Now that our Grammy Nominated Respighi recording is available as a Reference Mastercuts LP, we wanted to take a look back at what critics were saying when it was first released!
“Oue plays each piece to the hilt; I cannot imagine more precise, more lovingly conducted performances. As for the recording, I’m running out of superlatives – it is brilliant and weighty, with tremendous undistorted dynamics.”–Peter Aczel, THE AUDIO CRITIC
“The sound given to this CD by Keith Johnson stands up very favorably with the music. It’s wonderful. The bass foundation is full and deep, offering just the right balance for the orchestra. The strings sing sweetly, the drums boom appropriately, and the piano, when used (as in “The Pines Of The Janiculum”), is sized as you would hear it live. Add in a soundstage that is both wide and deep and you have a recording with very little to find fault with.” —John Crossett, Selected by SoundStage.com as “Best Audiophile Recording, 2001”
“This CD is a bonanza for fans of Respighi, of orchestral spectaculars, and of great demo music . . .The Reference team of Tam Henderson and Keith Johnson continues to set the bar for orchestral recording. . . It offers a challenge for your system and nourishment for your imagination. Unless you’re one of those unfortunates who don’t enjoy large-scale orchestral music, this is a must-have.” – Wayne Donnelly, LISTENER
“Respighi has not sounded like this on discs since — well, let’s say since never before… Of the seven Oue/Minnesota CDs I know, this is easily the grandest, musically as well as sonically.” — Roger Dettmer, ClassicalCDReviews
“This is exceptional work, even by Reference Recordings’ own high standards. To the expected dynamic range, low-frequency definition, and clear imaging — all by now hallmarks of digital processing — this disc adds a gratifying sense of breathing space around the instrumental sound, such as was previously only heard on specially mastered LPs. The crescendos don’t merely get louder — the textures fill out and blossom. The climaxes surge without taking on a glossy veneer. The brass reproduction, minus the hard edge that frequently passes for “impact,” is particularly open and airy, but the soft music is equally, tangibly vivid.” — Steve Vasta, CDNOW
“Stunning accounts of BELKIS and PINES OF ROME.” — Haller, AMERICAN RECORD GUIDE
“Colorful,thrilling performances of BELKIS, as Respighi would have preferred, and of the quirky gnomes piece, delivered in superb sound, makes this a compulsory purchase for every Respighi devotee.” — Ian Lace, FANFARE (Also, chosen for his WISH LIST — one of the five best releases of 2001.)
“This is an absolutely splendid PINES OF ROME, in top-of-the-line sound. And for heaven’s sake, let it all hang out! Turn the volume way up, open your doors and windows, and give your neighbors a treat.” — King Durkee, Copley News Service