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 creative imagination of pianist Chris Gestrin animates this set of contemporary jazz compositions. Trumpetist Brad Turner and reeds player Jon Bentley draw sound paintings on the acoustic-electric canvas of Gestrin, bassist André Lachance and percussionist Dylan van der Schyff. Audiophile Audition described the sonics as “super-clean, detailed and spatially located with great precision…’ear-stretching’.”
– Mark Werlin, NativeDSD Music & AllAboutJazz

Chris Gestrin is a Vancouver-based pianist, keyboardist and composer who might occasionally put you in mind of Bill Evans or Keith Jarrett, if either of those masters were young today and equally at home with the acoustic and the electronic, jazz and ambient.

Stillpoint was his first release on Songlines Recordings, and it stands as perhaps his most personal statement as a jazz-and-beyond composer-performer. His handpicked, versatile quintet, featuring trumpeter Brad Turner and drummer Dylan van der Schyff, creates rich images in sound. From a tender solo piano improvisation to swirling group inventions, a musical narrative of almost cinematic sweep unfolds. Gestrin’s compositions range across jazz, experimental music, new age and world music for their ideas, but this is not “fusion” in any ordinary sense, there is too much originality and panache for that. The multi-channel remix opens on an imaginary environment that connoisseurs of surround sound, whether jazz fans or not, will surely appreciate.

Born just outside Vancouver in 1972, Gestrin graduated from the Berklee College of Music in 1995 with a degree in film composition. He quickly became one of Vancouver’s busiest pianists, keyboardists, effects artists, and soundtrack composers, co-leading or performing in many bands of various kinds, from funk and soul jazz to less categorical combinations of jazz, fusion, ambient, and improv. His trio with bassist Andre Lachance and Dylan van der Schyff has been active since 1996.

Chris Gestrin – piano, synthesizers, sampler, electronics
Brad Turner – trumpet, flugelhorn, electronics
Jon Bentley – tenor & soprano saxophone, bass clarinet, electronics
André Lachance – double bass
Dylan van der Schyff – drums, percussion, electronics
Joseph ‘Pepe’ Danza – percussion (4)
Deanna Newton – voice (11)

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(The Album’s Worldwide Official Release Date is November 1st)

Are you not a Plus Member but want to purchase this exclusive early release, as well as receive 15% Off every album purchase + all lower resolutions? Then you can Become a Plus Member now for only €110/year or €10/month.

This Boundary-Challenging new recording of Beethoven’s Complete Sonatas for Piano and Violin features the acclaimed duo: violinist Shunske Sato and pianist Shuann Chai. Beethoven’s pieces occupied a special place in their repertoire for a long time – in fact the Kreutzer Sonata was the very first piece they played together. Apart from playing Beethoven, both of them spent an inordinate amount of time deling into historical sources and old recordings.

We soak up what we can – reading anecdotes, newspapers articles, letters from people who heard Beethoven. And then… we let go and make it our own.
– Shunske Sato

‘Copying’ Beethoven is never the goal. Anyway, from what we know about his edgy and near-scandalous performances, I get the feeling that nothing we do now would be far enough! In a live performance we rarely plan what to do specifically; we agree on some general things. Our recording, then, is a version of what we might do, not the version. Beethoven had so much to say, and left us with so many possibilities. His scores are like treasure maps – there’s something wonderful everywhere you look, and it’s our responsibility to dig around and show what we’ve found! And everyone who searches will find something different, so I think it is important to own one’s interpretation.
– Shuann Chai

The motivation to make this recording arose when Shunske Sato and Shuann Chai played all Sonatas as a mini-marathon. It turned out to be a worthy endeavor: they got tremendously positive feedback. This recording allows them to share ‘their’ Beethoven with even more people.

Beethoven in a nutshell:
*10 sonatas
*235 minutes of music
*Creative, expressive and daring musicians *Gorgeous sounding historical instruments *Recent insights from the historical informed
performance practice

Shunske Sato, Violin
Shuann Chai, Piano

The post Beethoven: The Complete Violin Sonatas [Triple Album] [Exclusive Early Release for Plus Members] appeared first on NativeDSD Music.

In celebration of his 80th birthday, Grace is a 4-Album Set that spans more than five decades of Michael Tilson Thomas’ compositional career. It features 18 works, from premiere recordings to remastered archival recordings available for the first time.

The deluxe collection also includes an extensive booklet containing composer’s notes, original essays, and a timeline of archival photos chronicling MTT’s life as a pianist, conductor, composer, recording artist, and teacher.

There are two key times in an artist’s life. The first is inventing yourself. The second, the harder part, is going the distance. How do you sustain the vision, make it grow, and share it? To be an artist means to have the courage for rebirth and growth. It’s never ending.

San Francisco Symphony (Volume 1,2,3,4)
Jean-Yves Thibaudet (Volume 1,2)
Bay Brass (Volume 1)
Isabel Leonard (Volume 1)
Sasha Cooke (Volume 1,4)
Audra McDonald (Volume 2)
New World Symphony (Volume 2,3,4)
Renée Fleming (Volume 2)
Lisa Vroman (Volume 2)
Thomas Hampson (Volume 2)
Ian Bousfield (Volume 4)
John Wilson (Volume 4)
Michael Tilson Thomas, Conductor (Volume 1,2,3,4)
Edwin Outwater, Conductor (Volume 2)

PLEASE NOTE: the audio samples below are only from Volume 1 of this 4 album set.

The post Grace: The Music of Michael Tilson Thomas [4-Album Set] appeared first on NativeDSD Music.

