breckenridge, Matt Haimovitz
PENTATONE – PTC51873411_bundle

This is an opera– but hardly traditional.  Marnie Breckenridge is the sole singer, and she is accompanied only by the other character, her cello!  The cello is personified by cellist Matt Haimovitz who is physically present as a non- vocal character, but also plays the cello.  If that seems confusing, check the album cover.  Jacqueline is Jacqueline du Pre, whose rise to fame was meteoric, but very brief due to multiple sclerosis.  Marnie Breckenridge handles a difficult role very well.  Haimovitz, a du Pre protege, is also fine. Listen to the available samples to get a sense of composer Luna Pearl Woolf’s and librettist Royce Vavrek’s work. It’s hardly traditional, but it is remarkable.

London Symphony Orchestra, Sir Mark Elder, John Osborn, Elizabeth DeShong, Mané Galoyan
LSO Live – LSO08944

Grand opera in every respect!  Mayerbeer’s Le Prophete premiered in 1849 and had quite an impact.  And this live recording brings it home! Here’s a quote from The Guardian:  

“Set in the religious wars of the 16th century, and including an Anabaptists’ uprising, a “skating” chorus (on a frozen lake), a drunken feast and a final conflagration, it lurches from climax to emotional climax. The tenor John Osborn as Jean de Leyde, the prophet of the title; mezzo-soprano Elizabeth DeShong as his mother; and soprano Mané Galoyan as his fiancee, Berthe, lead a first-rate cast. It’s decidedly a curiosity, but here given a breathless ride to its dramatic conclusion.”

Mark Albrecht, John Lundgren, Ausrine Stundyte, Nikolai Schukoff, Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra
PENTATONE – PTC5186739

Drama, Passion, murder, and suspense!  All this originated with an uncompleted play by Oscar Wilde, A Florentine Tragedy.  Alexander von Zemlinsky turned it into a one act opera, Eine Florentinische Tragodie.  Dramatic, suspenseful, and lushly scored, and it is less than 60 minutes in length, and was the most popular of his 8 operas.  Conductor Mark Albrecht and soloists John Lundgren, Ausrine Stundyte, and Nikolai Schukoff are excellent.

Classical Crossover
(Brian Moura)

Guy Braunstein, Orchestre Philharmonique Royal de Liège, Alondra de la Parra
Alpha Classics – ALPHA869

Violinist and Composer Guy Braunstein wanted to write a concerto featuring the music of The Beatles Abbey Road album. Rather than selecting a few songs from the album, he wove all of the songs into a concerto which also includes an Overture, Intermezzo, Cadenza and The End. The album also includes The Lark Ascending by Ralph Vaughan Williams and Frederick Delius’ Violin Concerto. It is brought to life by Braunstein’s Violin performances plus the Orchestre Philharmonique Royal de Liège conducted by Alondra de la Parra. The result is a musical delight for fans of the Abbey Road album and of this very creative selection of familiar and original music. 

Robert Len, Carole Meneghel
2xHD – 2XHDRL1251

Crossroad is the latest album from multi-instrumentalist and composer Robert Len with violinist Carole Meneghel. The album blends tracks in a wide variety of musical genres including Jazz, Rock, Latin and Classical music – with a little County and New Age as well. Len plays 13 different instruments in the album, demonstrating that he has more than earned the label of multi-instrumentalist! Crossroad is a very engaging album and exemplifies what a Classical Crossover release is all about. 

Sven-Ingvart Mikkelsen
OUR Recordings – 8226920

Sven-Ingvart Mikkelsen provides us with a fascinating look at how a number of famed rock classics are influenced by the music of Bach. He does this by performing classics like Light My Fure, People Are Strange, Stairway To Heaven and A Whiter Shade of Pale, among others, alongside several Bach compositions on the Organ. By the end of the album’s 74 minutes of music Mikkelsen proves his thesis. And it’s a wonderful journey of musical discovery along the way.

