Gramophone Magazine has released their 2015 Recordings of the Year in a special free digital issue and includes two Reference Recordings releases!

Saint-Saëns: Symphony No. 3, “Organ”

Jan Kraybill, organ; Kansas City Symphony, Michael Stern

“…the crucial test is not so much the volume of the organ but the way in which the orchestral context of the symphony as a whole is established. Here Michael Stern impressively injects impetus into the first section’s sinewy fabric, alert to instrumental colour and the contrapuntal discipline and intrigue of the writing. The organ, making its muted first entry in the Adagio, is a 5,548-pipe Casavant Frères instrument, an integral part of Kansas City’s Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts where the recording was made, as indeed is Jan Kraybill who plays it… the organ in the finale asserts its grandeur without overwhelming the orchestral palette. … Even in a competitive market, this version has a distinct edge.” —Geoffrey Norris, Gramophone

Beethoven: Symphony Nos. 5 & 7

Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, Manfred Honeck

“The Pittsburgh playing marries epic power with a revealing translucency of texture, something which the aptly named Soundmirror team catches in sound the provides generous levels of reverberation with crystal-clear detailing. Honeck has a wonderful ear for detail, be it quietly thematic or utterly bizarre, as in the piccolo’s crackerjack contributions to the finale of the Fifth, whose final chord nonetheless manages to offer an inch-perfect balance between piccolo and drum. … Honeck’s performances deserve to be heard.” —Richard OSborne, Gramophone

Get these recordings and more at ReferenceRecordings.com!