Archive for Uncategorized – Page 4
American Record Guide Reviews Florentine Opera Company’s Wuthering Heights
The Florentine Opera Company’s Carlisle Floyd: Wuthering Heights receives a new review in the November/December 2016 issue of American Record Guide: “…there is a lot of interesting music, enough to make this an enjoyable theatrical experience…The performance is quite good. George Jarman and Kelly Markgraf make a very good Cathy and Heathcliff, Jarman with her clear, secure soprano and Markgraf with his rich, wide-ranging baritone. … The veteran Suzanne Mentzer makes a wonderful Nelly, and…
RR at Bay Area Record Fair!
RR will be attending the Bay Area Record Fair this Sunday from 12-5pm at the Swedish American Hall. Make sure to come by our booth in front of the stage and say hello! If you’re in the area, make sure and purchase an early-bird ticket by Friday to get in one hour before general admission and beat the rush!
New Pittsburgh Symphony Recording Gets Five Stars from HRAudio!
HRAudio’s Graham Williams gives five stars for performance and sonics to our upcoming Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra and Manfred Honeck release, Strauss: Elektra/Rosenkavalier! “All Straussians will be intrigued by this latest release from Manfred Honeck and his marvellous Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra of orchestral suites from what many would regard as the greatest of the composer’s fifteen operas – Elektra and Der Rosenkavalier… Honeck has already demonstrated his mastery of the Strauss idiom in his previous fine…
New Pittsburgh Symphony Strauss is Sensational!
Upcoming Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra and Manfred Honeck release, Strauss: Elektra/Rosenkavalier is already receiving critical praise: “Simply sensational! The eminent sound quality, for which Soundmirror, Boston deserves all the credits, takes the listener straight into the reality of Heinz Hall where Maestro Manfred Honeck grabs you by the throat with his ‘shaped into the minutest detail’ Pittsburgh Symphony, in a high octane performance of a new ‘Elektra Suite’ conceptualized by him and realized by his Czech…
First Listen – Pittsburgh Symphony: Strauss
First Listen — Strauss: Elektra/Rosenkavalier Excerpts from Elektra and Der Rosenkavalier: Suites from the Opera Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra Manfred Honeck, Music Director Album out November 18, 2016!
The Absolute Sound Features Woman At The New Piano
Nadia Schpachenko’s Woman at the New Piano recording gets a 4.5 star review from Andrew Quint of The Absolute Sound: “Reference Recordings garnered seven nominations for the 2016 Grammy Awards, including two for Woman at the New Piano. The disc premieres six works written in 2013 by four composers, three of whom, like Shpachenko, live and work in the Los Angeles environs. … Shpachenko and Lee perform the music with complete authority, and they’re superbly…
Pittsburgh Symphony’s Tchaikovsky & Dvořák a “Winner”
“Manfred Honeck has a winner here again with the Pittsburgh Symphony. It would be hard to praise this recording too much. Not only does he bring us the most exciting recorded Tchaikovsky “Pathetique” I know—plus arrange a fine unified suite from Dvořák’s Rusalka—he’s taken trouble to pen the best CD program notes I recall reading anywhere, complete with audio index points and examples of what he’s trying to accomplish. Honeck’s observations about Tchaikovsky’s life and…
Wine Dark Sea on Classical Ear!
“Seventy minutes of wind-band music includes the album’s title piece, Wine Dark Sea by John Mackey…attractive, whimsical, soulful, filmic.… Dan Welcher’s Spumante…is an ebullient starter with enticing colours and a ready wit. J’ai été au bal finds Donald Grantham exploring Cajun music, the dance music delightfully lopsided and friendly, a tuba and a euphonium are given a jazzy workout before the brass contingent beefs things up and the music becomes fantastical. The Concerto for Clarinet…
Culture Spot LA Reviews Pittsburgh Symphony’s Tchaikovsky/Dvořák
“The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra and Reference Recordings are on a mission: to record some of the world’s greatest symphonic works under the unique direction of its music director Manfred Honeck. The latest offering is a recording of Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 6 in B minor, Op. 74, “Pathétique.” And just as with the previous recordings by Honeck and the PSO, Honeck takes the listener on a musical journey with the Tchaikovsky. Not content to just play…
Moszkowski: From Foreign Lands Is A Radio Star!
The San Francisco Ballet Orchestra’s new Moszkowski: From Foreign Lands recording has been getting a lot of attention on the radio this month: WFMT “Moritz Moszkowski (1854-1925) is best known for his piano works. He also composed an opera, a full-length ballet, three orchestra suites, a symphony, songs, concertos and chamber music – almost all of which remain neglected or forgotten. The San Francisco Ballet Orchestra and Martin West have assembled an intriguing program of…
Dawn To Dust Composer Andrew Norman Named Composer of the Year!
Musical America names Dawn To Dust composer Andrew Norman their 2017 Composer of the Year! “He has likened his start-and-stop rhythms and rapid-fire exchanges to video games, YouTube playback, and other digital-age phenomena. It is a voice singularly his own, and several major commissions from leading orchestras and soloists of our time have vindicated his vision. Contemporary composers often find themselves caught between two groups that stand in stark opposition to each other. On one…
Fiona Boyes CD Launch in Melbourne
Order Now Sunday, October 23 Fiona Boyes returns to Melbourne to launch her brand new acoustic album ‘Professin’ the Blues’. Recorded at Skywalker Ranch, California, by Grammy-winning audiophile engineer ‘Professor’ Keith O Johnson, the album is a lush 16 track offering featuring intricate fingerpicking, swampy blues grooves and cigar box slide. At the launch Fiona will be accompanied by the fine musical talents of Dean Addison (double bass) and Mark Grunden (drums/percussion). Opening set from…
The Acoustic Blues Club features Professin The Blues
Ian McKenzie’s Blues Podcast features tracks from the new Fiona Boyes “Professin’ The Blues” recording: Professin’ The Blues Fiona Boyes Professin’ The Blues proclaims Fiona Boyes passion for the Blues as she celebrates the unique contribution of recording and mastering engineer ‘Professor’ Keith O. Johnson, Reference Recording’s Technical Director and audio legend. In her self-penned and illustrated liner notes Fiona makes the declaration, “’Professor’ Keith’s amazing approach to capturing sounds, mostly with his own hand…
Fiona Boyes: Professin’ The Blues is Available Today!
Professin’ The Blues Fiona Boyes “…our heroine perpetuates the blues legacy with a brave attitude and amazing conviction.” —Vicente Zumel, La Hora Del Blues Buy Now Professin’ The Blues proclaims Fiona Boyes passion for the Blues as she celebrates the unique contribution of recording and mastering engineer ‘Professor’ Keith O. Johnson, Reference Recording’s Technical Director and audio legend. In her self-penned and illustrated liner notes Fiona makes the declaration, “’Professor’ Keith’s amazing approach to capturing…
Rhythms Magazine Reviews Fiona Boyes Professin’ The Blues
Order Now “Boyes has a strong, searching voice and tackles a variety of blues genres without missing a beat, skipping lightly from a strong Texan, Lightnin’ Hopkins opener through ragtime rhythmic drive and reggae-inspired numbers that also include light jazz touches and some absolutely top quality fretwork. This is an album that is immediately gripping from the very off and hi-lights Boyes’ own song-writing strengths, with only two covers in the mix, one being the…