Author Archive for Reference Recordings – Page 14
Pittsburgh Symphony’s Tchaikovsky & Leshnoff is a “Gem”
Nelson Brill reviews the Pittsburgh Symphony and Manfred Honeck’s Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 4 and Leshnoff: Double Concerto recording on Boston Concert Reviews: “This new classical gem is from another gifted composer, Jonathan Leshnoff, in his delectable exploration of the unique sounds created when a solo clarinet and bassoon join forces with a sparkling orchestra. Leshnoff’s Concerto For Clarinet and Bassoon is performed by the venerable Pittsburgh Symphony conducted by their Music Director, Manfred Honeck, and recorded on…
Florentine Opera’s “Prince of Players” is a Major Release
MusicWeb International has a second review for the Florentine Opera Company’s world premiere recording of Carlisle Floyd’s Prince of Players: “Realism is triumphant on the stage… In the role of Peg Kate Royal is exceptional, having already shown her interest in the music of Carlisle Floyd. Here she produces a beautiful sound while ably portraying the conflicts faced by her character. Keith Phares is a stalwart of new and recent American operas and his portrayal…
Opera Canada Recommends Florentine Opera’s Prince of Players
The Summer 2020 issue of Opera Canada features a major recommendation of Florentine Opera’s world premiere recording of Carlisle Floyd’s Prince of Players: “Floyd’s score is in line with the style he’s used for opera throughout his career. it’s colourful and atmospheric with considerable melodic invention and a judicious use of dissonance. … it all works well with the story and the over- all impression is of a very well crafted piece, musically and dramatically.…
San Francisco Classical Voice Features Carlisle Floyd’s Prince of Players
Jeff Kaliss has a fantastic spotlight, feature, and review in San Francisco Classical Voice for the Florentine Opera’s world premiere recording of Carlisle Floyd: Prince of Players: “Don’t ever suppose that Carlisle Floyd can’t learn and showcase new tricks, just because he’s the veteran dean of living American composers. Hearing the newly released recording (on San Francisco’s Reference Recordings) of his latest opera, completed in 2016 (when Floyd was 90), will divest you of any such assumption.…
Happy 25th Anniversary to EnjoyTheMusic.com!
Reference Recordings offers EnjoyTheMusic.com a hearty congratulations on their 25th Anniversary! In honor of the occasion, they’ve invited our own Marcia Martin an opportunity to write about the history of the Reference Recordings label. See it (and wish them congrats) at enjoythemusic.com. Thank you for the opportunity to write about our label for Enjoy the Music.com. First, hearty congratulations on your 25th anniversary, a real milestone! For so many years, Enjoy the Music.com has presented well-written, impartial information…
Opera Today Reviews Carlisle Floyd’s Prince of Players
Opera Today reviews the Florentine Opera Company’s World Premiere recording of Carlisle Floyd’s Prince of Players: “gender and performance are at the heart of the art form that we call opera. If in the 21st century we are having conversations about gender and identity, then – from castrati to en travesti, from Cherubino to Cantonese opera, from Baba the Turk to Octavian – opera has relished gender fluidity since the art form was born. Floyd’s Prince of Players is…
MusicWeb International Reviews Florentine Opera’s Prince of Players
MusicWeb International critic Paul Godfrey reviews the Florentine Opera’s world premiere recording of Carlisle Floyd’s Prince of Players: “The singers… rise splendidly and with relish… Keith Phares is splendid in the central role of Kynaston, whether acting as a female impersonator (with some startling use of falsetto) or as a more conventionally baritone hero. Kate Royal is a marvellous match for him, delivering her soaring lines with passion; Vale Rideout is a suitably epicene, but…
Five Stars For Pittsburgh Symphony’s Tchaikovsky & Leshnoff
Audiophile Audition gives ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ to the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra and Manfred Honeck’s recording of Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 4 and Leshnoff: Double Concerto: “any new recording needs to have something different going for it, as there have been so many fabulous offerings over the last 60 years. I am pleased to report—and this is hardly new—that the Pittsburghians have accomplished just that. … Honeck, always at pains to justify his interpretative schema, does just that again…
