The 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.…”
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