Author Archive for Reference Recordings – Page 10
Four Star Pizzicato Review for José Serebrier’s Last Tango Before Sunrise
Remy Franck gives four stars to the new release of José Serebrier: Last Tango Before Sunrise on Pizzicato Magazine: “The earliest work is the Piano Sonata of 1957, influenced by Latin American rhythms… and played powerfully and with verve by Nadia Shpachenko. The most recent piece is the title track Last Tango Before Sunrise from 2018, and just like the other dance movements on this CD, it offers inspiredly composed music with distinctive melodies and…
Stereophile Review for Beethoven: Symphony No. 9
Stephen Francis gives 4.5 Stars to Manfred Honeck and the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra’s recording of Beethoven Symphony No. 9 in Stereophile: “From Reference Recordings, we can count on pellucid sonics, including here. You can “hear through” the textures even in the most violent tuttis, with no trace of congestion. In the finale’s “recitatives,” the divided low strings are wonderfully enveloping. The Adagio‘s airy woodwind chorales are almost tangible. …The music, guided by the conductor’s sharp ear, is…
ConcertoNet Review for Last Tango Before Sunrise
Christie Grimstad reviews José Serebrier’s Last Tango Before Sunrise recording for ConcertoNet: “Driven forward with striking acuity in any sort of music he’s conducted, his excellence never fails… Serebrier’s Symphony for Percussion acts like a case study, showing the importance of percussion… It’s best to close the eyes, sit back and soak in the widely wizard remarks. … Pocketed throughout by Stravinsky-esque discords, the Piano Sonata is not without its lighter, genteel lines. … The rollicking “Moto Perpetuo: Presto”…
American Record Guide Review for Beethoven Symphony No. 9
American Record Guide‘s Gil French has a thorough review of his multiple listens through Manfred Honeck and the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra’s Beethoven Symphony No. 9 recording: “the riches, most superbly tuned strings basses I have heard since Joseph Guastafeste led the Chicago Symphony’s string bass section (1961-2011) and better recorded as well! When the entire orchestra joins in [in the Finale], their phrasing reflects the words mentally engrained in anyone familiar with the text. Continue…
Audiophile Audition Gives Five Stars to Beethoven Symphony No. 9
The Pittsburgh Symphony and Manfred Honeck’s recording of Beethoven Symphony No. 9 gets a five-star rave from Audiophile Audition: “This disc should come with a warning label. Why? Because it is easily the most intense Ninth I have ever heard. This is not a criticism, only a fact. … The wonderful last movement gives us a truly joyful and energetic flow of consolation and satisfaction, jam-packed with intensity and far, far away from the “joyful,…
HR Audio Reviews Pittsburgh Symphony’s Beethoven Symphony No. 9
HRaudio.net reviews the Pittsburgh Symphony and Manfred Honeck’s Beethoven Symphony No. 9 recording, giving it 4.5 stars for performance, and 5 stars for sonics! “the brilliance and charisma of Honeck’s conducting, his unique interpretive insights into the works he performs and the manner in which they are realised by the magnificent orchestra of which he has been Music Director for the past ten years, have resulted in each of these recordings moving effortlessly and justifiably…
MusicWeb International Offers a Third Rave for Jonathan Leshnoff’s Symphony No. 3 & Piano Concerto
Following a Recording of the Month distinction and a fantastic new interview, Michael Wilkinson joins the chorus of MusicWeb International critics in praising Jonathan Leshnoff: Symphony No. 3; Piano Concerto recording with the Kansas City Symphony, Michael Stern, Joyce Yang, and Stephen Powell: “When first heard, Leshnoff provides music overwhelmingly tonal, rich in melody, with a confident momentum. It is exciting in both variety of timbres and in its immediacy. Repeated hearings reveal new depths…
Pittsburgh Symphony’s Beethoven Symphony No. 9 is a “Triumph”
