Music Reviews
A grand collection of reviews. If you are a professional music reviewer and would like to contribute a review to this blog, please contact us.
I can’t think of a single work by Prokofiev that I don’t like.
Everybody knows Prokofiev’s ballets, and his 5th Symphony. I can’t think of a single work by Prokofiev that I don’t like. Well… there is an opera that takes some effort. The Firey Angel was commissioned in the early 1920s, but not performed in its entirety until after Prokofiev’s death. There is (to my […]
Saskia Giorgini Plays Debussy With a Sparkling Joyfulness
Available now for 25% off! I’ve said it before… I love Debussy! I especially love his piano works. I’ve amassed a big collection of CD’s and files by numerous luminaries of the keyboard, and I wouldn’t want to be without any of them. But here’s a recent release that really stands apart. Normally I divide Debussy interpreters into […]
Young & Foolish: Mozart & C.P.E. Bach from Café Zimmermann
Music that makes you happy. If there is anything these days that we need in large quantities, it’s music that makes you happy. Well, here it is, thanks to Alpha Classics. It is said that Mozart’s music has a positive effect on the psyche. Studies prove it though others -as always- deny such an effect. […]
An Award-Winning Performance I am Thrilled to Rediscover
I was looking through some releases from last year when I was reminded of this award winner. Sebastian Stanley’s Rachmaninoff album showcases his masterful playing, and HR’s superb recording quality. Rachmaninoff has a special place in my life. I began piano lessons just 7 years after his death. I’ve always seen the modern side of […]
Fiery Performances from Patrenko and Oslo Philharmonic
I’d like to put out some praise for “warhorses.” There’s a reason they hang around. People like them! And occasionally a conductor will come up with a new performance that reminds us why. This recording was the 2020 Orchestral Album of the Year at NativeDSD. Rimsky-Korsakov was one of the great orchestrators, bringing new color and life […]
‘Czech Songs’ from Magdalena Kozena on Pentatone
This lovely, haunting album of Czech orchestral songs is a real winner. It’s a followup to last year’s Folk Songs, winner of Album of the Year in the vocal category. This new one from Magdalena Kozena, backed by the Czech Philharmonic with Sir Simon Rattle conducting, is even more attractive to me because 14 of these […]
Maxwell Quartet ‘Haydn: String Quartets Op. 74 & Folk Music from Scotland’ on Linn Records
A PCM recording needn’t be a dark horse Having spent a fortune on a (multi-channel) system, some classical music buffs can be dismissive about everything that may not meet their expectations. A PCM recording for example. I’ve fallen into that trap several times, too. Not without reason. Depending on your ears, equipment, and mood, it’s […]
Notes on Recent Finds, No. 22 – Six Marvelous Pure DSD256 Recordings
This is a reposted article originally written for Positive Feedback by our friend Rush Paul. The great team at Positive Feedback, as well as Rush himself, have kindly given us permission to repost this and you can find the original article at this link. Thanks to Rush the PF team! With some of the best […]
The ‘Beethoven Piano Concertos’ You’ve Been Looking For
I’ve been listening for too many years, and loved too many different recordings of the 5 Beethoven Piano Concertos to settle on absolute favorites, but this set comes very close, and it has kept me smiling since it was released last year. The estimable Garrick Ohlsson with Sir Donald Runnicles conducting the Grand Teton Music […]
‘Paysage’ from Véronique Gens is Simply and Gently Moving
When I went to check the mailbox today I was greeted by a cloudless sky. The temperature was perfect. Our large bay tree is perfuming the entire yard. And just when I thought things couldn’t be better, a hummingbird came by to check out the honeysuckles! Was I dreaming? It truly was an amazing moment. Believe it or not, […]
Britten’s ‘Sinfonia da Requiem’ from Sir Simon Rattle and LSO
I first “discovered” Benjamin Britten’s Sinfonia da Requiem in 1963 with Andre Previn’s premiere album as conductor of the St. Louis Symphony. I bought the album because it had Aaron Copland’s Red Pony Suite, and while I love that, it was Britten’s Sinfonia da Requiem that made this a favorite LP. It was commissioned in 1939 by […]
Music, Film or Both?
This Stereo & 5 Channel Surround Sound DSD EP has been sourced from the DXD original edit master and is available only at NativeDSD! Check out the full album that was put out by Pentatone, which also contains Berntein’s Serenade: I don’t know anyone who doesn’t know John Williams’s music for Steven Spielberg’s 1993 film […]