Archive for Classical CD Choice
Classical CD Choice Review for Leshnoff Symphony No. 3 and Piano Concerto
Classical CD Choice reviews the Kansas City Symphony, Michael Stern, Stephen Powell, and Joyce Yang recording of Jonathan Leshnoff’s Symphony No. 3 and Piano Concerto: “In typically wide-ranging Reference Recordings sound, here are two of the composer’s most impressive works, and the Third Symphony in particular will be relished by those who admire such 20th-century composers as Vaughan Williams, Walton and Copland. It is music of great authority (inspired by World War I letters home,…
Classical CD Choice Review for Utah Symphony’s Prokofiev
Classical CD Choice‘s Graham Williams reviews the Utah Symphony and Thierry Fischer’s Prokofiev: Alexander Nevsky – Lieutenant Kijé Suite recording: “Discerning collectors are used to releases from the Reference Recordings label receiving effusive plaudits, not only for the high artistic level of the performances but especially for the thrilling audiophile sound quality that brings listening at home to a new level of enjoyment. This latest spectacular recording from Thierry Fischer and the Utah Symphony of…
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…
Classical CD Choice Reviews John Williams At The Movies
Classical CD Choice critic Barry Forshaw offers a new review for the Dallas Winds and Jerry Junkin’s new John Williams At The Movies recording: “Like the venerable composers who inspired him (such as Eric Wolfgang Korngold and Bernard Herrmann, who straddled the worlds of Hollywood and the concert hall), John Williams’ writing for strings is one of the glories of his matchless film music — which is what makes this lively and attractive set such…
Classical CD Choice Reviews Utah Symphony’s Impressive Mahler 8
Barry Forshaw reviews the new Utah Symphony and Thierry Fischer recording of Mahler’s Symphony No. 8 on Classical CD Choice: “It will hardly come as a revelation to those who have been collecting earlier Reference Recordings discs of the great masterpieces of the orchestral repertoire that this new reading of Mahler’s monumental Eighth Symphony is so impressive. … it’s clear that both the musical and recording values are (as usual) firmly in place. The singing,…
Classical CD Choice Reviews Utah Symphony’s Mahler: Symphony No. 1
The Utah Symphony’s Mahler: Symphony No. 1 recording gets a rave review from Graham Williams on Classical CD Choice: “Now, from the Reference Recordings Fresh! Label, we have a compelling new account of Mahler’s 1st Symphony recorded in state-of-the-art sound from this same orchestra under their current Music Director, the Swiss conductor Thierry Fischer.… The magical opening pages of the first movement are beautifully controlled with the off-stage trumpets suitably distanced yet absolutely audible. The…
Classical CD Choice Calls New Pittsburgh Symphony Beethoven “Vital”
Graham Williams offers a new review for the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra and Manfred Honeck’s new Beethoven: Symphony Nos. 5 & 7 recordings on Classical CD Choice: “The refreshingly vivid interpretations of works by Richard Strauss, Dvorak, Janacek and Bruckner that have appeared over the last few years on the Reference Recordings ‘Fresh’ label from Manfred Honeck and the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra have convincingly demonstrated the ability of this partnership to deliver new and often remarkable…
Classical CD Choice Reviews Bruckner
Classical CD Choice‘s Barry Forshaw sees Manfred Honeck and the Pittsburgh Symphony’s rise in stardom in the new Bruckner recording: “The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra and their Music Director Manfred Honeck have – in a very short space of time – become one of the most exciting teams in the modern classical world, with recordings that combine superlative musicianship with unparalleled recording quality.… we are offered a striking new interpretation of this imperishable masterpiece…” —Barry Forshaw,…
Classical CD Choice Review of Miraculous Metamorphoses
Few can match our new Kansas City Symphony recording, Miraculous Metamorphoses, according to Classical CD Choice: “Michael Stern and the Kansas City Symphony are on something of a roll in terms of recordings for the label, as this latest collection matches (in sheer energy and authority) earlier recordings, but the Bartok suite in particular is given a reading that points up all the barbarity and violence of the score – and few recordings match this…
CD Choice Reviews Elgar/Vaughan Williams SACD
Barry Forshaw raved about the Kansas City Symphony Elgar/Vaughan Williams recording when it was first released. Now he has a second review of the recording after hearing the new SACD version: “…this writer was so impressed by the performance and sound quality of this cherishable disc in its CD version that I contacted Reference Recordings with my one caveat: that the disc was not afforded the company’s inestimable SACD spruce-up. And here, after some delay,…
Classical CD Choice Reviews Strauss
The UK’s Classical CD Choice has a slew of new reviews in their recent post, “From Rollicking Richard Strauss to Measured Jerry Goldsmith,” including the following review of the new Pittsburgh Symphony Strauss recording by critic, Barry Forshaw: “The mastery of the orchestra which is the hallmark of Richard Strauss’s achievement has been well served by the SACD medium, but this particular combination of three of the composer’s greatest tone poems has not heretofore appeared…
Classical CD Choice With Two Reviews of new Kansas City Symphony Elgar/Vaughan Williams Recording
Barry Forshaw and Graham Williams of the UK’s Classical CD Choice both have rave reviews of our latest Kansas City Symphony Elgar/Vaughan Williams recording: “History might be said to repeat itself in these utterly splendid American performances of Elgar and Vaughan Williams, with Michael Stern adopting an utterly persuasive approach to this music, stressing (if anything) its internationalism. What makes the disc particularly cherishable is the typically luxurious 24-bit sound quality afforded by Prof Johnson,…