Steven Kruger reviews Manfred Honeck and the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra’s Beethoven: Symphony No. 3 and Strauss: Horn Concerto No. 1 recording in the January/February 2019 issue:

“Manfred Honeck certainly knows how to make a good record. … [this] new release from Reference Recordings demonstrates again how reliably Honeck supplies us with a vibrant performance and the most interesting liner notes you will read anywhere. … This is the most vivid modern ‘Eroica’ I know… It’s explosively exciting from the outset, with a fast tempo and two of the punchiest, loudest opening chords you will ever encounter, beautifully weighted. … This is an irrepressible reading, swooping up at the end of phrases with sheer zest and featuring a principal horn player, William Caballero, who is clearly on board to make every note vivid and nearly jump out of at the listener. … I don’t think there is a more exciting ‘Eroica’ anywhere. … The straightforward, nearly Mozartean, [Strauss Horn Concerto No. 1] begins with a dazzling annunciatory whoop and never comes to ground. it leaps into your ears. … This release is a standout from every perspective. Manfred Honeck is one of the most interesting conductors we’ve ever had in this repertory. Today’s Pittsburgh Symphony is as great an orchestra as currently exists in the United States. And you won’t find a better French horn anywhere.”

—Steven Kruger, Fanfare

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