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…
Celebrate #ThrowbackThursday with a 2013 review of our Minnesota Orchestra: Copland 100 CD, and buy the newly released LP today! “The Minnesota Orchestra has a rich history of excellence when it comes to Copland, both on record and with the various music directors who have led the ensemble. That tradition is gloriously upheld in this 2000 tribute program. As always, Oue leads his marvelous players with distinction, and the sound is top notch. If you’re…
ClassicalNet critic Brian Wigman reviews the new Kansas City Symphony Saint-Saëns: Symphony No. 3 “Organ” recording: “Are we having fun yet? This is yet another fantastic disc. The Kansas City Symphony is one of America’s finest ensembles…And Michael Stern is one of America’s finest conductors…Stern gives his excellent first-desk soloists a chance to shine. The Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso sparkles here, and in outstanding sound.… The orchestra plays with total commitment and real power.… The…
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…
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…
Brian Wigman of Classical.net has been “anticipating this release since the beginning of Pittsburgh’s partnership with Reference Recordings” because “the prospect of Bruckner was simply tantalizing.” His review: “The opening instantly establishes this as Honeck’s own performance. … It’s quite magical.… About 10 minutes in, the strings and brass work so thrillingly together that it effectively captures everything right about this disc. … At about the same speed on EMI, Herbert von Karajan finds markedly…
Classical.net‘s Brian Wigman weighs in on our Pittsburgh Symphony Dvořák & Janáček SACD: “Manfred Honeck has showed a deep sympathy for Czech music on disc, and there’s not really anything he can’t do with this orchestra. … The Dvořák is phrased in the most beautiful way; radiantly recorded, the Pittsburgh Symphony simply shines. … nothing less than a world-class band at their peak. …the Janáček is a neat and rarely heard coupling … I like…
Brian Wigman reviews the second release in Roberto Moronn Pérez’s Andrés Segovia Archive recordings: “…these pieces will undoubtedly enhance the solo guitar repertoire, a facet of music that has gotten enormous attention and contributions over the last few decades. The works within the Segovia Archive are predictably well-crafted and worth hearing. … I raved about Roberto Moronn Pérez before, and I’ll do it again. This is truly an ambitious and difficult project, but the guitarist…
Classical.net‘s Brian Wigman says Miraculous Metamorphoses is like Christmas in March: “Reference Recordings is kind of like the musical equivalent to Santa Claus, in that you realistically don’t know when a nice surprise is going to show up at your door, and you also have no real idea how they did what they did. Hot on the heels of a fabulous Strauss disc with the Pittsburgh Symphony, the label triumphs again with a well-themed, superbly…
Classical.net‘s Brian Wigman sees the picture being painted by Charles Denler’s Portraits of Colorado: “It has been over 20 years since my last trip to Colorado, but this music paints a vivid and deeply affectionate picture of the incredible beauty on display there…Each movement is under five minutes, but every one has a distinct character, with a majestic and touching theme running through the entire piece…Part traditional symphony, with echoes of a film score, the…
Brian Wigman of Classical.net has a new review for our San Francisco Ballet Orchestra Bizet release, and notes that it, “may surprise you.” “The symphony may surprise you. West treats it with a much more balletic touch than usual, leading to a more measured approach that allows each orchestral voice to sing … Perhaps the best thing about this particular take is that West brings a welcome sense of contrast to each movement, and a…
“Let’s be very clear here; this is what Strauss should sound like.” —Brian Wigman, ClassicalNet Classical.net has a pre-release review of our first Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra recording, Strauss, and it’s quite the rave! “Now that the Pittsburgh Symphony has signed on with this pioneering label, let us hope they get some more exposure … because they are clearly one of the very best orchestras in the world right now.… “…with absolutely radiant brass playing and…
Classical Net Review has a new posting for our Minnesota Orchestra Rachmaninoff release that is now available on LP: “For superior sound quality and orchestral execution, there is perhaps no more consistent series of discs than the Minnesota/Oue partnership on Reference from the early part of the previous decade. Oue and the orchestra were adventurous and clearly challenged each other. From Copland to Ravel, they revisited the orchestra’s rich traditions and explored them anew in…
Brian Wigman of Classical.net found our latest FRESH! From Reference Recordings release Andrés Segovia Archive by Roberto Moronn Pérez a wonderful surprise: “When this disc arrived at my doorstep and I read the label “Reference Recordings” on the package, I became very excited. Was it another sonic spectacular from Kansas City? What was in store? The last thing I expected was a guitar recital, and it’s simply wonderful…Fresh! is part of Reference Recordings initiative to…