“Any new disc from this particular team is usually an event, and this one keeps up the trend. It’s unusual to find a leading conductor who doesn’t seem set on setting down complete cycles of everything. Manfred Honeck’s discography is highly selective, and all the better for it.… Honeck’s careful handling of Tchaikovsky’s dynamic markings pays enormous dividends. Some passages exist on the very edge of audibility and the ffff explosions will rattle your sash…
“I believe most of you would agree that not many composers quite match Tchaikovsky when it comes to conjuring up a sense of ‘drama’ in music. And especially the way he applies some of the most beautiful melodies to emotionally passionate moments is quite gripping. Include his preponderance for extensive tension escalation and perfectly timed release, and you have the perfect recipe for electrifying music. He certainly knew how to create vivid images in music.…
The Norwegian Klassisk Musikkmagasin‘s 2016 Issue Number 2 features a rave review for the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra and Manfred Honeck’s latest release: “Manfred Honeck’s reading of Tchaikovsky’s Sixth Symphony – the so-called (not by Tchaikovsky) ‘Pathétique’ – will send shivers down your spine: not only is the interpretation fiercely driven and the playing thrilling, but the recorded sound has a visceral physical impact. And if that weren’t already enough, Honeck adds a 20-minute fantasy on…
“This recording of Tchaikovsky’s ‘Pathétique’ is a ‘monument’ in every sense of the word. … Conveying ideas to an orchestra is one thing, but letting an orchestral body of around 100 musicians carry them out like clockwork, as if holding everyone on a personal string, can only be done if musicians believe in their master and have confidence in what he is asking them to do. This makes a Chef stand out from the crowd.…
New Graham Williams review on HRAudio.net! “It is fair to say that Manfred Honeck’s series of live recordings with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra of music by Richard Strauss, Dvorak, Bruckner and Beethoven on the Reference Recordings Fresh! label have been revelatory, even to those listeners who are very familiar with the works featured on them that are, by and large, cornerstones of the orchestral repertoire. The main work on this latest release is Tchaikovsky’s Symphony…
Under the baton of Manfred Honeck, the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra joins Daniil Trifonov on the stage of the Berlin Philharmonie. Watch the replay of the concert broadcast on medici.tv. The program features Beethoven’s Coriolanus, the Piano Concerto No. 2 by Rachmaninov and Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 6. Watch on Medici.TV Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 6 in B Minor, Op. 74 Dvořák: Rusalka Fantasy (arr. Honeck/Ille) Pittsburgh Symphony OrchestraManfred Honeck, Music DirectorFR-720 Reference Recordings Amazon iTunes Native DSD…
This Sunday at 2pm (Eastern US Time) you can stream Manfred Honeck and the Pittsburgh Symphony live in concert from the Berlin Philharmonie! Under the baton of Manfred Honeck, the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra joins Daniil Trifonov on the stage of the Berlin Philharmonie. Watch this concert broadcast live from Berlin on medici.tv. The program features Beethoven’s Coriolanus, the Piano Concerto No. 2 by Rachmaninov and Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 6. Live stream details at Medici.TV Tchaikovsky:…
The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review offers a fantastic new review for Manfred Honeck and the Pittsburgh Symphony before they head to Europe tomorrow! “The new recording by Manfred Honeck and the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, released May 13, is worth acquiring for many reasons including individual and compelling performances of both familiar and novel repertoire and stunning quality of recorded sound. … Honeck sets the context for and explains many details of his interpretation of “Pathetique” in his…
Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 6 in B Minor, Op. 74 Dvořák: Rusalka Fantasy (arr. Honeck/Ille) Pittsburgh Symphony OrchestraManfred Honeck, Music DirectorFR-720 Reference Recordings Amazon iTunes Native DSD Arkiv Music A brilliant new interpretation of Tchaikovsky’s final symphony, a work of great originality and power, in superb audiophile sound! Pyotr Illyich Tchaikovsky said of his Symphony No. 6: “But I absolutely consider it to be the best, and in particular, the most sincere of all my creations.…
Coming TOMORROW! Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 6 in B Minor, Op. 74 Dvořák: Rusalka Fantasy (arr. Honeck/Ille) Pittsburgh Symphony OrchestraManfred Honeck, Music DirectorOut May 13, 2016FR-720 Pre-Order Now! A brilliant new interpretation of Tchaikovsky’s final symphony, a work of great originality and power, in superb audiophile sound! Pyotr Illyich Tchaikovsky said of his Symphony No. 6: “But I absolutely consider it to be the best, and in particular, the most sincere of all my creations. I…
The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra and Music Director Manfred Honeck depart for a 14-concert European Tour across four countries on May 17 and will be joined by soloists Daniil Trifonov, Martin Grubinger, Anne-Sophie Mutter and Leonidas Kavakos! The tour program features Tchaikovsky’s Symphonies No. 4, 5 and 6; Beethoven’s Coriolan Overture; Dvořák’s Carnival Overture; Haydn’s Symphony No. 93; Hartl’s Percussion Concerto (with Grubinger); Liszt’s Piano Concerto No. 1 and Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 2 (with Trifonov);…
ConcertoNet reviews the upcoming Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra and Manfred Honeck Tchaikovsky/Dvořák SACD: “Empathy and understanding are two flourishing intangible ingredients which a conductor must cogitate then parlay for the ear in order to elicit a composer’s deepest thoughts. Such pensive factors engulfed Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s life, and while the conveyance of his finale à la vie are rendered sublime by Manfred Honeck, the germination of musical tendrils only gets better in his récriture personnelle of…
Manfred Conducts the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra in Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 6! Manfred Honeck conducts Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 6 from Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra on Vimeo. Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 6 in B Minor, Op. 74 Dvořák: Rusalka Fantasy (arr. Honeck/Ille) Pittsburgh Symphony OrchestraManfred Honeck, Music DirectorOut May 13, 2016FR-720 Pre-Order Now!
The upcoming Pittsburgh Symphony and Manfred release featuring Tchaikovsky’s Sixth Symphony and Dvořák’s Rusalka Fantasy gets a rave review from Musical Toronto! “[Manfred Honeck and] his stellar Pittsburgh players gives us a fully inflected rendition of the Pathétique. He has the strings of the Pittsburgh Symphony often sounding like the Vienna Philharmonic – Honeck was a violinist in the Vienna Philharmonic in his younger days – and the power of the orchestra is a fearsome…
Manfred Honeck led the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in performances of Tchaikovsky’s Sixth Symphony this past February, and the performance reviews (see the more reviews) should give a great preview of what to expect with the upcoming Pittsburgh Symphony recording of Tchaikovsky and Dvořák! “Honeck was a model of farsighted musical intelligence and no-nonsense command. For years he served as a violinist with the Vienna Philharmonic and his experience there showed in the singing warmth of…