“Discovering Mahler’s music is akin to discovering life itself. Experiencing it, is to be drawn into his world and values. What emerges from his music, his letters and, the testimonies of those who knew him is the duality of this man. Being a creator and interpreter all at once, he invents the sounds which re-create the world of nature and humans.”- Semyon Bychkov

The Czech Philharmonic and its Chief Conductor and Music Director Semyon Bychkov continue their acclaimed Mahler cycle with a Double Album of Mahler: Symphony No. 3, the composer’s Third Symphony. Working together with mezzo-soprano Catriona Morison, the Prague Philharmonic Choir and Pueri Gaudentes.

In this monumental work, Mahler combines a text from Nietzsche’s Also Sprach Zarathustra with the folk song inspirations of Des Knaben Wunderhorn, culminating in eternal bliss in the closing Adagio. To Bychkov, this longest Mahler symphony offers his “least hysterical” music, and hearing it for the first time as a 10-year-old choirboy kindled his life-long fascination and love for this composer. With this recording, it comes full circle.

Catriona Morison, Mezzo-Soprano (tracks 4 & 5)
Prague Philharmonic Choir (track 5)
Lukáš Vasilek, Choirmaster
Pueri Gaudentes (track 5)
Libor Sládek & Jan Kyjovský, Choirmasters

Czech Philharmonic
Jan Mráček, Concertmaster
Jan Perný, Trombone Solo (track 1)
Walter Hofbauer, Post Horn Solo (track 3)
Conducted by Semyon Bychkov

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The story is brought to life by celebrated American soprano Marnie Breckenridge (as Jacqueline) and former du Pré protégé and world-renowned cellist Matt Haimovitz, playing the role of her constant companion: her cello.

Grammy nominated composer Luna Pearl Woolf and Pulitzer Prize-winning librettist Royce Vavrek chart the development of great prodigy and, ultimately, great tragedy. Told in four movements – I. Star Birth; II. Super Nova; III. Meteorite; IV. Impact – the opera references Haimovitz’s personal recollections of du Pré herself.

Colorful and at times funny, raw, joyful and audacious, the form of the work echoes du Pré’s iconic interpretation of Edward Elgar’s Cello Concerto, using the concerto’s four-movement structure to navigate a prismatic and passionate, if all too short, life in music.

Commissioned by Tapestry Opera. Dramaturgy and direction by Michael Hidetoshi Mori

Marnie Breckenridge, Soprano
Matt Haimovitz, Violoncello

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Musical Ode to Sublime Nature

Vladimir Jurowski and the Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester continue their journey through the heights of German late-Romantic repertoire with a recording of Richard Strauss’s Eine Alpensinfonie. The Alpine Symphony was inspired by the composer’s experiences during a mountain trail, and is an audience favorite thanks to its picturesque, idyllic charm and powerfully evocative score.

To Jurowski, the attraction of this piece lies not so much in the picturesque, but rather in Strauss’s Nietzschean embrace of living in the now and the transformative power of being in complete harmony with sublime nature. In that respect, this album shares a kinship with Jurowski’s previous recording of Strauss’s Also Sprach Zarathustra also available at NativeDSD.

Vladimir Jurowski, Conductor
Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester

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Pianist Mari Kodama celebrates the Bruckner bicentenary year with Bruckner: Piano Works, a collection of piano works, most of which are rarely heard. While some of them, such as the Fantasie, Erinnerung and Stille Betrachtung, reveal the serious symphonist and church composer, the many dances included on this album illuminate a lighter side of the composer.

In general, hearing his approach to the piano enriches our understanding of this enigmatic genius. As much of the material was taken from study sketch books, these pieces allow us a look into the workshop of this ever-searching spirit. To Kodama, the Bruckner that appears from his works is in many ways more interesting than the various, cliché-ridden accounts of his life and character.

Instead, Kodama aims to paint a nuanced Bruckner portrait, gaining depth thanks to the original selection and perspective. Mari Kodama is one of the most extraordinary pianists of our age and has an impressive discography, featuring Beethoven’s complete piano sonatas (2003-2014), piano concertos of Loewe and Chopin (2003), Tchaikovsky Ballet Suites for Piano Duo (2016), De Falla’s Nights in the Gardens of Spain (2017), Martinů’s Concerto for Two Pianos (2018), Kaleidoscope: Beethoven Transcriptions and MON AMI Mon amour (both 2020), New Paths (2022) and Mozart & Poulenc Double & Triple Concertos (2024).

Mari Kodama, Piano 

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The Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal (OSM) and its Music Director Rafael Payare celebrate Arnold Schoenberg’s 150th birthday with Schoenberg: Pelleas und Melisande & Verklärte Nacht (Transfigured Night), a recording of two of his late-Romantic masterworks: Pelleas und Melisande and Verklärte Nacht.

Both pieces are based on stories evolving around love, jealousy, acceptance and forgiveness, and showcase Schoenberg’s expressive harmonic language and scintillating, multifarious orchestration.

The album booklet features unique photography and paintings by Arnold Schoenberg, sketching a vivid picture of this extraordinarily versatile artist.

After their acclaimed PENTATONE recordings of Mahler’s Fifth Symphony (2023), as well as his Rückert-Lieder and Strauss’s Ein Heldenleben (2024), Payare and the orchestra further explore this late-Romantic repertoire that fits them like a glove.

Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal 
Rafael Payare – Music Director

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Around Gershwin is a Sonic Odyssey on the Accordion: Journey Through Gershwin and Beyond. It is star accordionist Richard Galliano’s tribute to George Gershwin, interweaving his music with works by early twentieth-century composers such as Debussy, Rachmaninoff, Satie, Ravel and Fauré, as well as new compositions of his own.

Seen through the lens of Galliano’s masterful musicianship, these pieces create the sensation of a sonic odyssey. Richard Galliano is widely seen as one of the greatest accordionists of our time. A special highlight of this album is his own arrangement of Rhapsody in Blue, fulfilling a childhood dream of his. He first played this piece when he was 17 and was immediately fascinated by the power and beauty of the work.

The DSD EP version of this arrangement of Rhapsody in Blue was released at NativeDSD in February 2024, commemorating the centenary anniversary of this epoch-making piece. We now share his interpretation of the Rhapsody as part of a complete album. His version reflects a true tour de force, propelled by his immense talent and his insatiable passion for music.

This is a DSD Exclusive, Not Available on SACD release.  While the album is available on Stereo CD, NativeDSD has it for our listeners in Stereo and 5.1 Channel Surround Sound DSD 256, DSD 128 & DSD 64 plus Stereo DSD 512! 

Richard Galliano, Accordion

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Chopin Voyage marks pianist Yulianna Avdeeva‘s Triumphant Return to Chopin. Fourteen years after her victory at the XVI International Chopin Piano Competition, Steinway Artist Yulianna Avdeeva documents her journey with the music of Frédéric Chopin.

Voyage focuses on his late works, all composed while surrounded by nature. Avdeeva has recorded them at the rustic Tippet Rise Art Center in Montana, against the serene backdrop of the Beartooth Mountains.

A pianist of fiery temperament and virtuosity, Avdeeva plays with power, conviction, and sensibility, having won over audiences all over the world. She returns to Pentatone after her acclaimed debut with the album Resilience, also available at NativeDSD.

She says “For as long as I’ve been playing the piano, the music of Chopin has been a constant source of inspiration and enlightenment. Particularly the music from his later years, which this recording documents; it always reveals something new. The subtle nuances, which you only begin to perceive over time, whether you’re performing the music or listening attentively, capture something indefinable about the essence of our shared humanity.” 

Yulianna Avdeeva, Pianist 

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The Orchestre Philharmonique de Marseille, under the baton of Clelia Cafiero, partners with Granner to navigate a vast emotional landscape of classical period arias producing a timeless and compelling musical experience.

Nathan Granner, Tenor
Orchestre Philharmonique de Marseille
Clelia Cafiero, Conductor

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Dvořák’s nine symphonies are among the most varied of any composed in the nineteenth century. The last three in particular show an astonishing range of style and expression reflecting the markedly different circumstances in which they were written: the Seventh composed for an enthusiastic London audience in England in 1885, the Eighth, conceived in the Bohemian countryside in 1889, primarily for himself, and the Symphony ‘From the New World’ (Z nového světa), as its title suggests, written during his time in America reflecting the excitement of new surroundings and influences. Between composing the eighth and ninth symphonies, Dvořák’s muse took off in a more programmatic direction with the overture cycle, Nature, Life and Love. Although each has a clear mood and narrative, and sharing a distinctive melodic idea, they are also powerfully symphonic.

Note: the audio samples below only represent Volume 1 of this double album. When you purchase this double album, you will receive both Volume 1 and Volume 2 which will contain all three symphonies. We are working to add ‘Symphony no. 9’ to the audio samples below.

Czech Philharmonic Orchestra
Semyon Bychkov, Chief Conductor and Music Director

The post Dvořák Symphonies Nos. 7, 8, 9 [Double Album] appeared first on NativeDSD Music.

This Land is a probing, nuanced reflection on the kaleidoscopic diversity of stories and journeys that have converged and collided throughout American history, from Pianist Lara Downes. An artist renowned for her musical explorations off the beaten path. This is her 4th release at NativeDSD following earlier albums America Again and Love At Last.

Pianist Lara Downes celebrates the beauty of the American experiment while offering an unflinching acknowledgement of its flaws and failings, ultimately embracing the power of hope and humanity as a pathway to finding common ground and building a brighter future. Featuring music composed by Paul Simon, Edmar Colón, Arturo O’Farrill, Jake Heggie, Kian Ravaei, Joe Phillips, Michael Begay, Jeremy Siskind and Noah Luna.

At the heart of this deeply personal collection is Edmar Colón’s radical new reimagining of George Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue, celebrating the centenary of its premiere while reflecting on an American century of immigration and transformation. It features Edwin Outwater conducting the San Francisco Conservatory of Music Orchestra and the Great Wall Chinese Orchestra along with Lara Downes, Edmar Colon, Jeriel Sanjurjo and John Santos.

The album also features America composed by Paul Simon and 900 Miles with Lara Downes and Dave McKeon on Banjo.

This Land is Exclusively Available in Stereo DSD 512, DSD 256, DSD 128 and DSD 64 at NativeDSD.

Lara Downes, Piano

Guest Artists
Rhapsody in Blue Reimagined
Edmar Colón, Soprano Saxophone
Edwin Outwater, Conductor
San Francisco Conservatory of Music Orchestra
Jeriel Sanjurjo, Afro-Caribbean Percussion
John Santos, Batá and Afro-Caribbean Percussion
Great Wall Chinese Orchestra

900 Miles
Dave McKeon, Banjo

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