Author Archive for Reference Recordings
The Arts Desk’s New Favorite Beethoven Concertos
Graham Rickson of The Arts Desk reviews Garrick Ohlsson, Grand Teton Music Festival Orchestra, and Sir Donald Runnicles’ Complete Beethoven Piano Concertos recording: “the results are impressive even by this label’s high standards. There’s a palpable bloom and warmth to the sound, Ohlsson’s deft rhythmic sense ensuring that things never feel complacent. Take the effervescent finale to the first concerto, the interplay between orchestral winds and soloist perfectly judged. Concerto No. 2 is another treat,…
WTJU Rave Review for Spanish Impressions
“This is the second Reference Recordings release of the Hermitage Piano Trio. And it’s just as good as the first.… The Hermitage Piano Trio doesn’t fail to impress. Their performances are clean, clear, and precise. And more importantly, they’re musical. They internalize the essence of Spanish music. And they deliver it with the energy and attitude it requires.… Great performances impeccably recorded. What else would you expect from Reference?” —Ralph Graves, WTJU See the full…
Pittsburgh Symphony’s Tchaikovsky & Schulhoff an ICMA Symphonic Music Nominee
The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra and Manfred Honeck’s Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 5 & Schulhoff: Five Pieces recording has been nominated for the 2024 International Classical Music Awards in the Symphonic Music category! See the full list at icma-info.com Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 5 & Schulhoff: Five Pieces REFERENCE RECORDINGS® proudly presents Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 5, in a significant new interpretation from conductor Manfred Honeck and the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. It is coupled with Erwin Schulhoff’s Five Pieces, newly…
Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 5 & Schulhoff: Five Pieces nominated for GRAMMY® Award
Mark Donohue of Soundmirror has been nominated for the GRAMMY® Award for Best Engineered Album, Classical for his work as engineer and mastering engineer for the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra album Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 5 & Schulhoff: Five Pieces (conducted by Manfred Honeck)! Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 5 & Schulhoff: Five Pieces REFERENCE RECORDINGS® proudly presents Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 5, in a significant new interpretation from conductor Manfred Honeck and the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. It is coupled with Erwin Schulhoff’s Five Pieces, newly arranged for…
The Arts Desk Reviews “Stunning” Manfred Honeck and Pittsburgh Symphony’s Tchaikovsky & Schulhoff
“New releases from this particular conductor/orchestra combo still feel like an event. You won’t find box sets of Beethoven or Mahler in Manfred Honeck’s Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra discography, Honeck preferring to record single discs of pieces he’s fond of, often with striking couplings. So it is with this new Tchaikovsky 5… Honeck’s urgency is thrilling, the first movement’s “Allegro con anima” swift and exciting. This orchestra’s dark, voluptuous timbre feels entirely right for the piece, the Pittsburgh…
Spanish Impressions Makes a Fanfare Want List!
Colin Clarke is already adding The Hermitage Piano Trio’s Spanish Impressions release to his 2024 Fanfare Want List! “There are revelations galore from this trio of musicians who, although none of them are actually from Spain, are all fascinated by the region and its music. That enthusiasm permeates this fascinating disc.… The Trois Pièces orginales dans le genre espagnol (1886) is a masterpiece. This is Arbós’ op. 1, and what a way to get going. The three…
BBC Music Magazine Names José Serebrier and Orchestra Brno’s Janáček Sinfonietta A Best of All Time
The September issue of BBC Music Magazine features a fantastic look at Janáček’s Sinfonietta from Terry Williams and includes a list of his Best Recording of the work for the “Building A Library” series, in it is Reference Recordings’ very own recording from José Serebrier and the Czech State Philharmonic, Brno. This is actually the second work from this recording to land on BBC Music Magazine’s “Build A Library” series as the album was also…
Five Stars for the Hermitage Piano Trio in Stereophile
Jason Victor Serious gives a Five Star Sonic Rating to Hermitage Piano Trio’s Spanish Impressions in the November issue of Stereophile: “Here’s a real treat: piano trios by four outstanding Spanish composers—Enrique Fernández Arbós, Joaquín Turina, Gaspar Cassadó, and Mariano Perelló. … Expertly recorded at Skywalker Sound by the family team of Sean Martin and Keith O. Johnson, the hi-rez recording stands out for its excellent dynamics, natural colors, and big, realistically spaced images that…
Gramophone Reviews Spanish Impressions
The Hermitage Piano Trio’s Spanish Impressions gets a marvelous review in the Gramophone Magazine Awards Issue: How savvy to begin a programme of Spanish piano trio works with Enrique Arbós’s Three Pieces, Op 1, particularly with its boisterous opening Bolero. The Hermitage Piano Trio give their all, serving up liberal doses of idiomatic rubato and heel-kicking accents. …Note, too, cellist Sergey Antonov’s almost viola-like sonority above the staff and the utter evenness of his tone…
Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 5 & Schulhoff: Five Pieces a MusicWeb International Recording of the Month!
