Author: Bill Dodd
Bill is Senior Music Reviewer at NativeDSD. He lives in the Portland, Oregon area. He is an avid photographer too! Along with his early interest in broadcasting and high fidelity audio, he was exposed to classical music in small doses from age 5, was given piano lessons from age 9— Starting with Bach and including Gershwin. Successful morning personality in San Francisco at age 22. (true). Sang in choirs in high school and college. Although the broadcasting experience was all in popular music, his personal listening has been mostly classical his whole life—along with others including Benny Goodman, Miles Davis, Dave Brubeck, Joni Mitchell, The Who, and Led Zeppelin.
‘Gratia’ Is Unexpected and Amazing
Available Now at 40% Off! I’ll admit, it took me a while to really dive into this classical-jazz crossover album. Is it fusion, or confusion…? Italian Double bassist and composer Enzo Pietropaoli features arrangements of traditional sacred Marian antiphons, as well as some compositions of his own. Pietropaoli is on bass, Gabriele Mirabassi on clarinet, and […]
Symphonies For The Whole World
Sir Antony Pampano’s recent recording of Vaughan Williams’ Symphonies 5 and 9 will no doubt be one of my nominations for an album of the year nomination, so I thought it would be an excellent time to remind you of this superb release from 2021. VW’s 4 and 6 are remarkable. Instead of folk melodies […]
Dejan Lazic plays Rachmaninoff
Here is an album that’s been out for a while, and I think it’s been overlooked. Rachmaninoff was the last major Romantic composer according to folks who decide these things. I’m not sure. Comparing Rachmaninoff with even Stravinsky has convinced me that Rachmaninoff was more than capable with some surprising sounds, while Stravinsky wasn’t always doing […]
Bartók in DSD: Aimard, Salonen & the San Francisco Symphony (Pentatone)
Bartok’s story is a fascinating one. His music was modern, but also very much influenced by Hungarian folk music. He and his wife came to the US in 1940 to escape the war. He became a US Citizen in 1945, shortly before his death, but never felt all that comfortable away from Hungary. It was […]
Noseda and LSO’s Prokofiev 6 is a Knockout
I’ve been a fan of James Gaffigan’s cycle of Prokofiev Symphonies, and so is my colleague, Rushton Paul. Here’s a link to his very fine discussion of Prokofiev’s symphonies and Gaffigan’s recordings. These are all available from NativeDSD. But there’s a new contender for my favorites — Gianandrea Noseda’s recordings with the LSO! No, he hasn’t finished […]
Mahler’s 7th from Ivan Fischer and Budapest Festival Orchestra
Ivan Fischer’s recordings of the Mahler Symphonies have been very well received, and this one is no exception. In fact it erases any doubt that the 7th is totally Mahlerian in its power and it’s surprises. And there are surprises galore! Cowbells, quotes from Mozart, a joyful climax– perhaps Gustav is having us on […]
L’extase: Debussy’s Intimacy, Messiaen’s Vision
Listen and fall in love as two world-class artists make this album of French art songs by Debussy and Messiaen into something magical. Magdalena Kazena’s voice is intimate, sensual, and rich with feeling. Mitsuko Uchida’s accompaniment is a perfect partnership. Together, they make these songs mesmerizing. I was instantly transported to a dreamlike setting. Featured […]
Where Debussy Meets Messiaen in a Dream
Listen and fall in love as two world-class artists make this album of French art songs by Debussy and Messiaen into something magical. Magdalena Kazena’s voice is intimate, sensual, and rich with feeling. Mitsuko Uchida’s accompaniment is a perfect partnership. Together, they make these songs mesmerizing. I was instantly transported to a dreamlike setting. […]
Strauss Reimagined: Honeck’s Riveting Suites from Elektra & Rosenkavalier
Richard Strauss straddled the 19th and 20th centuries and was a towering figure in late romantic and early modern music. I enjoy his tone poems so I was especially glad to discover these two orchestral suites from Strauss operas, performed by Manfred Honeck and the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. The Rosenkavalier suite was created by Artur […]
The Gamba Speaks: Lucile Boulanger and the Voice of a Forgotten Instrument
Musical instruments from the Baroque era were often quite different than modern counterparts. I don’t know why the trombone’s ancestor is called a sackbut, but I don’t know why the modern instrument is called a trombone. They’re both funny names. But, the viola da gamba is not a funny name! The family has 7 different […]
I Can’t Stop Listening: Eastern European Cello Sonatas That Sing
You might recall my praise for Martin Helmchen’s recording of Piano Concertos by Dvorak and Schumann a few weeks back. On this recently released double set, Helmchen is joined by his wife, cellist Marie-Elisabeth Heckler in an album of cello sonatas entitled From Eastern Europe. And what a program it is! Rachmaninoff, Stravinsky, Prokofiev, Shostakovich, […]
Rachmaninoff 3 and Ravel La Valse Liss
Here’s a delightful discovery from Dmitry Liss and the Ural Philharmonic Orchestra. Ravel’s La Valse starts as a tribute to the Viennese waltz, but by the last few minutes, you know you have fallen into a bad dream. Liss and his players do a superb job of capturing this feeling. It’s said that Ravel wanted […]