The latest album Bruckner: Piano Works marks Mari Kodama‘s third solo piano release in the last two years. We thought we would make it convenient for you to explore her recent solo piano albums with Mari Kodama Solo Piano, a new DSD Bundle.

Bruckner: Piano Works
Mari Kodama celebrates the Bruckner bicentenary year with 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.

New Paths
This album explores the young Johannes Brahms and his fascinating friendship with Clara and Robert Schumann. The album derives its title from Robert Schumann’s famous essay “Neue Bahnen”, in which he heralded the young Brahms as the most eminent musical voice of the future.

Kaleidoscope – Beethoven Transcriptions
Mari Kodama records a programme consisting of Beethoven string quartets transcribed for piano by Saint-Saëns, Mussorgsky and Balakirev, as well as Beethoven’s variations on the finale of Mozart’s Clarinet Quintet. Most pieces are recorded for the first time. Kaleidoscope is designed as a homage, considering and experiencing Beethoven through the lens of other great composers.

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With his innate musicianship, charismatic energy, gift for communication, and irresistibly joyous spirit, Venezuelan conductor Rafael Payare is “electrifying in front of an orchestra” (Los Angeles Times). The 2024-25 season marks his third as Music Director of Canada’s Orchestre symphonique de Montréal and his sixth as Music Director of California’s San Diego Symphony.

This year marks the 150th anniversary of the birth of Arnold Schoenberg, and Rafael Payare, a passionate advocate for that composer’s music, serves on the Artistic Honorary Committee of Schoenberg 150, dedicated to the worldwide celebration of the occasion. An all-Schoenberg album that includes Pelleas und Melisande and Verklärte Nacht is due for release in October. It marks Payare and the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal’s third on Pentatone, which means it’s a great time for a DSD Bundle and the opportunity to explore Payare’s releases at a special price.

Mahler: Symphony No. 5
For Payare, the Fifth is the last symphony that shows Mahler still looking forward to what the future might bring, unlike his subsequent, much darker and existential works. Despite that optimism, there is enough tragedy and struggle along the way, resonating with Mahler’s life at the time of creation. Payare’s proficiency in late-Romantic repertoire coupled with the matured, distinctive sound of the Montréal players make this a collaboration to look out for. NativeDSD Senior Reviewer Bill Dodd calls the album “An Outstanding Mahler 5th!”

Strauss: Ein Heldenleben – Mahler: Ruckert-Lieder
The pairing of works may seem odd at first, with Strauss at his most exuberant and Mahler at his most introspective. They share, however, a deeply personal and autobiographical approach by two giants of fin-de-siècle music coming to terms with the world they lived in and their place in it.

Schoenberg: Pelleas und Melisande & Verklärte Nacht (Transfigured Night)
The pairing of works may seem odd at first, with Strauss at his most exuberant and Mahler at his most introspective. They share, however, a deeply personal and autobiographical approach by two giants of fin-de-siècle music coming to terms with the world they lived in and their place in it.

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Gordon Grdina is a Vancouver based Oud/Guitarist whose sound is a combination of his interests in mainstream jazz, free-form improvisation and Arabic classical music. A protégé of jazz great Gary Peacock, he is a well-respected contributor to the jazz and world music scenes constantly being sought out for projects that need a fresh sound. He was introduced to the NativeDSD community on the label Songlines Recordings, and as their collective catalogue continues to grow we thought it best to bundle a few of his recent albums.

Think Like the Waves

Vancouver guitarist and oud player Gordon Grdina asked his mentor Gary Peacock if he would do a trio record. Gary agreed, and helped bring Paul Motian (another of Gordon’s musical heroes). Recorded in Brooklyn in 2006, Think Like the Waves is Grdina’s remarkable international jazz debut, with compelling compositions and deep three-way interaction.

Inroads

Inroads combines intricate counterpoint with the ebb and flow of dynamic yet focused improvisation. Grdina takes inspiration from the complexity of Bartok, the freedom of Ornette Coleman, the energy and logical construction of ideas in Soundgarden, and the delicacy of Webern.

Ejdeha

The Marrow began as a trio with Helias and Hank Roberts but soon morphed into a quartet with the addition of the Canadian Persian percussionist Hamin Honari. The music, all original compositions by Grdina but mostly based on classical Arabic and Persian modes (many with quarter-tones, well executed by Helias and Roberts), provides a context for creative group interplay. The music is intricate, sometimes delicate, other times high-risk exciting.

The post Gordon Grdina Jazz Bundle – Vol. 1 [DSD Bundle] appeared first on NativeDSD Music.

A hero is the term attributed to a human being who, basing their actions on moral and ethical principles, resolves critical situations by acting with exceptional courage and bravery. An attitude rooted in selfless thought and in logic was considered sacred by ancient peoples; heroes were seen as superior beings because they surpassed the normal human limits. The pinnacle of heroism is to put one’s own life at risk to save another’s.

