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Blues Music Magazine Reviews Professin’ The Blues
Order Now A fantastic new review for Fiona Boyes’ Professin’ The Blues recording in the January 2017 issue of Blues Music Magazine: “[Fiona Boyes] is simply a great player and gutsy singer who has released one of the finest acoustic blues albums in the past year. …Professin’ The Blues, is a 53-minute, 16-song collection where she plays National Reso-Phonic and Beeton resonator instruments, a standard six-string acoustic and an odd little four-string cigar box guitar…
Strauss Opera Suites a Showcase for Pittsburgh Symphony
Gramophone Magazine features the new Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra and Manfred Honeck Strauss: Elektra/Rosenkavaalier recording in the January 2017 issue: The recording packs a mighty punch from the initial Agamemnon motif, scything brass braying Elektra’s revenge theme. There is percussive glitter for Klytemnestra, whip cracks marking the arrival of her entourage. The full barbarism of Strauss’s score makes a searing impact, Orest’s murder of Klytemnestra especially brutal, yet there are moments of great tenderness too. Reference…
More Best of 2016 Honors for Fiona Boyes!
Order Now The Best of 2016 honors for Fiona Boyes’ new Professin’ The Blues release continue to roll in! The Professor’s Honor Roll of 2016 “I hereby dub Fiona Boyes, The Queen of Old School. She has a great sound and manages to pour more blues into her stripped-down approach than just about anybody else. Her guitar work is top notch, and her vocals are dead on. If you like that sound, you will love…
2016 HDTracks Top Downloads
HDTracks.com is ending the year with collections of their best sellers and audiophile picks for 2016 and there are quite a few RR recordings in the mix! Top 25 Classical Bestsellers #12 – Beethoven: Symphony No. 5 & No. 7 – Featuring the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra and Manfred Honeck Top 100 Recommended Classical Ebony Concerto – Featuring John Bruce Yeh Saint-Saëns: Symphony No. 3 “Organ” – Featuring the Kansas City Symphony and Michael Stern Audiophile Picks…
Pittsburgh Symphony Tchaikovsky an American Record Guide Best of 2016
American Record Guide critics have listed their “Critics Choice” recordings for 2016, and editor Donald Vroon has nominated the Pittsburgh Symphony and Manfred Honeck’s Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 6. “Here is a symphony that has been recorded a great deal. Even conductors who don’t like Tchaikovsky have recorded it, probably because of the challenges it presents. So naturally there have been a great many routine performances under conductors who have no real feeling for it. Manfred…
Professin’ The Blues an Iowa Public Radio Best of 2016!
Order Now Host Bobb Dorr of Iowa Public Radio has released his “Best New Blues of 2016” list and includes Fiona Boyes’ “Devil You Know” track from Professin’ The Blues: “My pick for acoustic album of the year is also by a woman. Australian Fiona Boyes (who splits her time between Australia and Oregon) was the first woman to win the International Blues Challenge. She plays electric and acoustic guitar and is one of the…
Pittsburgh Symphony an ArkivMusic Best of 2016
ArkivMusic.com names Pittsburgh Symphony and Manfred Honeck’s Strauss: Elektra & Der Rosenkavalier their #2 recording of 2016! This ongoing series from orchestra and conductor goes from strength to strength. Another stunning album, one which should be an essential purchase for devotees of the composer. See the list on ArkivMusic.com Reference Recordings Amazon Native DSD
Making A Scene on Professin’ The Blues
Order Now Making A Scene reviews the new Fiona Boyes release, Professin’ The Blues: “Fiona Boyes has a new album release, Professin’ The Blues, and on it, she does just that. Produced by the legendary Professor Keith O. Johnson of Reference Records and recorded at Skywalker Sound studios in California, this is a perfect match of space, producer and artist. Also, Boyes is joined by two master musicians, drummer Jim Bott and bassist Danny Croy.…
Living Blues Reviews Professin’ The Blues
Order Now Living Blues Magazine reviews Fiona Boyes’ new Professin’ the Blues recording in their latest issue: “Fiona Boyes continues to make superlative music grounded in the various styles of the blues. … A master of audio engineering, [‘Prof’ Keith O.] Johnson creates a sound that is warm, present and balanced so that the instruments and vocals can be heard clearly and distinctly. Boyes uses four different guitars throughout the album’s 16 songs…and she coaxes…
Wuthering Heights an Opera News Top 10
Opera News released their Top 10 Opera Recordings of 2016, and coming in at #8 was the Florentine Opera and Milwaukee Symphony recording of Carlisle Floyd’s Wuthering Heights! “It contains some beautiful music that deserves to be heard, as evidenced by this world-premiere recording.” —Rebecca Paller Florentine Opera Company Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra Joseph Mechavich, conductor The Florentine Opera Company® brings American opera composer Carlisle Floyd’s operatic masterpiece, based on the classic English novel by Emily…
Kansas City Saint-Saëns on Fanfare’s Want List
Fanfare critic Andrew Quint has named Michael Stern and the Kansas City Symphony’s Saint-Saëns: Symphony No. 3 “Organ” to his 2016 year-end “Want List”: “San Francisco’s Reference Recordings, issuing musically worthy recordings in audiophile sound for more than three decades, continues its rewarding relationship with Michael Stern and the over-achieving Kansas City Symphony. This all-Saint-Saëns program is anchored by the well-worn “Organ” Symphony, played here with sure-footed metrical precision plus plenty of cinematic splendor. “Professor”…
ClassicsToday Reviews “Thrilling” Pittsburgh Symphony Recording
“This is juicy. I’m sure that many music lovers have wished that Strauss had made a suite from Elektra. It is, after all, one of his most exciting scores, as well as one of his most symphonically cogent. Well, here it is, courtesy of Manfred Honeck and Tomas Ille, and it’s a doozy. You get all of the major bits: Elektra’s opening monologue, the entry of Klytaemnestra, the recognition scene, the two murders, and of…
First Listen – Adam Schoenberg: American Symphony!
Coming January 2017 — Adam Schoenberg: American Symphony • Finding Rothko • Picture Studies featuring Michael Stern and the Kansas City Symphony! Enjoy a first listen on our SoundCloud Channel: Adam Schoenberg: American Symphony • Finding Rothko • Picture StudiesKansas City SymphonyMichael SternLabel: Reference Recordings RR-139Release Date: January 20, 2017
Pittsburgh Symphony On Fanfare Want Lists!
Three Fanfare Magazine critics have Manfred Honeck and the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra’s recordings on their 2016 year-end “Want Lists”: Order Now Beethoven: Symphonies Nos. 5 & 7 “Manfred Honeck’s Beethoven… helps you to recapture the shock of the new. There is nothing gimmicky or freakish about it, but I wasn’t 10 seconds into this SACD before I sat up and took notice. The booklet contains Honeck’s almost blow-by-blow description of both symphonies, and it is…
Coming in 2017!
In October, we spent time with Doug MacLeod at Skywalker gathering songs for his next RR release. Percussionist Oliver Brown, bassist Denny Croy, drummer Jimi Bott and singer/guitarist, Jesse MacLeod, Doug’s son, made musical magic! Coming mid-2017! Front (L-R): Oliver Brown, Doug MacLeod, Jimi Bott; Back (L-R): Denny Croy, Jesse MacLeod