Audiophile site, Dagogo, reviews the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra and Manfred Honeck’s recording of Beethoven Symphony No. 9: “The Presto and “Ode to Joy” is among the most purveying and thrilling I’ve heard. Once again, there are goosebumps inducing, spectacular definition and contrasting dynamics, atop a precision in the performance to die for. The Adagio Third Movement opens with such majesty as to usurp the first movement Allegro, although this is also swifter in duration and…
Must Read Interview with Jonathan Leshnoff
MusicWeb International critic Lee Denham has published a must-read interview with composer Jonathan Leshnoff titled “An Interview and Portrait of America’s next great composer”: Twenty-first century classical composers are a rare breed – and even rarer are those who have enjoyed as much popular acclaim as Jonathan Leshnoff, a comparative youngster, born in 1973, whose works have already been taken up by many orchestras in his native USA with much success – the New York…
Pittsburgh Symphony and Manfred Honeck’s Beethoven Symphony No. 9 recording is “essential”
Classical Voice North America calls Pittsburgh Symphony and Manfred Honeck’s Beethoven Symphony No. 9 an “essential” recording: “Honeck’s riveting new CD of Beethoven’s Ninth with the Pittsburgh Symphony was recorded at Heinz Hall concerts in June 2019. He introduced his swift approach to Beethoven, drawing on the composer’s metronome markings, with stunning performances of the Seventh in 2009. The recording of the Ninth benefits from the experience the orchestra had with Honeck’s interpretation at concerts…
BBC Music Magazine Gives Five Stars to Pittsburgh Symphony and Manfred Honeck’s Beethoven Symphony No. 9
The April issue of BBC Music Magazine features a Five-Star Review for the Pittsburgh Symphony and Manfred Honeck’s recording of Beethoven Symphony No. 9: “an impressive account of this huge work that seems bent on marking itself as the unassailable definition of ‘monumental’. In terms of sound and precision, the performance is meticulous, immaculate and even. That’s not to say that Honeck doesn’t occasionally play a little loose. … Honeck choreographs the gradual build of…
Rob Cowan Recommends Manfred Honeck and Pittsburgh Symphony Beethoven No. 9
Critic Rob Cowan adds the Pittsburgh Symphony and Manfred Honeck’s recording of Beethoven Symphony No. 9 to his “Spring Collection” of top new releases: “combining explosive climaxes with moments of deep repose. The finale is the highpoint, the angry celli and basses delivering their sermon to the minions – though note the achingly beautiful quiet flutes, oboes and clarinets at around the 2:00 mark – before ushering in the Ode to Joy theme from the…
Five Stars from AllMusic for the Pittsburgh Symphony’s Beethoven Symphony No. 9
AllMusic‘s James Manheim gives five stars to Manfred Honeck and the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra‘s recording of Beethoven: Symphony No. 9! “His reading is fast, blazing, kinetic, with moments of high contrast, such as the ethereal third movement in its entirety, giving the listener breathing space. The first movement is quick, but Honeck relaxes the tempo just slightly as things proceed, making room for the brass to give their stentorian statements. The scherzo is very fast throughout, which…
The Absolute Sound Reviews Fiona Boyes’ Blues In My Heart
Greg Cahill gives Fiona Boyes’ Blues In My Heart: 20th Anniversary Edition a four-star review in The Absolute Sound: “Boyes lends a loose, sassy flair to these songs—check out the defiant attitude she bestows upon Kid Bailey’s “Rowdy Blues.” Boyes’ vocals and picking are the driving force here, and her big Matan dreadnaught is close-miked to accentuate the foot stomps, hammer-ons, pull-offs, and string bends. And she is supported by occasional bandmates Kaz Dalla Rosa…
Manfred Honeck and Pittsburgh Symphony Offer a New Go-To Beethoven Symphony No. 9
Culture Spot LA reviews Manfred Honeck and the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra‘s recording of Beethoven Symphony No. 9: “Getting a CD in the mail from Reference Recordings is always a little like Christmas, especially when the package contains a new release by Manfred Honeck and the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. That’s because I know that there will always be an interesting and often exhilarating interpretation of whatever work(s) Honeck decides to bring the listener. … Right out…