Recorded, mixed and mastered in Stereo and Immersive Surround Sound DXD by multi Grammy Award winner Jim Anderson. The album is being released at NativeDSD in Stereo DSD 512, DSD 256, DSD 128, DSD 64 and DXD from the 32 Bit DXD Edit Master Source this year.  With the Immersive Surround Sound edition of the album arriving in 2025.

The 2023 Guggenheim Fellow and Juilliard Professor Donald Vega shared his inspiration behind the album. Echoing the traditions of holiday albums by Oscar Peterson and Nat King Cole, and taking inspiration from Vince Guaraldi’s holiday classic, Vega set out to make an album that families will enjoy for years to come.

Donald Vega Trio
Donald Vega, Piano
Clovis Nicolas, Bass
Pete Van Nostrand, Drums

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Save 20% on this and 2 other albums with the Rafael Payare DSD Bundle

The Orchestre symphonique de Montréal and its Music Director Rafael Payare celebrate Arnold Schoenberg’s 150th birthday with 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

The post Schoenberg: Pelleas und Melisande & Verklärte Nacht (Transfigured Night) [Exclusive Early Release] appeared first on NativeDSD Music.

We follow the fortunes of the steadfast, open-hearted Elijah, and encounter ministering angels and the vengeful queen Jezebel. The London Symphony Chorus and four electrifying soloists give voice to the oratorio in English, as in its first premiere. Gerald Finley breathes life into the role of Elijah, and the Orchestra ramps up the drama without losing sight of the stillness at the heart of the storm.

Masabane Cecilia Rangwanasha, Soprano (The Widow, Angel)
Sarah Connolly, Mezzo-Soprano (The Queen – Jezebel, Angel)
Allan Clayton, Tenor (Obadiah, Ahab)
Gerald Finley, Bass-Baritone (Elijah)
Ewan Christian, Treble (Child)

The Guildhall Singers
Linnhe Robertson, Vocal Coach

London Symphony Chorus
Mariana Rosas, Chorus Director

London Symphony Orchestra 
Sir Antonio Pappano, Conductor 

The post Mendelssohn: Elijah [Double Album] appeared first on NativeDSD Music.

The original Jazz At The Pawnshop album, recorded in 1976, has been regarded as “The Best Jazz Recording of the Century!” (also available at NativeDSD along with Jazz At The Pawnshop Volumes 2 and 3).

Anyone who owns Jazz At The Pawnshop will not be able to resist this album and experiencing the enduring spirit of an incredible musical evening. It’s called Jazz At The Pawnshop – Late Night because these tapes come from previously unreleased recording of the last two sets played late-hours at the closing of the famous Jazz At The Pawnshop recording.

The record company accidentally fell upon this treasure while looking for the masters of Volume II of the original album.  The 40 year-old tapes were in excellent condition, and over a week was spent editing and mastering them in high resolution.

The album keeps the musical tag which bands played to indicate the end of a set.  A slow fade-out and fade-in was made to identify the break before the last one.  You can hear the musicians walking back on stage, picking up their instruments, and getting into the final set of an electrifying evening.

Jazz At The Pawnshop – Late Night is a true gift. As a special bonus for our listeners, NativeDSD.Com brings you a Stereo DSD 512 edition of Jazz At The Pawnshop – Late Night. Exclusively available from NativeDSD Music.

Arne Domnerus – Alto Saxophone, Clarinet
Bengt Hallberg – Piano
Lars Erstrand – Vibes
Georg Riedel – Bass
Egil Johansen – Drums

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He was an extremely influential composer a predecessor of Corelli and Vivaldi, Stradella started the “concerto grosso” and some of his works were exploited by Handel. His “Symphonies” are an exquisite example of the “sonata da chiesa” style.

L’Accademico Formato
Juan Utrera, Violin
Teresa Bartolomé, Violin
Javier Jiménez, Organ

The post Alessandro Stradella: Selected Symphonies appeared first on NativeDSD Music.

Where The Path Runs Straight And High is the 3rd album from the Hazelrigg Brothers on Outer Marker Records.  It is their tribute to the Music of Led Zeppelin recorded in Pure DSD 256. Exclusively available at NativeDSD in the recorded format and bit rate of Stereo Pure DSD 256!

The album follows their earlier releases Songs We Like: Deluxe Edition [Pure DSD] and Synchronicity: An Interpretation of the album by The Police. Both available at NativeDSD as well as their recent appearance on the album Time To Be Brave by Corrie Lynn Green & Her Band with the Hazelrigg Brothers.

As children of the nineteen-eighties, the Hazelrigg Brothers grew up with a variety of excellent music. From jazz fusion to synthesizer-driven pop to rock, the music industry was alive with innovation. At the same time, the classic rock radio format was born.

Led Zeppelin was, for us and many of our peers growing up (musicians and otherwise), the most significant in the pantheon of recording artists that now define so much of American, British, and world culture. They sat at an intersection of Elizabethan music, delta blues, and the technology of the day. Each member was a master of their instrument(s), and the ensemble was greater than their sum.

Where the Path Runs Straight and High is an adaptation and distillation of these elements into the format where we live a large portion of our musical lives: An intimate acoustic trio setting, not wielding the sheer sound pressure levels of a concert at Madison Square Garden, but with our careful attention on extracting the nectar of the genius in these songs.

Hazelrigg Brothers
George Hazelrigg, Piano
Geoff Hazelrigg, Double Bass
John O’Reilly, Drums

PLEASE NOTE The 2ch DXD version may download and show the name dxd-bi meaning binaural, but it is indeed the normal Stereo 2 channel version. We are working on correcting this naming issue.

The post Where The Path Runs Straight And High: Music of Led Zeppelin [Pure DSD] appeared first on NativeDSD Music.