Author Archive for Reference Recordings – Page 19
The Whole Note Reviews Hermitage Piano Trio’s Rachmaninoff
“Now based out of the United States, the ensemble has just released their debut CD for Reference Recordings, a beautifully performed and recorded capture at Mechanics Hall in Worcester, Massachusetts of some of the most intricate and dynamic works of the celebrated late Romantic-era Russian composer Sergei Rachmaninoff (1873-1943). … And, like the finest Western art musicians of today, the trio here handles all of this (and more) with ease, expressively and flawlessly traversing the…
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on PSO’s Bruckner Symphony No. 9 : “a masterpiece”
Jeremy Reynolds reviews Manfred Honeck and the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra’s new Bruckner: Symphony No. 9 recording in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: “To get right to it, it’s a masterpiece. Music director Manfred Honeck and the orchestra recorded the symphony last year during three live concerts — reviewed here — and again partnered with recording engineers from Soundmirror of Boston. Bruckner’s ninth is a beast. Even in its unfinished, three-movement state, the symphony runs just over an hour. The…
Hermitage Piano Trio’s Rachmaninoff is “absolutely unmissable”
Barry Forshaw reviews the Hermitage Piano Trio’s new Rachmaninoff recording for Classical CD Choice: “This absolutely unmissable disc performs a valuable service in providing the first SACD performances of his exquisite piano trios. The Hermitage Piano Trio has the full measure of this vivid and colourful music, chamber works which are not afraid to wear their heart on their sleeve – but never in a forced, sentimental manner. In fact, it is the muscle and…
Four-Star Review for the Richmond Symphony from Pizzicato
The Richmond Symphony and Richmond Symphony Chorus’s Bates: Children of Adam; Vaughan-Williams: Dona Nobis Pacem recording gets a four-star rating from Remy Franck’s Pizzicato Magazine: “The work is eventful in its orchestration and varied in its moods… [and] musically rich… here spiritual and sensual, there reflective, sometimes also solemn. In contrast to the very colorful and complex orchestral part, the choral part is rooted in the chorale and hymn… [an] exciting live recording.” —Remy Franck,…
Pittsburgh’s Tribune-Review Reviews PSO and Manfred Honeck’s Bruckner: Symphony No. 9
“The spiritual richness of Bruckner’s symphonies is unmistakable, yet Honeck’s interpretation breaks new ground in understanding the specific connection between musical ideas and religious meaning. His program notes for the new CD are a practical guide to the music which make it easy to correlate his words with his performance. … The proof of Honeck’s verbal interpretation is the enthralling performance he leads. It is a bold performance marked in part by extremes – the…
Manfred Honeck and the Pittsburgh Symphony’s Bruckner: Symphony No. 9 is Now Available Worldwide!
Manfred Honeck and the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra Continue to Amaze! Reference Recordings proudly presents this iconic work in a new and definitive interpretation from Manfred Honeck and the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, in superb audiophile sound. This hybrid SACD release was recorded in beautiful and historic Heinz Hall, home of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. In his deeply personal and scholarly music notes, Maestro Honeck gives us great insight into the history and the musical structure of Bruckner’s final composition,…
The Wall Street Journal Profiles Manfred Honeck and the Pittsburgh Symphony’s Bruckner: Symphony No. 9
The Wall Street Journal has a new review and feature for Manfred Honeck and the Pittsburgh Symphony’s new Bruckner: Symphony No. 9 recording! “Conductor Manfred Honeck has become one of today’s most insightful interpreters of the classics. A regular presence on the world’s most prestigious orchestra podiums, the Austrian maestro has been music director of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra for more than a decade, where he has made valuable additions to its discography. … Their…
Classical Music Sentinel Review for Pittsburgh Symphony’s Bruckner: Symphony No. 9
Jean-Yves Duperron reviews Manfred Honeck and the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra‘s Bruckner: Symphony No. 9 recording in Classical Music Sentinel: “As if a call from the beyond, the magnificent horns of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra infuse a profound sense of eerie and yet powerful stillness within the opening pages. … this account is highly gripping. … a Bruckner symphony is ‘absolute’ music. You can’t evince a different outcome from a harmonic progression or a sequence of chords. It’s sound…
Now Available – Mason Bates: Children of Adam; Vaughan Williams: Dona Nobis Pacem!