Scheherazade represents an archetype of female heroism: a woman of great intelligence and high courage who voluntarily chooses to risk her life by presenting herself to marry the sultan. She knows that she might be killed the next day by her own father, but she accepts the risk in the hope of saving women and, in consequence, the future of her entire people. Her words create worlds — and her intelligence brings healing to the sultan and to his people.

It is her love for her people that first compels her to present herself to the sultan; her love for the sultan then leads her to cure him of his madness. Her heroic acts grant her the authority to rule in peace.

This project features not only Rimsky-Korsakov’s music but also original dialogues that tell Scheherazade’s story in free adaptations of texts from the Thousand and One Nights and from ancient love poems. She leads us to an ending that opens up a perspective of a free future for her sister Dinarzade and for generations of women and humanity yet to come.

Note: The tracks on this album page are from Scheherazade A Tale (Album 1)

Golshifteh Farahani – Narrator, Scheherazade (Album 1)
Kristin Winters – Narrator, Dinarzade (Album 1)

Ensemble K
Nicolas Dupont, Manon Galy – Violin
Clément Holvoet – Viola
Kacper Nowak – Cello
Adrien Tyberghein – Double Bass
Mara Dobresco – Piano
Raquele Magalhaes – Flute & Piccolo
Cyril Lefrançois – Oboe
Bruno Bonansea – Clarinet
Jérémy Bager – Bassoon
Gabriel Potier – Horn
Pierre Favennec – Trumpet
Benoit Coutris – Trombone
Christophe Drelich – Percussion

Simone Menezes, Music Director & Conductor

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The American conductor confesses that, during a performance of Tristan, Wagner was suddenly revealed to him as ‘a dreamer’ full of ‘humility, tenderness, vulnerability and generosity’. Swensen has made a point of following the chronology of the operas and respecting the original music:

‘My solemn promise to Wagner was that, aside from the occasional solo timpani roll denoting the passage of time, I would not change or add a single note to his masterpiece.’ An enthralling traversal, recorded at a memorable concert and delivered by exceptionally committed singers and instrumentalists.

Christiane Libor, Soprano
Michael Weinius, Tenor
Derek Welton, Bass-Baritone
Orchestre National Bordeaux Aquitaine
Joseph Swensen, Conductor

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Sound Liaison has put together a special bundle with 5 albums by the best trumpet players on the Dutch jazz scene. From the ‘old’ generation including Ack van Rooyen to the ‘new’ generation including Gidon Nunes Vaz. The albums are also available separately at NativeDSD Music. 

NOLA: Music and Drawings from New Orleans (One Microphone Recording)
The album by Red is a tribute to New Orleans, the place where jazz came to birth. Each song has a strong connection with its rich musical tradition that’s still so vibrant up to today.

Ebb Tide
Ebb Tide features the Gidon Nunes Vaz Quartet. With Vaz on Trumpet and Flugelhorn and his ensemble playing some of the best-known ballads of all time.

Soft Shoulders
This is an album featuring flugelhorn player Ack van Rooyen accompanied by pianist Juraj Stanik. This is Stanik’s second album at NativeDSD following his album titled “I Wonder” – a One Microphone Recording from Sound Liaison.

Braskiri: Live at MCO (One Microphone Recording)
Braskiri Live at MCO marks the return of drummer Wim Kegel to the NativeDSD Music store with his 4th DSD release. Braskiri is a quartet that features Kegel along with Bert Lochs (Trumpet, Flugelhorn & NuEvi), Dirk Balthaus (Piano), and Steffen Granly (Tuba).

Tettero Plays Eddie Harris and Les McCann
Tettero Plays Eddie Harris & Les McCann is an album that pays tribute to the music of the legendary Jazz Duo. With their signature songs including Compared To What and Cold Duck Time.  The album features guitarist Folker Tettero who is known both for his solo work and as the guitarist in the Carmen Gomes Inc. band.  Albums from Tettero and Carmen Gomes Inc. are among the listener favorites at NativeDSD.

Ack van Rooyen, Flugelhorn
Braskiri
Folker Tettero, Guitar
Gidon Nunes Vaz Quartet
Juraj Stanik, Piano
Red
Wim Kegel, Drums

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We have compiled six albums from Anna Fedorova – her first six albums released on NativeDSD – to create the Anna Fedorova DSD Bundle: I which is available at a special discounted price. Make sure to check out the Anna Fedorova DSD Bundle: II for the same deal but comprised of her five most recent releases.

Four Fantasies: Scriabin, Schumann, Beethoven, Chopin
Four Fantasies features the music of Scriabin, Schumann, Beethoven and Chopin played by pianist Anna Fedorova on Channel Classics. It is a DSD Exclusive, Not Available on SACD release.

Storyteller – Chopin, Liszt, Scriabin
In earlier days these were the literary genres one could only encounter in folklore music. That is, until Chopin, Liszt and Scriabin introduced them in classical music! On my album ‘Storyteller’ I focus on these three composers – how they explored those poetic genres and how their compositions reflect the actual literary texts that inspired them.

Anna Fedorova – Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No. 1
Pianist Anna Fedorova returns to NativeDSD with her 3rd DSD release – Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No. 1.  The album features over 1 hour of fine music with Fedorova accompanied by the St. Gallen Symphony Orchestra conducted by Modestas Pitrenas.

