The album is available at NativeDSD in Stereo DSD 512, DSD 256, DSD 128, DSD 64 and DXD plus Auro3D FLAC and Dolby Atmos TrueHD, Auro3D and DTS:X Immersive Audio.

Leopold Godowsky visited Java on a journey through the Far East that began in Japan on October 13, 1922, and ended in Honolulu on May 25, 1923. A trip that took the pianist- composer to Hong Kong, Shanghai, Beijing, Singapore, Java and the Philippines.

Japan and China only half pleased him; too crowded, too many people. Only in Java, which with forty million inhabitants he also found a tad too crowded, did he truly fall under the spell of Asia. Everything about the island charmed him. The princely cities of Solo (Surakarta) and Djokja (Yokyakarta), the cratons, the markets, sawas, volcanoes, the sunrise from the rim of the crater of the Bromo, the five hundred Buddha statues on the Borobudur, the wajang puppetry, the oldest district of Batavia, Kota Tua, the gardens of Buitenzorg. But what really overwhelmed him was that he found a highly refined culture that derived its eloquence from an instrument that, like the piano, is a percussion instrument: the gamelan.

In Java, Leopold Godowsky did not compose a note, but the gamelan music lingered in his ears for weeks, months, years, eventually resulting in his finest work, the Java Suite, fifty minutes of music that can be listened to like a travelogue.

Tobias Borsboom, Piano

The post Godowsky: Java Suite appeared first on NativeDSD Music.

The album is available at NativeDSD in Stereo DSD 512, DSD 256, DSD 128, DSD 64 and DXD plus Auro3D FLAC and Dolby Atmos TrueHD, Auro3D and DTS:X Immersive Audio.

These pieces tended to be ones that had a theatrical element in opera, ballet, or dance. The possibilities of arrangement enabled by guitar quartet add another dimension, either using the spectrum of timbral colors of the guitar like “an orchestra in miniature” (as the great Andrés Segovia used to say), or to expand the music of one piano between four guitarists to make a rich, sustaining sonority, unobtainable with fewer guitars.

We believe this collection of pieces pushes the boundaries of how guitar quartet can be used, but always in a way that best serves the storytelling, lyrical beauty, and often childlike wonder of these works.

Mēla Guitar Quartet
Matthew Robinson
George Tarlton
Michael Butten
Zahrah Hutton

The post Overtures and Dances appeared first on NativeDSD Music.

1035 is an exploration of both past and present, centered around a piece that is close to my heart—J.S. Bach’s Flute Sonata BWV 1035. Performed on the Keybird, a new lightweight acoustic “una corda” piano, this project breathes fresh life into the baroque sonata, blending modern interpretations, original compositions, and personal improvisations inspired by the master’s work.

What makes 1035 truly special is the integration of the Keybird’s MIDI capabilities, allowing me to connect and play two analog synthesizers directly through the instrument. This opens up an exciting realm of sonic possibilities, merging the organic warmth of an acoustic piano with the electronic textures of synthesizers. It’s a dynamic dialogue between the traditional and the contemporary, where acoustic sound meets modernity.

The album was recorded in the Westerkerk in Enkhuizen, a medieval church with stunning acoustics that add a sacred, resonant quality to each note. The church’s atmosphere allows the music to unfold naturally, enhancing both the delicate tones of the Keybird and the spacious textures of the synthesizers. It’s a setting that beautifully amplifies the blend of ancient and modern that runs through the heart of this album.

In 1035, I explore new frontiers of classical music through an innovative instrument. This journey uncovers the surprising ways in which music from centuries past can blend with modern technology, giving Bach’s sonata a fresh perspective while maintaining its timeless beauty.

Kristján Martinsson, Piano 

The post 1035 appeared first on NativeDSD Music.