Audiophile Audition’s Steven Ritter gives Five Stars to Manfred Honeck and the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra’s Bruckner: Symphony No. 9 recording: “Ah, to live in Pittsburgh these days! … And why, you say? Because the Pittsburgh Symphony is sounding as good as any orchestra in the country, and Manfred Honeck’s direction stamps an indelible seal on so many masterworks once thought virtually untouchable. … a balanced, dramatic, powerfully reliable attention to the score is coupled with what…
Henry Schlinger reviews Manfred Honeck and the Pittsburgh Symphony’s Bruckner: Symphony No. 9 recording for Culture Spot LA: “Manfred Honeck, the music director of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, can apparently read my mind and has been doing so for some time now. He seems to know what I want him and the PSO to record on the spectacular Fresh Series from Reference Recordings. … [Honeck] has a seemingly intuitive knack for pulling back on the…
The family review site, InfoDad reviews Manfred Honeck and the Pittsburgh Symphony’s Bruckner: Symphony No. 9 recording and finds it “revelatory”: “Even music that is familiar and has frequently been recorded can sometimes come across as fresh and new when performances are sufficiently revelatory – as is Manfred Honeck’s of Bruckner’s Ninth Symphony with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. Not since the days of William Steinberg has this orchestra sounded so warm, full, and emotionally evocative…
The Pittsburgh Symphony and Manfred Honeck’s Bruckner: Symphony No. 9 recording gets a review in MundoClasico: “Furthermore, the Pittsburgh Symphony surrenders itself without compromise. Although this recording is not as widely broadcast as one would desire, it is, in my opinion, an interpretation that must be taken very seriously by anyone worthy of being a Brucknerite. And it is, of course–until now, and as far as I know– Honeck’s best discographic work in Pittsburgh.” —Alfredo López-Vivié…
Jeremy Reynolds reviews Manfred Honeck and the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra’s new Bruckner: Symphony No. 9 recording in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: “To get right to it, it’s a masterpiece. Music director Manfred Honeck and the orchestra recorded the symphony last year during three live concerts — reviewed here — and again partnered with recording engineers from Soundmirror of Boston. Bruckner’s ninth is a beast. Even in its unfinished, three-movement state, the symphony runs just over an hour. The…
Manfred Honeck and the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra Continue to Amaze! Reference Recordings proudly presents this iconic work in a new and definitive interpretation 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. In his deeply personal and scholarly music notes, Maestro Honeck gives us great insight into the history and the musical structure of Bruckner’s final composition,…
The Wall Street Journal has a new review and feature for Manfred Honeck and the Pittsburgh Symphony’s new Bruckner: Symphony No. 9 recording! “Conductor Manfred Honeck has become one of today’s most insightful interpreters of the classics. A regular presence on the world’s most prestigious orchestra podiums, the Austrian maestro has been music director of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra for more than a decade, where he has made valuable additions to its discography. … Their…
Jean-Yves Duperron reviews Manfred Honeck and the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra‘s Bruckner: Symphony No. 9 recording in Classical Music Sentinel: “As if a call from the beyond, the magnificent horns of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra infuse a profound sense of eerie and yet powerful stillness within the opening pages. … this account is highly gripping. … a Bruckner symphony is ‘absolute’ music. You can’t evince a different outcome from a harmonic progression or a sequence of chords. It’s sound…
HRAudio.net gives Manfred Honeck and the Pittsburgh Symphony a five-star rating for both performance and multi-channel sonics on their new Bruckner: Symphony No. 9 recording! “each new issue in [the] Fresh! series is an event worth its weight in gold. … Listening to such a wonderful orchestra, led by someone with a clear, albeit very personal vision, words fall indeed short to express the deeply emotional experience. What makes Honeck’s rendition so significant? His ‘special…
The Pittsburgh Symphony and Manfred Honeck perform at Lincoln Center on May 19, and the New York Times is previewing the performance with an in-depth look at their Pittsburgh Live! recording series! “Good barely covers it. All eight of the releases that the Pittsburgh forces have brought out on Reference Recordings, with the aid of microphone whizzes from Soundmirror, come with the highest of recommendations.… Four have received nominations for the Grammy for best orchestral performance. One,…
Germany’s Fono Forum critic, Holger Arnold, gives five stars to the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra and Manfred Honeck’s GRAMMY®-nominated recording of Beethoven: Symphony No. 3 and Strauss: Horn Concerto No. 1: William Caballero, the principal horn player of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, gives the piece an extraordinarily differentiated and colorful interpretation. It is admirable, how he makes some passages appear in a completely new light through dynamic nuances. His brilliant technique and velvety tone are just…
Steven Kruger reviews Manfred Honeck and the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra’s Beethoven: Symphony No. 3 and Strauss: Horn Concerto No. 1 recording in the January/February 2019 issue: “Manfred Honeck certainly knows how to make a good record. … [this] new release from Reference Recordings demonstrates again how reliably Honeck supplies us with a vibrant performance and the most interesting liner notes you will read anywhere. … This is the most vivid modern ‘Eroica’ I know… It’s…
Gramophone Magazine reviews the Pittsburgh Symphony and Manfred Honeck’s GRAMMY-nominated recording of Beethoven: Symphony No. 3 and Strauss: Horn Concerto No. 1 in the January 2019 issue: “There’s nothing even remotely studied about Honeck’s performance…He pays unusual attention to detail, yes – note straight away the gently blossoming (and unmarked) crescendo on the ascending E flat major triad of the opening theme – but this never inhibits the music’s momentum or trajectory. The first movement…
MusicWeb International has published a second review of the Pittsburgh Symphony and Manfred Honeck’s GRAMMY-nominated Beethoven: Symphony No. 3; Strauss: Horn Concerto No. 1 recording: “In this Heinz Hall, Pittsburgh recording, it’s evident that Manfred Honeck entirely acknowledges that this progressive score is music of extensive concentration, intensity and, as the designation might suggest, heroic power. Bold and focused, naturally flowing and stimulating with an undertow of mystery in the Allegro, this performance from the Pittsburgh…
December 11, 2018, 8pm (EST), PBS broadcasts the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra and Manfred Honeck’s Tree of Life: A Concert for Peace and Unity featuring renowned violinist Itzhak Perlman. The concert was in remembrance of the city’s Tree of Life Synagogue tragedy. Learn more about the broadcast and local station information at pbs.org Watch the PBS Preview