Compilation Albums
(Brian Moura)

Various Artists
Octave Records – artofhifi_bundle

Paul McGowan is the co-founder of PS Audio, a well-known maker of audio equipment including power conditioners, amplifiers, Digital to Analog Converters (DACs) and loudspeakers. Recently he joined forces with Singer, Songwriter and Pianist Jessica Carson and Gus Skinas from the Super Audio Center to launch Octave Records. The label highlights the musical talent in the Boulder, Colorado area where PS Audio is based and recordings in Pure DSD.  The Art of HiFi is a 6 album DSD Bundle that demonstrates key aspects of music including Bass, Soundstage, Percussion, Strings, Woodwinds and Guitar. Each album features talented musicians demonstrating these aspects of audio with well recorded Pure DSD 256 Stereo audio. While listeners can purchase individual albums in the series, many NativeDSD customers simply bought the entire 6 album DSD bundle. After you listen to these recordings, you can quickly hear why! 

Various Artists
Cobra Records and NativeDSD Presents – NDSD0027

Binaural DSD albums have become increasingly popular at NativeDSD with headphone listeners. They are created by using a “dummy head” system where microphones are placed into the ears of simulated listener. NativeDSD Presents invited Cobra Records Producer and Recording Engineer Tom Peeters to select his favorite Binaural DSD tracks for a sampler that introduces listeners to Cobra’s catalog of almost 50 Binaural DSD releases. I found the Binaural DSD samples to be quite convincing. This is an excellent introduction into Binaural DSD listening.

Various Artists
2xHD – 2XHDFT1265

This year 2xHD Mastering brought us another excellent sampler of Jazz from the Resonance Records, Storyville Records and Jazzology Records catalogs with Piano Piano Piano. The album features 18 tracks and over 90 minutes of music from Jazz Stars including Bill Evans, Monty Alexander, Bob James, Hank Jones, Les McCann, Teddy Wilson and Dick Hyman. If you like Jazz, this is a must have addition to your music collection.

Various Artists
NativeDSD Presents – NDSD0024

NativeDSD offers over 225 albums in Pure DSD.  They are among our most sought after albums in both performances and sound quality.  But where do you begin when assembling a library of Pure DSD selections? Pure DSD Recordings, Vol. 1 is just the place to start. Offering over an hour of Jazz and Classical Music in Pure DSD this album is a real sonic and musical treat.

Meditation & Relaxation
(David Hopkins)

Karttikeya
Outer Marker Records – OM10100H

This album by musician, producer, engineer and educator Karttikeya presents a joyous glimpse into the enthralling world of hand pans. In equal parts resonant and rhythmic, these 15 tracks showcase Karttikeya’s deep connection with these incredible handcrafted instruments and deliver a truly hypnotic listening experience.

Leonie Schuurman
Just Listen Records – JL028

Bells have a toning effect that offers therapeutic relief to the body such as muscle tension release, improved concentration and overall positivity as well as reducing stress, improving sleep quality, boosting immunity, or increasing creativity. The Tibetan Brass Meditation Bells used in this recording are free standing bells. Ringing a Bell helps you change your mind state if you feel that your thoughts are drifting away from the present moment. Once you ring the bell, your mind becomes re-focused on the “now”.

Birds in Nature
Outer Marker Records – OM04100H

Recorded during the early days of the Covid pandemic, this extraordinary audio document provides a rare glimpse into the purity of the natural world, free from the distractions of automobiles, trains and commercial aircraft.

Rather than resulting in an eerie silence, the forests of rural Pennsylvania were filled with the glorious sounds of multitudes of birds singing, chattering and conversing. Seeing this as a (hopefully) once in a lifetime opportunity, famed audio equipment designer and recording engineer Doug Fearn set up his equipment and captured this performance over the course of two spring mornings in May, 2020.

