Archive for Miraculous Metamorphoses
Miraculous Metamorphoses HRx Receives Highest Recommendation
Blu-Ray Definition gives the Kansas City Symphony’s Miraculous Metamorphoses HRx its “Highest recommendation.” “The demands placed on the players are substantial and the KC forces handle the dynamics and colors of each piece extremely well. Of course, much of the credit must go to Maestro Stern who has a clear affinity for this repertoire. Whether it is the rousing conclusion of the Hindemith Metamorphoses, the infernal scene of the Prokofiev suite or the buzzing string…
Gramophone Uses Miraculous Metamorphoses Recording as Reference
In the December Hi-Fi section of Gramophone magazine, critic Andrew Everard uses our Kansas City Symphony Miraculous Metamorphoses recording to test out a new pair of B&W Speakers: “Reference Recordings disc ‘Miraculous Metamorphoses’, with the Kansas City Symphony under Michael Stern captured in another of Keith O Johnson’s stunning engineering and mastering jobs, and the B&Ws really get their teeth into everything from the subtle detailing of the orchestra to the great, hall-filling sweeps of…
Organ Polychrome and Miraculous Metamorphoses Named Best of 2014
Kansas City critic, Don Clark, released a “Bakers Dozen” of “Best Recordings of 2014” on Pictures on Silence, and featured two of our Kansas City-based recordings: Organ Polychrome “A hallmark of a great concert hall is a great organ. Not used every day, but when a work requires an organ it is nice to have one around. The Casavant here is a fine “symphonic” organ and blends well with the orchestra. As a solo it…
CultureSpot LA Reviews Miraculous Metamorphoses
New review from Culture Spot LA’s Henry Schlinger for the Kansas City Symphony’s Miraculous Metamorphoses recording: “A recent CD on Reference Recordings featuring the Kansas City Symphony (KCS) conducted by Music Director Michael Stern shows they may be vying for a place among the best American orchestras. … Reference Recordings prides itself on producing high-quality live-performance experiences, and this disc is no exception. As with their other recordings, the music on this HDCD jumps out…
ClassicalEar Reviews Miraculous Metamorphoses
The ClassicalEar iPhone Review App has a new review for The Kansas City Symphony’s Miraculous Metamorphoses! “Mouth-watering and terrific music in good performances…The Kansas City Symphony plays with excellence and dedication, and Michael Stern solicits well-judged pacing and detailing…Worth considering” Read the full review on the ClassicalEar App Order Today!
Pre-Order September Releases Today!
Coming in less than one month from today — Organ Polychrome: The French School featuring organist Jan Kraybill, and the Kansas City Symphony’s Miraculous Metamorphoses on SACD! Click the cover art to pre-order on Amazon today!
MusicWeb International Says Miraculous Metamorphoses is “Well Worth Hearing”
MusicWeb International‘s John Quinn has a new review for the Kansas City Symphony’s Miraculous Metamorphoses recording: “Stern has selected a challenging and exciting programme.… Stern and his players put the music across with dash and no little brilliance. This [Hindemith] score has been a favourite of mine ever since I first encountered it through Abbado’s Decca recording over forty years ago. I enjoyed this Kansas performance very much. … There’s much to admire in the…
Gramophone Reviews Kansas City Symphony’s Miraculous Metamorphoses
Gramophone Magazine’s July Issue of “Sounds of America” features the Kansas City Symphony and their latest release, Miraculous Metamorphoses: “The Kansas City Symphony have been on a roll with Michael Stern…[Miraculous Metamorphoses] are works that provide conductor and musicians with a spectrum of atmospheres and colours into which they can sink their respective teeth. Stern and his orchestra do so to captivating effect, without resorting to sonic exaggeration. … Hindemith’s Symphonic Metamorphosis on Themes of…
The Arts Desk Reviews Miraculous Metamorphoses
The Arts Desk‘s Graham Rickson has a new rave for Kansas City Symphony’s Miraculous Metamorphoses recording: “If you’re not familiar with the [Symphonic Metamorphosis of Themes by Carl Maria von Weber] piece, start here. … Michael Stern’s Kansas City Symphony performance shows what can be achieved when a band on inspired form makes the effort to play what’s actually written. …It sparkles, abounding in oft-hidden detail. … And I’ve never enjoyed the chirping winds which…
Classical Music Sentinel Raves for Miraculous Mandarin
Classical Music Sentinel with an absolute rave for the Kansas City Symphony, Michael Stern, and the new Miraculous Metamorphoses recording: “Rarely have I heard the multiple and varied orchestral colours of Paul Hindemith’s Symphonic Metamorphosis of Themes by Carl Maria von Weber exposed and exhibited as well as they are in this new recording by the Kansas City Symphony Orchestra under the direction of conductor Michael Stern. … It’s just that in this particular case,…
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…
Audiophile Audition — Miraculous Metamorphoses a “fine trio”
Audiohpile Audition‘s John Sunier calls says the new Kansas City Symphony’s Miraculous Metamorphoses is a “fine trio of modern masterpieces.” “This is a fine trio of modern masterpieces, and the first recorded in the new Helzberg Hall in the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts in Kansas City, MO, which reminds one of the Sydney Opera House building in Australia. Grammy-winning engineer Keith O. Johnson has created a superb HDCD-encoded disc…” —John Sunier, Audiophile Audition…
Classical Candor Reviews Miraculous Metamorphoses
Classical Candor‘s John J. Puccio gives a thorough look through the new Kansas City Symphony Miraculous Metamorphoses recording: “It’s always a pleasure listening to an album made by the Reference Recordings team of producer David Frost, recording wizard Keith Johnson, and executive producers Tam Henderson and Marcia Martin. They never attempt to attain the kind of absolute transparency so beloved of the audiophile community but instead capture something closer to the actual sound of a…
Film Music Blog Recommends Miraculous Metamorphoses
Thomas Kiefner’s Film Music: The Neglected Art blog has a new review for the Kansas City Symphony’s latest release, Miraculous Metamorphoses: “The Kansas City Symphony which is fast beginning to grow on me performs the suite with all of the necessary emotion. This is a must have for your collection if it has somehow avoided you. … Reference Recordings offer a little bit extra to the listener in terms of clarity, recording (Prof. Johnson), and…
ClassicalNet Says Miraculous Metamorphoses is Christmas in March!
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…