Pittsburgh Symphony Tchaikovsky/Dvořák “Once In A Lifetime”
“I want to suggest listening to what I believe to be a one in a lifetime audition: the newest record of Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, conducted by its music director, the Austrian conductor Manfred Honeck.… However, more than the high technical quality, I was deeply moved by the artistic quality when performing Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 6. It is one of my favourite works, one I have listened to again and again performed by various orchestras. It…
Vote for Fiona Boyes!
Voting is now open for the 2016 Blues Blast Music Awards and RR artist Fiona Boyes has been nominated as the Female Blues Artist of the Year! VOTE NOW! Fiona Boyes: Box & Dice Order from RR! Amazon.com Apple Music Spotify Fiona Boyes:
New Hybrid SACD Release — Saint-Saëns: Symphony No. 3 “Organ”
NEW HYBRID SACD RELEASE! 5.1 Surround and Stereo SACD, Stereo CD with HDCD Saint-Saëns Symphony No. 3 “Organ” Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso in A Minor for Violin and Orchestra, Op. 28La Muse Et Le Poère for Violin, Cello, and Orchestra, Op. 132 Kansas City Symphony Michael Stern RR-136SACDStreet Date: July 8, 2016 PRE-ORDER NOW! The 2015 release on compact disc garnered a GRAMMY® nomination for Best Classical Engineering. We now present this recording in brilliant…
Music for Independence Day Weekend!
Enjoy a playlist for your Independence Day Weekend via Spotify:
Classical CD Review Features Manfred Honeck and the Pittsburgh Symphony
“For Reference Recodings, there are SACDs of Strauss symphonic poems, and Dvorák’s Symphony No. 8 coupled with a suite from Janacek’s opera Jenufa. Now we have three more SACDS of live recordings all made in the fine acoustics of Pittsburgh’s Heinz Hall for the Performing Arts. All of these are superlative, virtuoso performances. The Beethoven symphonies are high energy throughout, with a rather frantic but exiting pace for the final two movements of Symphony No.…
Dawn To Dust “A Valuable Addition”
Classical Voice North America are fans of Andrew Norman and his new work Switch recorded by the Utah Symphony and Thierry Fischer on Dawn To Dust: “[Dawn To Dust] sets off into new territory with three commissioned pieces that the Utah Symphony performed and recorded last year.…Switch, by the omnipresent Andrew Norman, is the longest and most interesting piece here, virtually a percussion concerto for the nimble hands of Colin Currie, who is kept very…
“Thoughtful and Thought-Provoking” Tchaikovsky
John Quinn reviews Manfred Honeck and the Pittsburgh Symphony’s Tchaikovsky Symphony No. 6 and Dvořák Rusalka recording in MusicWeb International: “In summary Honeck’s performance of this symphony is a thoughtful and thought-provoking rendition of a score that can suffer from over-familiarity.” —John Quinn, MusicWeb International 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
The Wall Street Journal Features Utah Symphony and “Switch”
The Wall Street Journal published a double-review of recent percussion concerto performances and featured the Utah Symphony and Colin Currie’s performance of Andrew Norman’s Switch at Carnegie Hall: “…the Utah Symphony and its music director, Thierry Fischer, presented Mr. Norman’s “Switch,” with Mr. Currie as the intrepid, energetic soloist. When the concerto began, the percussionist was nowhere in sight. A few minutes later, he bounded onstage from the auditorium and began his solo perambulations, moving…
Pittsburgh Symphony Tchaikovsky/Dvořák is “Outstanding”
“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…
Kansas City Symphony Recording Preview Concert This Week!
Thursday, June 23, 2016 – 7pm Join Michael Stern and the Kansas City Symphony at the Kauffman Center’s Helzberg Hall for a FREE concert featuring repertoire from their next exciting RR project! More Information Program Barber: Symphony No. 1 Sibelius: Symphony No. 7 Scriabin: Poem of Ecstasy
Pittsburgh Symphony Tchaikovsky/Dvořák is “electrifying”
“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.…
Utah Symphony’s Dawn to Dust in July issue of Gramophone Magazine
Kate Molleson reviews the Utah Symphony’s Dawn to Dust recording in the July issue of Gramophone Magazine: “This disc contains premiere recordings of the three works commissioned by the Utah Symphony to celebrate its 75th birthday, and as a bright and upbeat showcase for the orchestra it does its job nicely.…First comes the five-movement EOS (the goddess of the dawn) by Augusta Read Thomas, who knows what she wants from an orchestra…This is neat, well-crafted…
Dick Hyman Receives NEA Jazz Master Award!
Long time RR artist pianist Dick Hyman was named a 2017 NEA Jazz Master Fellow, the nation’s highest honor in jazz! He will receive a $25,000 award and be honored during a tribute concert on Monday, April 3, 2017 at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. “Hyman is a piano virtuoso who—Zelig-like—has been known for playing in any style he wants. A masterful improviser, he is also a composer of concerti and chamber music, and…
Pittsburgh Symphony’s Tchaikovsky/Dvořák in Klassisk Musikkmagasin!
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…
ClassicalEar Reviews Dawn To Dust
ClassicalEar‘s Colin Anderson gives a four-star rating to the Utah Symphony’s new Dawn To Dust recording: “One thing is certain, that the Utah Symphony and music director Thierry Fischer are going places. This superbly recorded anthology reports a top-drawer orchestra. Augusta Read Thomas’s EOS (Goddess of the Dawn) pulsates with life and suggestion, orchestrated with colour, a gleaming score conveying very likeable music to the ears.… Much is promised at the beginning [of Andrew Norman’s…