MusicWeb International has named Manfred Honeck and the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra’s Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 5 and Schulhoff: Five Pieces their September Recording of the Month! “The first thing to strike the listener is the width of the dynamic range; no compression here. Honeck in his notes makes much of Tchaikovsky’s markings from ppp to fff; particularly helpful is the combination of bar numbers (for those with scores) and timings (for the casual listener) marking where Honeck wishes to…
BBC Recording of the Month: “Pittsburgh Electrifies in Tchaikovsky’s Fifth”
Manfred Honeck and the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra’s Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 5 and Schulhoff: Five Pieces is the BBC Music Magazine Recording of the Month! “Honeck’s overriding objective has been to revivify a work that in lesser hands can easily lose its freshness and originality. To achieve this, he has followed Tchaikovsky’s carefully delineated performance instructions to the letter, investing every musical phrase with a wealth of insight, detail and colour. From the outset, Honeck’s infinitely…
Tutti! Orchestral Sampler Double-LP Back in Stock!
Back in Stock — TUTTI! Orchestral Sampler Double-LP! TUTTI! is on The Absolute Sound Super Disc List TUTTI! is Italian for “all together now,” as in the sound of a full orchestra playing in perfect ensemble. TUTTI! is also a full-length sampler of RR’s classical orchestral releases —PLUS a special BONUS track available nowhere else in the RR catalog! Artists include Eiji Oue and the Minnesota Orchestra, Nicholas McGegan and Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra, Jose Serebrier and the…
Pittsburgh Symphony’s Tchaikovsky Symphony No. 5 and Schulhoff Five Pieces is a New York Times Pick!
The New York Times published “5 Classical Music Albums You Can Listen to Right Now” featuring a selection of the New York Times Classical Critics’ favorite new releases and David Allen has an absolute RAVE review for Manfred Honeck and the Pittsburgh Symphony’s Tchaikovsky Symphony No. 5 and Schulhoff Five Pieces recording: “make no mistake, it is a masterpiece, a dark psychological thriller that soars and scars and ends up being rather unnerving. Drawing on Tchaikovsky’s sketches…
Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra and Manfred Honeck’s Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 5 and Schulhoff: Five Pieces is a Gramophone Recording of the Month
The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra and Manfred Honeck’s Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 5 and Schulhoff: Five Pieces is a Gramophone Recording of the Month and Editor’s Choice feature! “Manfred Honeck has been Music Director of the Pittsburgh Symphony since 2008, during which time they have released many discs together on Reference Recordings, including several that have earned recognition as Editor’s Choice: Dvořák, Mahler and ‘Promethean’ Beethoven (as described by Richard Osborne, 12/15) among others.… And now they…
Fanfare Declares Pittsburgh Symphony’s Tchaikovsky Symphony No. 5 “Not To Be Missed”
Fanfare Magazine’s Henry Fogel names Pittsburgh Symphony and Manfred Honeck’s Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 5 and Schulhoff: Five Pieces a “Not To Be Missed” recording: “this has to be ranked in the upper echelon of the [Tchaikovsky Fifth] discography… [In the Schulhoff] Honeck …[and] Thomas Ille… have done a superb job in creating a version that deserves a place in the orchestral repertoire.… This is a hugely successful recording.” —Henry Fogel, Fanfare See the full review…