Groundbreaking New Music from Mason Bates and the Richmond Symphony! Reference Recordings is proud to present a World Première recording of MASON BATES: Children of Adam, songs of creation—commissioned by the Richmond Symphony—coupled with RALPH VAUGHAN WILLIAMS: Dona nobis pacem. These pieces both draw inspiration from Walt Whitman’s poetry and this release celebrates his bicentennial (born 1819). Children of Adam is a collection of exuberant celebrations of creation, from American poets to sacred and Native American texts. The title…
Pizzicato Gives Four Stars To The Dallas Winds’ Asphalt Cocktail Recording
Remy Frank’s Pizzicato Magazine gives four stars to the Dallas Winds’ new Asphalt Cocktail: The Music of John Mackey recording! “The performances by the Dallas Winds under Jerry Junkin are absolutely great, energetic in the fast works, wonderfully lyrical and atmospheric in the quieter pieces. The recorded sound is crystal-clear and reinforces the positive impression of this production which should satisfy every lover of brass music.” —Remy Franck, Pizzicato See the full review on Pizzicato.lu
Boston Concert Reviews Features The Hermitage Trio and Concord Chamber Music Society!
Writer Nelson Brill has two new reviews of our recordings from The Hermitage Piano Trio and the Concord Chamber Music Society recorded at Mechanics Hall: “here we have the deep, soulful meditations of Rachmaninoff played with elemental and unflinching power by the Hermitage. For instance, the final movement to Rachmaninoff’s Trio Elegiaque no. 2 is a searing example of how violinist Misha Keylin, cellist Sergey Antonov and pianist Ilya Kazantsev combine into one intense vehicle to reveal…
HR Audio Gives Five-Stars to Pittsburgh Symphony’s Bruckner Symphony No. 9
HRAudio.net gives Manfred Honeck and the Pittsburgh Symphony a five-star rating for both performance and multi-channel sonics on their new Bruckner: Symphony No. 9 recording! “each new issue in [the] Fresh! series is an event worth its weight in gold. … Listening to such a wonderful orchestra, led by someone with a clear, albeit very personal vision, words fall indeed short to express the deeply emotional experience. What makes Honeck’s rendition so significant? His ‘special…
I Care If You Listen Reviews Nadia Shpachenko’s The Poetry Of Places
Anne Goldberg-Baldwin reviews Nadia Shpachenko‘s The Poetry of Places on I Care If You Listen: “An album of solo and duo piano, electronics, and percussion, The Poetry of Places is a superb assemblage of works by various composers. Each piece, inspired by a particular building, weaves together a collage of place and time, and Shpachenko’s evocative interpretations bring insight to the composers’ visions… One of the highlights of The Poetry of Places is Hannah Lash’s Give me your Songs, a multifaceted…
Textura Reviews Jan Kraybill’s The Orchestral Organ
Textura Magazine reviews Jan Kraybill’s The Orchestral Organ recording in their July 2019 issue: “On The Orchestral Organ, Dr. Jan Kraybill performs organ transcriptions of material by Sibelius, Holst, Wagner, Verdi, Barber, and others, and while many of the works are familiar, they assume vivid new life when presented in this organ-only context. … Representative of the album are the treatments of Barber’s Adagio for Strings and Sibelius’s Finlandia; being so well-known, they offer case studies for how effectively…
Fiona Boyes Nominated for 2019 Blues Blast Music Award
Blues Blast Magazine has announced their 12th Annual Blues Blast Music Awards nominees, and we’re pleased to share that Fiona Boyes has been nominated for Female Blues Artist of 2019! See the full list of nominees on the Blues Blast website. Fan voting begins July 1, and is open to anyone! Fiona Boyes Recordings on RR