Textura Reviews Pittsburgh Symphony’s Tchaikovsky & Leshnoff
Textura Magazine reviews the Pittsburgh Symphony and Manfred Honeck’s recording of Tchaikovsky Symphony No. 4 and Jonathan Leshnoff: Double Concerto: “PSO’s performances are so powerful, the release’s recommendation stems as much from that as the works involved. … Adding considerably to the release’s appeal are the conductor’s commentaries on the work in general and its individual movements …Mention should also be made of the brilliant audiophile sound of the recording… While the symphony’s parts are…
Music Notes Declares Jonathan Leshnoff’s Double Concerto A Best of 2020
Rafael de Acha adds the Pittsburgh Symphony and Manfred Honeck’s Tchaikovsky Symphony No. 4 and Jonathan Leshnoff Double Concerto recording to his short list of Best of 2020: “Commissioned and premiered by the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra and conducted by Manfred Honeck, the ensemble’s superb Music Director, Jonathan Leshnoff’s beautiful Double Concerto for Clarinet and Bassoon affords PSO principals Michael Rusinek (clarinet) and Nancy Goeres (bassoon) the opportunity to shine as soloists in this gorgeous 20-minute-long, three-movement composition. Leshnoff’s music is unabashedly accessible. From the onset…
Pittsburgh Symphony’s Tchaikovsky and Leshnoff is a BBC Music Magazine Orchestral Choice!
BBC Music Magazine gives the Pittsburgh Symphony and Manfred Honeck a 5-Star Recording rating for Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 4 and Leshnoff: Double Concerto and makes it their Orchestral Choice! “Tchaikovsky’s Fourth is a work of inspired structural ingenuity, as is clear both from Manfred Honeck’s insightful and extensive notes and this fine recording by the Pittsburgh Symphony… Honeck paces everything so that the eruptions that crown the first movement’s exposition, development, recapitulation and coda retain…
The Arts Desk Declares Pittsburgh Symphony’s Tchaikovsky and Leshnoff a Winner
Graham Rickson praises the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra and Manfred Honeck’s recording of Tchaikovsky Symphony No. 4 and Jonathan Leshnoff Double Concerto in The Arts Desk: “Quick warning: the Pittsburgh brass are borderline oppressive in Tchaikovsky’s opening fate motif, and it’s all for the good; this symphony’s initial bars should be scary if the journey from darkness to light is to feel convincing. … This is thrilling stuff – sample the Pittsburgh horns’ exultant big tune…
AllMusic Reviews Pittsburgh Symphony’s Tchaikovsky and Leshnoff
AllMusic’s James Manheim gives a four-and-a-half star rating to Manfred Honeck and the Pittsburgh Symphony’s Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 4 & Leshnoff: Double Concerto recording: “the Symphony No. 4 has rarely received such an intense performance… The Pittsburgh Symphony is in fine form in the symphony’s thrilling brass passages and in the all-pizzicato strings of the third movement. The accompanying Double Concerto for clarinet and bassoon by Leshnoff is also a pleasure: a neo-Romantic work agreeably…
More MusicWeb Praise for Blessed art Thou Among Women
MusicWeb International‘s John Quinn offers a second review for the PaTRAM Institute’s Blessed Art Thou Among Women recording: “With performers of such pedigree involved, I was keen to hear this latest disc on which they offer a programme of Orthodox hymns in honour of Mary, the Mother of God. … This is an excellent recital. I’ve mentioned only a few of the pieces but I would ask readers to take on trust that the items…
MusicWeb International Reviews Tchaikovsky and Leshnoff
MusicWeb International‘s John Quinn reviews Manfred Honeck and the Pittsburgh Symphony’s Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 4 and Leshnoff: Double Concerto recording: “The Double Concerto was written for the artists who play it here… There’s a fresh, open feel to the music and, apart from one brief climax, the movement is predominantly gentle and lyrical in voice. The whole thing is winningly attractive. … I think Jonathan Leshnoff has given us a thoroughly entertaining piece. … Michael…