Author Archive for Reference Recordings – Page 8
Break The Chain a Downbeat Magazine Best of 2017
Downbeat Magazine has published their Best Albums of 2017 list in their January issue, and Doug MacLeod‘s Break The Chain has made the cut! “Doug MacLeod, a craftsman of rare skill and sagacity, share more than a few dramatic affinities with past greats as he offers his own creative parameters to the common 12-bar language. … distinctive, well-regulated singing and note-bending on classic guitars stimulate the keening hopefulness… [performed] with five assured sidemen, including his…
InfoDad Reviews Utah Symphony Mahler 1 and 8
Two Utah Symphony and Thierry Fischer Mahler Symphony reviews on the family-focused website InfoDad: Mahler Symphony No. 8 “Because of the unique sonic quality of Mahler’s music, the exceptional importance of getting both the quiet passages and the huge, noisy and sometimes deliberately crude ones right, the recording quality of Mahler performances is exceptionally important, most definitely so in the case of his Eighth, the “Symphony of a Thousand,” which really does require something close…
Utah Symphony’s Mind-Boggling Mahler Eighth
“This is, without question, the most sheerly beautiful recording of the Mahler Eighth I’ve ever heard. and I’ve heard a bunch of them. … you feel totally immersed in the chorus and orchestra from the very first note. In addition, all of the singers are quite good… Whether due to Fischer’s conducting, the engineering of the recording or both, one also hears a great deal of orchestral detail, so essential in Mahler but not always…
FOUR 2018 GRAMMY Nominations!
The Recording Academy announced their 60th GRAMMY® Award Nominations this morning, and Manfred Honeck and the Pittsburgh Symphony‘s Shostakovich: Symphony No. 5; Barber: Adagio and Michael Stern and the Kansas City Symphony‘s recording of Adam Schoenberg’s Orchestral Music have both received multiple nominations! Best Engineered Album, Classical Shostakovich: Symphony No. 5; Barber: Adagio – Mark Donahue, engineer (Manfred Honeck & Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra) Schoenberg, Adam: American Symphony; Finding Rothko; Picture Studies – Keith O. Johnson…
Audiophilia Names Break The Chain an Album of the Year
Audiophilia Magazine has released their 2017 Recordings of the Year and Doug MacLeod’s Break The Chain makes the cut: Order Now “Break the Chain does not do musically what the title implies. We have brilliant consistency. Here, you’ll find eleven songs and a ‘holler’ (story). Audiophiles will especially like the spoken voice track as they are so difficult to get right on recordings. … As the Reference team was together in Marin County’s Skywalker Studios,…
Pittsburgh Symphony Nominated for ICMA
Order Now The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra and Manfred Honeck recording of Shostakovich Symphony No. 5 and Barber’s Adagio for Strings has been nominated for the 2018 International Classical Music Awards in the “Symphonic Music” category! The ICMA – having taken the place of the Cannes Classical Awards (later known as MIDEM) – first awarded prizes in 2011, and has since taken its place as the leading pan-European competition for excellence in classical recording. Its jury…
Utah Symphony’s Mahler 8 “among the best”
The Christian Review released their “Eight Recordings for Christmas” list and includes the new Utah Symphony Orchestra and Mormon Tabernacle Choir recording of Mahler Symphony No. 8: Order Now “Mahler 8th Symphony, conducted by Thierry Fischer, Utah Symphony, Mormon Tabernacle Choir, and soloists, is exceptional, among the best 8ths I’ve ever heard, and I’ve heard most of them. The soloists are first class, especially the tenor, Barry Banks, meeting all the challenges of the score.…
Utah Symphony – Mahler Symphony No. 8 Now Available
New Release from the Utah Symphony, Thierry Fischer and the Mormon Tabernacle Choir Now Available Order Now Utah Symphony Thierry Fischer, Music Director Mormon Tabernacle Choir Available in Hybrid Surround Sound and Stereo 2-Disc SACD and Hi-Res Downloads The Utah Symphony is one of America’s major symphony orchestras and a leading cultural organization in the Intermountain West. It is recognized internationally for its distinctive performances, commitment to music education programs, history and recording legacy. Here…
ArkivMusic Spotlights Mahler Symphony No. 8
ArkivMusic.com has their spotlight turned on the Utah Symphony and Mormon Tabernacle Choir’s recording of Mahler Symphony No. 8! Not only have they featured it in their email newsletter, they also have it on sale and available as an early exclusive! “Conducted by Thierry Fischer, the two ensembles provide an authoritative interpretation of Mahler’s beloved fusion of song and symphony. Reference Recordings provides this live recording from 2016 that does full justice to the immensity…
Joel Fan LIVE on WQXR
Joel Fan joined the WQXR “Midday Masterpieces” program for a live performance and to discuss his new Open Source Music Festival: “Open Source is the simple idea that we share our creative work, and allow others to build upon it freely. We’ve built our whole music festival around this idea.” Joel Fan, Artistic Director, Open Source Music Festival More on the Open Source Music Festival Joel Fan on Reference Recordings:
“Professin’ The Blues” Nominated for Age Music Victoria Award
UPDATE — PROFESSIN THE BLUES IS THE BEST BLUES ALBUM WINNER!!! Fiona Boyes‘ Professin’ The Blues has been nominated for The Age Music Victoria Awards as the Best Blues Album of 2017! Her Box & Dice album was the 2015 Winner! About The Age Music Victoria Awards Heading into its 12th year in 2017, The Age Music Victoria Awards are excited to once again reveal the nominees for each category and open up the polls…
HR Audio Reviews Utah Symphony’s Mahler Symphony No. 8
Order Now “In 2015 Reference Recordings released a very recommendable version of Mahler’s 1st Symphony by the Utah Symphony conducted by their Musical Director Thierry Fischer Mahler: Symphony No. 1 – Fischer. That recording taken from live performances given in the orchestra’s home – the Maurice Abravanel Hall in Salt Lake City, Utah – showed Fisher’s Mahlerian credentials in a most favorable light and they are now confirmed by this stunningly recorded account of the…
Blues In Britain Interviews Doug MacLeod
Blues In Britain profiles and interviews Doug MacLeod before his UK tour: Order Now “Doug’s storytelling has been honed on long shifts as a blues DJ and, later, in his award- winning column ‘Doug’s Back-porch’ in US magazines. His songs have real content and he makes no apology for the time he spends placing them in context; the introductions are sometimes longer than the songs – and twice as funny! We have no recordings of…
Arnold Overtures Now on LP
Order Now Malcolm Arnold The London Philharmonic Orchestra Authoritative first recordings of important works composed and conducted by Sir Malcom Arnold (1921-2006), one of England’s very greatest composers. 1993 GRAMMY® Nominee for Best Engineered Classical Recording. A perennial hi-fi favorite recorded by Keith O. Johnson now available on LP! This new Reference Mastercuts LP release is a single 180 gram disc, half-speed mastered at 33 1/3 rpm by Paul Stubblebine, pressed on virgin vinyl at…
CD Choice Review for Utah Symphony Mahler 8
Classical CD Choice says Thierry Fischer and the Utah Symphony‘s recording of Mahler’s Symphony No. 8 will take a lot to beat: Order Now “not just its remarkable sensitivity to the composer’s intentions (every nuance and facet is found, from the more restrained colouristic passages to the great swells of orchestral excitement), captured in a recording which does full justice to the immense sound picture. The fact of that recording is so technically impressive will,…