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.
Bartók in High Definition: 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 […]
‘Somnia’ – Denis Kozhukhin – Pentatone
Here’s a discovery from just a few weeks ago that I really wanted to share with you– Denis Kozhukhin’s Somnia. The Russian pianist is absolutely marvelous in this exploration of the theme of childhood. These works are charming, yet truthful. They are involving, yet soothing. Most importantly, this is music that captures your attention […]
Ning Feng plays Shostakovich & Prokofiev Violin Concertos No. 1
Only 15 years separated Prokofiev and Shostakovich by age. Both were born in the Russian Empire. Prokofiev left at the time of the Revolution, but Shostakovich never left. Prokofiev lived in Paris from the early 1920s until 1936. His exposure to the exciting music scene there gave a western foundation to much of his music. It was in […]
Rachel Yonan: ‘Kiss On Wood’
I was re-watching “About Time,” one of my favorite little British films, a few days ago, and was charmed all over again by the way it made me laugh, as well as the way it made me think about family and love. It’s one of those rare films that blends humor, heartache, and a touch of […]