Manfred Honeck and the Pittsburgh Symphony’s Brahms: Symphony No. 4 and MacMillan: Larghetto for Orchestra receives a 10/10 in Artist Quality and Sound Quality from ClassicsToday.com and David Hurwitz!
“After a first movement outstanding for its exquisitely gentle (but still fluent) opening and an aptly ferocious coda, the remainder of the symphony is noteworthy for its unusual fleetness–no “autumnal” Brahms here! This approach pays big dividends in the ballad-like second movement, whose singing, legato melodies could have started to sag at a slower speed. … Through it all, the Pittsburgh Symphony plays the music as beautifully as it can be done.… James MacMillan’s Larghetto for Orchestra… works well as a “serious” coupling to a very serious symphony… Superb engineering makes this new release especially welcome. A winner all around.”
—David Hurwitz, ClassicsToday