Far In The Heavens Will “Uplift the Soul”
Culture Spot LA reviews True Concord Voices & Orchestra’s GRAMMY-nominated album Far In The Heavens: Choral Music by Stephen Paulus: “If you like the requiems of Duruflé or John Rutter, you will like Paulus. He uses the orchestra to good effect punctuating the poems with bursts of horn or thunderous percussion and tympani when appropriate. … Most are a cappella and offer a chance to concentrate more on the angelic voices of the True Concord…
Stereo Times is Floored By Pittsburgh Symphony’s Beethoven
Stereo Times critic Russell Lichter has been “floored” by Manfred Honeck and the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra’s new Beethoven: Symphony Nos. 5 & 7 recording: “Like all aficionados of my longevity, I have heard numerous versions of the Fifth over the years, but when I alighted on Carlos Kleiber’s performance on the Deutsche Grammophon label, a decade or two ago, I stopped looking. Kleiber in my opinion is one of the supreme conductors of the Twentieth…
Mike Garson Offers A New Tribute To David
Mike Garson released a Tribute to David on his RR recording The Bowie Variations in 2012. This weekend, on Periscope, he offered a new tribute to David Bowie along with memories and a rendition of the David Bowie song Space Oddity:
Flashback Friday — Wine Dark Sea Recording Sessions!
It’s time for a #FlashbackFriday share from the Wine Dark Sea recording sessions with Jerry Junkin and the University of Texas Wind Ensemble. Enjoy these session photos via our Facebook album posted in September 2014: Reference Recordings Sessions with Jerry Junkin and the University of Texas Wind Ensemble Posted by Reference Recordings on Friday, September 12, 2014
Fiona Boyes on Blues Blast Magazine Cover!
Box & Dice artist Fiona Boyes is on the cover of the latest issue of Blues Blast Magazine! Blues Blast Interview I love it when an “authentic” blues artist forces the blues police to re-adjust their judgment on the validity of that artist’s work even though that artist’s back story doesn’t fit the cliché of who a “real” blues artist should be.Fiona Boyes is a blonde Australian woman of Scottish descent who never heard a…
Looking Ahead — John Mackey: Wine Dark Sea
A look ahead to our upcoming March release, Wine Dark Sea, featuring Jerry Junkin conducting The University of Texas Wind Ensemble:
Bowers & Wilkins Features Doug MacLeod’s Exactly Like This
Bowers & Wilkins’ Society of Sound says Doug MacLeod’s Exactly Like This is perfect “music for your speakers”: “Exactly Like This is a genuine, storytelling, acoustic blues album and an audiophile recording, and one that I use in a demonstration, along with his previous Reference Recordings album, ‘There’s A Time’.” —Paul Janove, Graham’s Hi-Fi London See the full feature on the Bowers & Wilkins blog! HDCDVinyl LP
Remembering David Bowie
Longtime David Bowie pianist, and RR artist, Mike Garson offers his thoughts, remembrances and a photo after the news of David Bowie’s passing: My deepest condolences are with David's family – Iman, Lexi and Duncan. The music we shared through the years is eternal and so is David and another beautiful spiritual phase awaits David. My love to you all. Posted by Mike Garson – Official on Monday, January 11, 2016 The Bowie Variations Mike Garson…
Kansas City Symphony’s Saint-Saëns Symphony No. 3 Now A Reference Mastercuts LP
GRAMMY® Nominated Kansas City Symphony recording Saint-Saëns: Symphony No. 3 “Organ” is now available as a Reference Mastercuts LP! First LP mastering of this work at 45 rpm! Details RM-1514 Single 45 rpm LP 180 Gram pressing from QRP in Deluxe Gatefold Jacket Michael Stern, conductorKansas City SymphonyJan Kraybill, organProducer: David FrostRecording Engineer: Keith O. JohnsonRecorded by: Sean Royce Martin, Half-Speed LP Mastering: Paul Stubblebine Composed at his artistic peak, Camille Saint-Saëns said of his…
Conversations with Michael Stern
The Kansas City Symphony conductor Michael Stern joins WOSU Radio host Boyce Lancaster in Columbus, Ohio to talk about his musical life today as well as a look at life in the shadow of his father, Isaac Stern: Your browser does not support the audio element. Please listen on WOSU.org. Kansas City Symphony on Reference Recordings
HiFi+ Names Kansas City’s Saint-Saëns a Favorite
HiFi+ Magazine names the Kansas City Symphony’s new Saint-Saëns Symphony No. 3 recording one of their favorites: “Saint-Saëns’ Symphony No. 3 with organ, know as the Organ Syphony, is filled with virtuoso flourish, making for a sure fire showpiece for a hi-fi system. … Of the audiophile labels recording new works no label has ddone more for so long as Keith Johnson’s Reference Recordings. This is the fourth of Reference’s recordings with the Kansas City…
Five Stars for Pittsburgh Symphony’s Beethoven
Audiophile Audition gives Manfred Honeck and The Pittsburgh Symphony’s Beethoven: Symphony Nos. 5 & 7 a Five Star Review: “Pittsburgh is still the best kept secret among American orchestras, easily as good as any other ensemble active on the national scene, and this recording proves it. Even with a formidable Beethoven tradition in play, and with equally formidable competition in the catalog, this release, with its illuminating and brilliant surround sound, takes pride of place…
Happy New Year!
Happy New Year from all of us at Reference Recordings! As we move into an exciting 2016, have a look back at all of our wonderful 2015 releases:
Topping the Charts!
Two releases are topping charts to end 2015 on a high note! Fiona Boyes: Box & Dice Box & Dice comes in at #1 on the Roots Music Reports Top Australia Albums Chart for the week of December 28, 2015! Get Box & Dice Today: Order from RR!Order on Amazon.comListen on Apple MusicListen on Spotify Kansas City Symphony — Saint-Saëns: Symphony No. 3 “Organ” The Kansas City Symphony and Jan Kraybill’s GRAMMY-nominated release is the…
Beethoven an Arts Desk Best of 2015
The Arts Desk has named their Best Classical CDs of 2015 and the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra’s new Beethoven: Symphony Nos. 5 & 7 has made the list: “Beethoven liked large-scale performances and he’d presumably have approved of Manfred Honeck’s Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra performances of Symphonies 5 and 7. This is sensational orchestral playing, beautifully recorded, and these readings have an irresistible sweep and grandeur. One of those rare CDs which should leave you speechless after…