Culture Spot LA reviews Manfred Honeck and the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra‘s recording of Beethoven Symphony No. 9:
“Getting a CD in the mail from Reference Recordings is always a little like Christmas, especially when the package contains a new release by Manfred Honeck and the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. That’s because I know that there will always be an interesting and often exhilarating interpretation of whatever work(s) Honeck decides to bring the listener. … Right out of the gate, one can feel and hear the intensity which Honeck wants us to experience in this symphony. The sound is crisp and sharp. Somehow, Honeck has made the PSO sound like one of the original instrument orchestras. Perhaps it’s his way of bringing out all the individual instruments, which is not easy in any symphonic work, much less one as richly orchestrated as Beethoven’s Ninth. And the engineers at Soundmirror have made us feel like we’re in Heinz Hall listening to the live performance of this outstanding orchestra. My recommendation is to listen to this recording on a great sound system with the volume turned way up. … About the last Prestissimo section in the Finale, Honeck writes, “Here I have tried to go to the limit of playability.” And one has to offer kudos to the PSO players who were able to accommodate Honeck’s demands. Also, the soloists in the Finale, Christina Landshamer, soprano, Jennifer Johnson Cano, mezzo-soprano, Werner Güra, tenor, and Shenyang, bass-baritone, along with the Mendelssohn Choir of Pittsburgh, were all stellar, and one can understand why Honeck chose them for this performance. … It may be that his interpretation requires more than one listen. And who knows, maybe it will become the go-to interpretation. I will say this: The performance and the recording bristle with energy and excitement and really cast this familiar symphony in a new light.”
—Henry Schlinger, Culture Spot LA
See the full review on CultureSpotLA.com