Silhouettes: Clarke, Werkman, Debussy, Milhaud, Enescu
World-class musicians Dana Zemtsov and Anna Fedorova joined forces when they discovered they have a mutual friend. Each piece in this album has its own story, its own thoughts, and feelings. However, throughout it, if you listen with your eyes closed, you will occasionally sense the presence of a furtive silhouette ‘à la Française’.

Stolen Pearls
On Stolen Pearls, double bassist Nicholas Schwartz and pianist Anna Fedorova present repertoire originally written for other instruments. For this recording, the double bass, and its faithful friend the piano, have journeyed extensively, bringing home a rich booty of musical discoveries, ‘stolen pearls’ from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. From Argentina, Germany, Austria, the USA, Russia, and Italy.

Shaping Chopin: Waltzes, Nocturnes, Mazurkas [Pure DSD] 2021 NativeDSD Album of the Year Award Winner – Classical Solo Instrumentalist
Shaping Chopin is pianist Anna Fedorova‘s 6th appearance at Native DSD Music on the Channel Classics label. The album features the music of Chopin that made her feel less lonely in 2020 and will hopefully bring some consolidation and joy to you as well.

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We have compiled five albums from Anna Fedorova – her most recent five albums released on NativeDSD – to create the Anna Fedorova DSD Bundle: II which is available at a special discounted price. Make sure to check out the Anna Fedorova DSD Bundle: I for the same deal but comprised of her first six releases on NativeDSD.

Dutch Hidden Gems
Dutch Hidden Gems features a wonderful little treasure chest overflowing with musical gems for the viola, all composed in Holland in the twentieth century. It includes the first recording of the Concertino for Viola and Orchestra composed by Jan Koetsier.

Rachmaninoff Piano Concertos 2 & 4 2022 NativeDSD Album of the Year – Soloist With Orchestra
With over 35 million views, Anna Fedorova’s live performance of Rachmaninoff’s 2nd Piano Concerto is the most viewed classical concerto video on YouTube. We are proud to release the long-awaited studio recording of this beloved concerto, together with Rachmaninoff’s 4th Piano Concerto.

Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No. 3 2023 NativeDSD Album of the Year – Classical Soloist with Orchestra
Anna Fedorova completes her Rachmaninoff Piano Concertos cycle with this album. She performs extensively around the world, raises significant funds for humanitarian aid and continues her support of young musicians.

Fathers & Daughters
With the album Fathers & Daughters, Anna Fedorova and Dana Zemstov embark on a journey through generations of their two families! It features works performed by each daughter with her father, the fathers together, the daughters together, and the daughters with their fathers.

Intrigues of the Darkness [Pure DSD]
Anna Fedorova explores the Intrigues of the Darkness in these programmatic and extremely virtuosic works for solo piano. The album was recorded and mixed in Stereo and 5 Channel Surround Sound Pure DSD 256. It is exclusively available in Pure DSD 256 from NativeDSD! This is a DSD Exclusive, Not Available on SACD release.

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It is Exclusively Available at NativeDSD in Stereo and 5 Channel Surround Sound DSD 256, DSD 128, DSD 64 and DXD plus Stereo DSD 512. 

André Mehmari is considered one of the most talented and active Brazilian musicians of his generation. His activities as a pianist, composer, and arranger are highly recognized in both popular and classical music. His career in jazz and Brazilian popular music has garnered significant attention with performances at all major jazz festivals in Brazil and abroad, including seven appearances in Japan, Europe at the Umbria Jazz Festival in Italy, and Juan Les-Pins in France, as well as in the United States at the Kennedy Center and Lincoln Center, where one of his compositions premiered at Carnegie Hall.

The songs were entirely recorded in a single session, resulting in two volumes, practically without breaks between takes, without edits or cuts. André Mehmari shares a bit of the concept behind the album: “The flow of musical consciousness generates a narrative of sounds, textures, and ideas. Here, I present these little stories in solo piano, wordless tales that unfold through sounds. The improvisations are presented in this album in alphabetical order, without editing or cutting. The names given to each one were thought up by me and defined a posteriori, without having any influence on the act of spontaneous creation”.

Volumes I & II were recorded in discrete surround 5.0 channels at Estúdio Monteverdi in January 2024 by Gustavo Cândido, using Schoeps and DPA microphones, Merging Technologies HAPI MKII Premium converters, Reaper and Pyramix DAWs on Ravenna AoIP, and Dynaudio Contours S series speakers for surround monitoring in the ADS mastering room.

André Mehmari, piano

The post Short Stories Without Words – Vols. I & II [DSD Bundle] appeared first on NativeDSD Music.

Canadian label Songlines Recordings have recently joined NativeDSD, and we are working on adding their extensive catalogue of Jazz Music to out store.

The second collection of music – Songlines Group 2 – was completed recently and we wanted to create a special offer for our Listeners to explore the music.

Music reviewer Mark Werlin has written an in-depth review about these albums HERE.

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