• Home
  • Shop/Explore
    • Full Catalog
    • Reference Recordings Catalog
    • FRESH! From RR Catalog
    • Buried Treasures — Limited Edition LPs
    • On Sale
    • Artists
    • Composers
    • Formats
      • HDCDs
      • HRx
      • Reference Mastercuts LPs
      • SACDs
      • Downloads
    • Genres
      • Classical
      • Blues
      • Jazz
      • Vocal
      • Samplers
      • Other
    • Gift Certificate
    • My Account
    • Cart
    • Store FAQs
    • Privacy Policy
  • About
    • Our History
    • Reference Recordings Team
      • Team Overview
      • John Tamblyn Henderson Jr.
      • “Prof” Keith O. Johnson
    • RR Awards and Nominations
  • News and Reviews
  • Audiophile Corner
  • Press Room
  • Distributors
  • Contact
  • Close Menu
Menu

American Record Guide Reviews Shostakovich and Barber

Posted by Reference Recordings on
 January 5, 2018

Shostakovich: Symphony No. 5 - Barber: Adagio for StringsThe January/February 2018 issue of American Record Guide features a new review for Manfred Honeck and the Pittsburgh Symphony’s Shostakovich: Symphony No. 5; Barber: Adagio for Strings recording:

“Manfred Honeck has…drawn on Shostakovich’s life and experiences for his interpretation fo the Fifth. Honeck does not ‘rewrite’ the piece, but he does adapt interpretive points to what he believes the muic is saying or depicting. The result is one of the more interesting performances of the work. Some of his approach is expressive in a chamber music sort of way that allows tempos to stretch at certain moments, probe certain phrases in the line, and carefully shade dynamics and balances. … Honeck also takes an historical approach to Samuel Barber’s Adagio for Stirngs. … Honeck posits that Barber might have had the Agnus Dei in mind back when he wrote the string quartet. … So the tempo is slow, the approach contemplative and vocal; and as with the slow sections of the Shostakovich, he takes his time over phrases within phrases. Also as with the Shostakovich, the quiet sections are very quiet with the Pittsburgh strings excelling. This performance makes a good case for his ideas. Heinz Hall serves well as a recording site. The sound is excellent, particularly in tone and dynamic extremes.…”

Roger Hecht, American Record Guide

Order Now

iTunes/Apple Music Amazon Spotify HDTracks NativeDSD primephonic

Categories : Review
Tags : American Record Guide, Manfred Honeck, Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, Roger Hecht, ShostakovichBarber
← Next Post
Previous Post →
GDPR Consent(Required)
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.
Connect:
800-336-8866
650-355-1949
1-650-355-1845
PO Box 627 Pacifica, CA 94044
Reference Recordings® © 2025 All Rights Reserved
  • Home
  • Store
  • News
  • About
  • Contact