Jazz Trio
(Brian Moura)

Hazelrigg Brothers Trio
Outer Marker Records – OM05100H

On Songs We Like, the Hazelrigg Brothers trio play a selection of some of their favorite music. Featuring songs made popular by Jethro Tull, Men At Work, Jimi Hendrix, Steely Dan, and Led Zeppelin. Along with classical compositions by Bela Bartok and Johann Caspar Ferdinand Fischer. The music is said to have a continuing influence on the trio’s musical sensibilities and makes for an enjoyable selection of music. 

Hank Jones Trio
2xHD – 2XHDJA1154

Pianist Hank Jones is one of the towering figures in Jazz history. On Arigato he is joined by Ronnie Bedford on drums and Richard David on bass. Jones’ playing is energetic and dynamic at times. While mellow when the music calls for it. His ease at the keyboard on this album demonstrates why he has long been considered a Jazz giant. 

Les McCann, Leroy Vinnegar, Frank Severino
2xHD – 2XHDRE1256

Pianist Les McCann and his trio perform a set of Jazz standards at the Village Vanguard. The concert was originally recorded by Resonance Records founder George Klabin. Resonance now joins with 2xHD to remaster and release the album for new listeners to enjoy. With songs like Sunny, Goin’ Out Of My Head and On Green Dolphin Street, it’s a fine tribute to McCann and the trio’s music making that evening. 

Rob van Bavel, Frans van Geest, Marcel Serierse
Sound Liaison – SL1069A

The Studio Sessions is the second in a three album trilogy from Jazz pianist Rob van Bavel. The trilogy focuses on ballads favored by the pianist and some of his musical collaborators. On this album bassist Frans van Geest and drummer Marcel Serierse are featured. The trio brings new insights to favorites including Slow Boat to China, Misty, A Nightingale Sang In Berkeley Square and Cinema Paradiso. This is fine Jazz pianist artistry and well worth a listen.

Jazz Ensemble
(Brian Moura)

Jasper Staps, Rembrandt Frerichs
Just Listen Records – JL030

The First At Last was a frequent visitor to the weekly Top 10 Best Sellers List during 2024. And its no mystery as to why. Featuring two European Jazz stars – sax player Jasper Staps and pianist and composer Rembrandt Frerichs and two up and coming Jazz musicians, the album offers smooth and cool Jazz music. One NativeDSD Listener called it “The Perfect Jazz album.”  I’d say it’s an album not to be missed. 

Angelo Verploegen, Marc van Roon, Jasper van Hulten, Guus Bakker, Nils van Haften
Just Listen Records – JL032

For his 5^th album on Just Listen flugelhorn player Angelo Verploegen is joined by a quintet that includes pianist Marc van Roon and drummer Jasper van Hulten. The album includes what Verploegen calls “a handful of original songs” that are performed live in a warm and intimate setting. Like his earlier albums, Angelo’s warm flugelhorn creates just the right mood for an evening of fine Jazz music. 

Jazz Fusion
(Brian Moura)

Djabe
My Reel Club – GR164

Djabe returns to NativeDSD with Art In Tone. Originally released as a “Direct to Disc” vinyl LP, this new edition uses the Analog Tape Edition of the recording transferred to Pure DSD 256 Stereo. Allowing new listeners to enjoy this high quality recording. It’s a mix of Jazz Fusion and World Music with guitarist Steve Hackett from Genesis joining the group as a special musical guest. 

Balázs Rodek
Hunnia Records – HRES2410

Trees From Underneath was inspired by articles on science, nature, stars, and physics according to quartet leader Balázs Rodek. The album features 6 original songs that feature a unique “dreamy” sound created by the improvised nature of the ensemble’s interactions and playing. An interesting addition to the NativeDSD Jazz catalog.

The NativeDSD Team would like to thank Bill Dodd and Brian Moura for having spent an eternity listening to all of the albums released in 2024, and for selecting the albums they believe you should not miss.