What is the secret? Find some good players, select music that is not yet (Mozart) or hardly (Beethoven) available in high definition, written by famously appreciated composers, and recorded by Jared Sacks. That’s all. And when it’s done, the pleasure is entirely yours. So, what more need I say? The logo? The cover of the […]
It is said that many good things have their origin in bad times.The proof is here. No matter what national policies had to be followed, fact is that over the past two years most of international cultural life came to an abrupt halt. Empty venues, concerts postponed, musicians hoping for better times. However, and thanks […]
Did Chopin ever die? Chopin belongs to a group of composers who never tire, no matter how often you listen to the same piece. Just like Johann Sebastian Bach, his music can be listened to anytime anywhere. I do not know of anyone who dislikes his music. On the contrary. For countless lovers of the […]
It suddenly dawned on me a few days ago that Native DSD’s available albums have increased dramatically in number well over 1800 now. If you’re like me, you might forget to check earlier releases for hidden treasure. Or, you might have developed a different opinion about a given work or performance. So I decided to spend […]
Dear DSD Friends, I can proudly introduce to you what I think it is sonically my best piano album so far. What you’re hearing is as pure as it gets: one microphone per channel, no DXD conversion, a pure DSD256 recording with so few editing points as I had never saw. Main pair are my […]
It took 18-year-old Sergueï Vassilievitch Rachmaninoff, working from early morning to late at night, no more than two and a half days to finish the original version of his First Piano Concerto by adding a middle and final movement to an earlier unfinished ‘concerto’ movement. It is modelled to Grieg’s piano concerto and, musical education […]
Over the years interpretation of Baroque music has seen some considerable changes, moving from slow, almost dragging performances to the more recent agitated, almost aggressive versions, all in the name of Historically Informed Practice, with a wide variety in between. A notable example is Hermann Scherchen’s 1960 LP set of Bach’s Brandenburg Concerti. At the […]
What do the world-famous Dutch cellist, Anner Bijlsma, who passed away earlier this year, and his younger colleague, Wytske Holtrop, have in common? Both are closely linked to the same province in the Netherlands where Wytske’s cradle stood: Friesland. The next question then is: Do Friesians have something in their genes that produces cello players […]
Military bands are common, some are good, few are better. The Marine Band of the Royal Netherlands Navy clearly belongs to the latter category, as listening to this new release will amply confirm. Run of the mill Oompah bands have their much-rewarded and appreciated social function in village life, but here we are dealing with […]