Archive for Beethoven
Four Stars from ConcertoNet for Pittsburgh Symphony’s Beethoven Symphony No. 9
ConcertoNet critic Linda Holt, gives a four-star (of four) review to the Pittsburgh Symphony and Manfred Honeck’s Beethoven Symphony No. 9 recording: “Manfred Honeck and the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra have released a remarkable new reading of one of the most venerated classics of the Western canon, Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony in D minor, opus 125. Honeck’s vision of this work is impressive for its respect for the instructions of the composer and its dynamic sense of unfolding…
Manfred Honeck Joins New Classical Tracks to Talk Strauss and Beethoven
Manfred Honeck joined YourClassical‘s New Classical Tracks® program to talk about his new recording of Beethoven: Symphony No. 3 and Strauss: Horn Concerto No. 1 with the Pittsburgh Symphony. The recording is the featured CD of the week on New Classical Tracks, which means you have a chance to win the recording! “Because I was a member of the Vienna Philharmonic as a viola player, I could watch all of the best conductors in the…
Five Star Audiophile Audition Review for Pittsburgh Symphony’s Beethoven and Strauss Recording
Audiophile Audition‘s Steven Ritter gives ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ to Manfred Honeck and the Pittsburgh Symphony’s Beethoven: Symphony No. 3; Strauss: Horn Concerto No. 1 recording: “Soundmirror’s five omnidirectional DPA 4006 microphones have once again been perfectly placed in Pittsburgh’s Heinz Hall, with an orchestra that seems on the top of its game and a conductor who is proving one of the most thoughtful, energetic, and unique talents currently on the American scene. … Honeck, while not at…
Pittsburgh Symphony’s New Beethoven and Strauss is a “Triumph”
MusicWeb International‘s Nick Barnard has a new rave review for Manfred Honeck and the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra’s Beethoven: Symphony No. 3; Strauss: Horn Concerto No. 1 recording: “Regardless of the repertoire he records, I look forward to new discs from Manfred Honeck as being deeply considered, as insightful as they are intelligent and above all stimulating. And in his regular collaborators, the audibly inspired Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra and the superb engineering and production team of…
Pittsburgh Symphony in the Gramophone Listening Room
Gramophone Magazine’s James Jolly gives praise to the
Pittsburgh Symphony and Manfred Honeck’s “Game Changer” Eroica
Classical Music Sentinel‘s Jean-Yves Duperron reviews Manfred Honeck and the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra‘s recording of Beethoven: Symphony No. 3 “Eroica” & Strauss: Horn Concerto No. 1: “ Symphony No. 3, Op. 55 “Eroica” is loaded with quirks, most particularly the Scherzo, with all of its twists and turns, and constantly shifting accents. And lo and behold did I notice when reading the booklet notes that conductor Manfred Honeck points out that rhythm is one of the key factors…
CultureSpot LA Reviews Pittsburgh Symphony’s Revelatory Beethoven and Strauss
Culture Spot LA‘s Henry Schlinger reviews Manfred Honeck and the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra‘s recording of Beethoven: Symphony No. 3 “Eroica” & Strauss: Horn Concerto No. 1: “The new release in the Pittsburgh Live! series is a revelatory performance of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 3 in E-flat major, Op. 55 by Manfred Honeck and the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. … As he does with every work he performs, [Honeck] has dissected it with surgical precision to massage the…
Pizzicato Gives Supersonic Distinction to Pittsburgh Symphony’s Beethoven and Strauss
Pizzicato Magazine has given its “Supersonic” badge of distinction to the Pittsburgh Symphony and Manfred Honeck‘s Beethoven: Symphony No. 3 and Strauss Horn Concerto No. 1 recording: “With an extremely inventive conducting, Manfred Honeck proves that one can still say something new in Beethoven’s Eroica, even with a modern symphony orchestra. Textually there are fascinating differences from what we are used to. The Funeral march is considered the centre of the symphony, and with Honeck…
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: New Pittsburgh Symphony Recording “Grabs Your Soul”
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette has a review for the new Pittsburgh Symphony and Manfred Honeck recording of Beethoven: Symphony No. 3 and Strauss: Horn Concerto No. 1 with a headline declaring that it “grabs your soul (rewind) and grabs it again.” “Most people have experienced musical recordings that, no matter what genre, demand to be listened to over and over again. These moments hold some sort of power over your soul; you hum and whistle them,…
Shedding A New Light on Eroica
Adrian Quanjer adds a second HRAudio.net review for the new Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra and Manfred Honeck recording of Beethoven: Symphony No. 3 “Eroica” and Strauss: Horn Concerto No. 1: “One more ‘Eroica’? Not quite. This is an exceptional account which doesn’t necessarily supplant your cherished favourites, because the reason for wanting to have it is of a completely different nature: This performance sheds an unexpected new light on probably the biggest war horse of all…
Five Stars for Pittsburgh Symphony’s New Beethoven and Strauss Recording
Graham Williams gives Manfred Honeck and the Pittsburgh Symphony‘s upcoming Beethoven: Symphony No. 3 and Strauss: Horn Concerto No. 1 release five stars across the board on HRAudio.net! “ Manfred Honeck’s tenure at the helm of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra that began in 2008 has arguably transformed this orchestra from an already first-class one into a great one. … Thanks to the Reference Recordings Fresh! series this transformation can readily be experienced by listeners worldwide…
New Recordings From The Pittsburgh Symphony and Quartet San Francisco
Announcing TWO September 2018 Releases! Beethoven: Symphony No 3 “Eroica”; Strauss: Horn Concerto No. 1 A QSF Journey Manfred Honeck and the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra chart a new path forward! Reference Recordings proudly presents these two iconic works in definitive interpretations 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. Quartet San Francisco’s eclecticism…
Pittsburgh Symphony On Fanfare Want Lists!
Three Fanfare Magazine critics have Manfred Honeck and the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra’s recordings on their 2016 year-end “Want Lists”: Order Now Beethoven: Symphonies Nos. 5 & 7 “Manfred Honeck’s Beethoven… helps you to recapture the shock of the new. There is nothing gimmicky or freakish about it, but I wasn’t 10 seconds into this SACD before I sat up and took notice. The booklet contains Honeck’s almost blow-by-blow description of both symphonies, and it is…
Pittsburgh Symphony’s Beethoven in ClassicalNet
Brian Wigman reviews the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra and Manfred Honeck’s Beethoven Symphonies Nos. 5 & 7 for ClassicalNet: “On a completely subjective note, few releases on the market excite me as much as those from Reference Recordings. Long-known for superlative sound quality and intelligent repertoire selection, they have recently focused on getting the very best from American orchestras. Pittsburgh and Kansas City are similar musically to their baseball counterparts in that they are respected but…
Classical CD Review Features Manfred Honeck and the Pittsburgh Symphony
“For Reference Recodings, there are SACDs of Strauss symphonic poems, and Dvorák’s Symphony No. 8 coupled with a suite from Janacek’s opera Jenufa. Now we have three more SACDS of live recordings all made in the fine acoustics of Pittsburgh’s Heinz Hall for the Performing Arts. All of these are superlative, virtuoso performances. The Beethoven symphonies are high energy throughout, with a rather frantic but exiting pace for the final two movements of Symphony No.…