HR Audio‘s Graham Williams gives a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ review for the Pittsburgh Symphony and Manfred Honeck’s Tchaikovsky Symphony No. 4 & Leshnoff: Double Concerto SACD:
“any new release from the award-winning team of Manfred Honeck and the Pittsburgh Symphony on the Reference Recordings label is worth investigating as, based on previous form, it is likely to yield a performance that brings new interpretive insights to even the most familiar staples of the classical repertoire. In addition, the superb playing Honeck always elicits from his virtuoso musicians coupled with state-of-the-art sound quality make any new recording from this source rather special. An added inducement here is the inclusion of the world premiere recording of an entrancing concerto by the American composer Jonathan Leshnoff. … The arresting opening of the 1st movement with its fortissimo statement of the ‘Fate’ theme is enunciated magnificently by the Pittsburgh brass who excel throughout this recording. … In all respects this is a compelling account of the symphony’s finest movement. … the ‘Scherzo: Pizzicato ostinato’ … is delivered with astonishing precision and lightness that demonstrates playing of the highest technical accomplishment. Honeck unleashes the finale, a wild rondo, in a tremendous burst of energy in which triangle, cymbals and bass drum make a stunning impact aided by the spectacular high resolution recorded sound. … The recording by the usual Sound Mirror team of “acoustic magicians” (Producer: Dirk Sobotka, Balance engineer: Mark Donahue) was made and post produced in DSD256 in the orchestra’s home, Heinz Hall for the Performing Arts, Pittsburgh (May 6-8, 2016) and is one of unparalleled richness, impact and realism that matches Reference Recordings previous issues from this source. … The composer Jonathan Leshnoff is probably unfamiliar to most people on this side of the Atlantic, but his considerable compositional output that includes four symphonies, ten concerti, and four oratorios has been widely performed in the United States. … It is, therefore, a pleasure to welcome such a meticulously crafted and instantly accessible piece as Leshnoff’s ‘Double Concerto for Clarinet and Bassoon’. It was commissioned by the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra and is performed immaculately and with winning style on this disc by two of the orchestra’s principals – bassoonist Nancy Goeres and clarinetist Michael Rusinek. … This Concerto provides the perfect foil to the Tchaikovskian Sturm und Drang that precedes it. Together both works represent another unmissable release from the Reference Recordings and Pittsburgh Symphony stable.”
—Graham Williams, HRAudio.net ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Performance & ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Sonics
See the full review on HRAudio.net