Archive for Uncategorized – Page 24
Kansas City Saint-Saëns “A Pleasure To Own”
MusicWeb International critic Michael Cookson recounts a live Saint-Saëns “Organ” Symphony performance while reviewing our new Kansas City Symphony recording: In the Adagio – Allegro moderato Michael Stern’s well balanced opening soon increases in weight and volume. The efforts of the Kansas orchestra are thrilling. Stern engenders a sense of steely determination. The low growling entry of organ in the Poco adagio is notable and the dialogue between organ and strings is delightfully reflective. Conversely…
Manfred Honeck and Pittsburgh Symphony’s Bruckner Symphony No. 4 an “Excellent Choice”
Arthur Lintgen reviews Manfred Honeck and the Pittsburgh Symphony’s new Bruckner recording for Fanfare Magazine: “What Honeck does accomplish, perhaps better than any other conductor, is to move the music along and even lighten instrumental textures as in the relaxed and faster second subject of the first movement without detracting in any way from the solemnity of the opening horn call and the power of the massive brass climaxes. In other words, Honeck’s flexible tempos…
Specs for the The Julia Irene Kauffman Casavant Organ, Opus 3875
In David Hurwitz’s fantastic new review of the Kansas City Symphony’s Saint-Saëns “Organ” Symphony recording, he states “I do wish, though, that Reference Recordings had included a stop list in the booklet. The instrument has some interesting timbres and I would have liked to know what resources it calls upon to make them.” Unfortunately these specs were not able to fit in the included liner notes, but in case anyone else might be curious, we…
ClassicsToday: A “Remarkably Good” Saint-Saëns from Kansas City
ClassicsToday‘s David Horowitz reviews the “remarkably good” Kansas City Symphony recording of Saint-Saëns Symphony No. 3: “…this is an unusually vivacious and texturally transparent reading, recorded with welcome clarity in an acoustic that never permits detail to get obscured by excessive reverberation. The balance between organ and orchestra in the finale, even when everyone is blasting away, could not be more perfect. In the serene Adagio too, which flows with impressive poise, the soft tones…
ClassicalNet Reviews Minnesota Orchestra’s Bruckner Symphony No. 9
Brian Wigman says our 1997 Bruckner Symphony No. 9 recording featuring Stanislaw Skrowaczewski and the Minnesota Orchestra should be “required listening.” “This disc dates from 1997, well before the Bruckner explosion and at a time when a small label like Reference Recordings was still carving a niche as an audiophile enterprise. Everything works wonderfully. I dare you to play this for friends; I imagine they would name a great European orchestra if asked who was…
Joel Fan: Dances For Piano and Orchestra “Sparkles”
ClassicalNet critic Brian Wigman has a new review for Joel Fan and the Northwest Sinfonietta’s Dances for Piano and Orchestra recording: “This diverse and engaging program of works for piano and orchestra reflects Joel Fan’s ongoing commitment to international music. … There is…a real sense of intelligence and enjoyment. Captured in excellent sound, this program has a wide potential audience, from piano students and teachers to the adventurous listener. … I can’t imagine any piano…
Kansas City Symphony Saint-Saens an AllMusic Editor’s Choice
AllMusic names Michael Stern and the Kansas City Symphony’s Saint-Saëns recording an Editor’s Choice! “Michael Stern and the Kansas City Symphony deliver this celebrated Romantic symphony with extraordinary vitality, crisp articulation, and brilliant sonorities, and their performances of the two filler pieces are equally vivid and exciting. Of special note are the soloists, organist Jan Kraybill in the symphony, violinist Noah Geller in the Introduction and Rondo capriccioso, and the duo of Geller and cellist…
Audiophile Audition Reviews Kansas City Symphony Saint-Saëns Symphony No. 3
Audiophile Audition‘s Mel Martin reviews the new Michael Stern and Kansas City Symphony recording of Saint-Saëns Symphony No. 3: “It’s a gigantic work, with organ, a large orchestra and two pianos. For years it’s been a favorite demonstration disc for audiophiles, and no wonder with it’s aggressive playing and wide dynamics.… Reference Recordings has long been a leader in high quality releases, so this is no ordinary recording. …The Organ Symphony was quite spectacular sounding…this…
Watch Joel Fan’s Kennedy Center Performance
Watch Joel Fan’s Kennedy Center Performance On-Demand! See all RR Joel Fan Recordings Latest Joel Fan Release: Dances for Piano and Orchestra JOEL FAN Northwest Sinfonietta Christophe Chagnard, Music Director RR-134HDCD Pierné, Castro, Chopin, Saint-Saëns, Weber, Gottschalk, Cadman Buy Now
Doug MacLeod & Exactly Like This Nominated for Blues Blast Music Awards
The 2015 Blues Blast Music Award Nominations have been announced and 2013 Blues Blast Music Artist of the Year Doug MacLeod returns to the BBMA lineup with another nomination for Male Blues Artist as well as a nomination for his new Reference Recordings release, Exactly Like This! The Blues Blast Music Awards In early May, a group of 30 top Blues music industry professionals including music critics, radio DJs, journalists, festival promoters, music venue managers…
Kansas City Symphony’s Saint-Saëns “Organ” is “One of the Best”
Audiophile critic Rad Bennett (Stereo Review, The Absolute Sound, Sound and Vision, Sound Stage! and more) weighs in on the new Kansas City Symphony Saint-Saëns recording, saying “There can be no doubt that this is one of the best recorded versions around…”. Bennett lists his top five recordings of Symphony No. 3, which now includes Michael Stern and the Kansas City Symphony and ranks it #1 in terms of sound, adding that what makes this…
“Glorious” and “Stupendous” Saint-Saëns Symphony No. 3 from Kansas City
Classical Music Sentinel composer Jean-Yves Duperron offers advice for how to challenge the top Saint-Saëns Symphony No. 3 recordings and says Michael Stern and the Kansas City Symphony have it “down and then some.” “I’ve never heard such a well-rounded account of this impressive symphonic work. Under Michael Stern’s direction, the slow movement glows with expressive touches and the final movement blows everyone else out of the water. The impressive Casavant pipe organ which has…
Joel Fan Performs at The Kennedy Center
This Wednesday (6/17/15), Joel Fan performs From China with Love–Connecting Cultures through Music at The Kennedy Center! The program showcases both Chinese and Western favorites including Qiganag Chen’s Instants d’un opéra de Pékin which Joel recorded on his World Keys CD. Watch the performance LIVE online at 6pm (ET)! See all RR Joel Fan Recordings Latest Joel Fan Release: Dances for Piano and Orchestra JOEL FAN Northwest Sinfonietta Christophe Chagnard, Music Director RR-134HDCD Pierné, Castro,…
Doug MacLeod — Too Many Misses
Start your weekend with this video from the Blues Music Awards courtesy of Blues Radio International: Doug MacLeod: Too Many Misses Buy Exactly Like This on CD and VINYL Today!
Nadia Shpachenko at Bargemusic this weekend!
On Friday, June 12th at 8 pm at Bargemusic, Brooklyn, pianist Nadia Shpachenko will perform “Music for a New B’ak’tun,” a program of new works, all New York Premieres, for solo piano (with toy piano and electronics) by American composers James Matheson, Adam Schoenberg, Tom Flaherty, and Peter Yates. The compositions are presented on her new album “Woman at the New Piano” released on Fresh! from Reference Recordings (FR-711). Bargemusic Here and Now Series June…