Gramophone Uses Miraculous Metamorphoses Recording as Reference
In the December Hi-Fi section of Gramophone magazine, critic Andrew Everard uses our Kansas City Symphony Miraculous Metamorphoses recording to test out a new pair of B&W Speakers: “Reference Recordings disc ‘Miraculous Metamorphoses’, with the Kansas City Symphony under Michael Stern captured in another of Keith O Johnson’s stunning engineering and mastering jobs, and the B&Ws really get their teeth into everything from the subtle detailing of the orchestra to the great, hall-filling sweeps of…
Dvořák & Janáček A Gramophone Critics’ Choice
The Gramophone Magazine 2014 Critics’ Choice Selections are out, and Manfred Honeck and Pittsburgh Symphony’s Dvořák & Janáček SACD has made the cut: “Manfred Honeck’s Pittsburgh Symphony Recording of Dvořák’s Eighth Symphony is among the most stylish, fastidiously prepared, excitingly interpreted and beautifully played orchestral performances I’ve heard in a long while, and the recording matches Honeck’s musical achievement…” —Rob Cowan, Gramophone Buy Now
Dvořák & Janáček a Best of 2014
Graham Rickson of The Arts Desk names Manfred Honeck and the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra’s Dvořák/Janáček SACD a “Best of 2014”! “My favourite CD of the year, and one of the best recordings you’ll ever hear, is Manfred Honeck’s Pittsburgh Symphony performance of Dvořák’s 8th Symphony. …it’s rarely been dispatched with this much polish, or directed with such a winning combination of smartness and fun. … If this disc doesn’t make you dance around the room,…
Audiophile Audition Reviews Robert Moore “Outta My Soul”
Audiophile Audition gives a four-star review for Robert Moore’s Outta My Soul: “Reference Recordings has expanded their Fresh series to include singer Robert Moore. With Southern gospel roots, Moore has developed a soulful, passionate delivery. … With the release of Outta My Soul , Moore has crafted an accessible, well-rounded musical statement. Drawing on his skills as a composer, singer and instrumentalist, this twelve-track, polished album combines accomplished session players with a seasoned band leader.…
Merry Christmas from Reference Recordings!
Merry Christmas to you and yours! As part of your celebrations, stream tracks from our Star of Wonder and Horns for the Holidays recordings on the new RR Christmas Playlist via SoundCloud!
New Mike Garson Biography
The first-ever biography of RR artist Mike Garson, Bowie’s Piano Man has been announced! “He’s played with David Bowie, Nine Inch Nails and is an accomplished session musician, yet until now little has been written about him. Now a soon-to-be published biography uncovers the life story of Mike Garson and his musical career from New York jazz pianist to his collaboration with Bowie and beyond. Written by Clifford Slapper, himself a pianist who’s played with…
Baltimore City Paper Names Dvořák & Janáček The Top 2014 Release!
Baltimore City Paper has released their Top 10 Classical Albums of 2014 list, and The Pittsburgh Symphony’s Dvořák & Janáček SACD is #1! Their List: Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, “Dvorák: Symphony No. 8 – Janácek: Jenufa Suite” (Reference Recordings) Seattle Symphony Orchestra, “John Luther Adams: Become Ocean” (Cantaloupe) St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, “City Noir” (Nonesuch) Anonymous 4, “David Lang: love fail” (Cantaloupe) Boston Modern Orchestra Project, “Elena Ruehr: O’Keeffe Images” (BMOP/sound) Rushes Ensemble, “Michael Gordon: Rushes”…
RR Artist Manfred Honeck to Conduct at Vatican
PITTSBURGH—For the first time, Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra Music Director Manfred Honeck has been invited by Pope Francis to conduct music during the Papal Christmas Eve Mass at St. Peter’s Basilica on December 24. Honeck will lead the Orchestra dell’Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia in Et Incarnatus Est from Mozart’s Mass in C minor, a piece that was specifically requested by Pope Francis and about which he said, “It lifts you to God.” Tens of thousands…
Holiday Sale!
It’s Time for the Annual Reference Recordings Holiday Sale! STARTING NOW! Until NOON on Monday, January 5, 2015 — Order 2 items or more and receive a 20% discount on EVERYTHING in our catalog (except already discounted sets) THE MORE YOU ORDER – THE MORE YOU SAVE!
Fanfare Critics Want More Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra
Fanfare Magazine critics can’t get enough of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. Raymond Tuttle wasn’t the only critic with a Pittsburgh Live! release on their year-end “Want List”: “Under music director Manfred Honeck, the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra is increasingly recognized as an ensemble to reckon with. It’s our good fortune that an audiophile label, San Francisco’s Reference Recordings has, so far, released two SACDs from the PSO. (The other is a Richard Strauss program.) The audio…
Strauss Lands on Fanfare Want List
Fanfare Magazine critics are submitting their annual “Want Lists” and critic Raymond Tuttle puts our Pittsburgh Symphony Strauss release at the top: “These Want Lists are difficult for me, because, Lord knows, I want everything… My philosophy is that basic repertoire will seldom make my Want List because, in this age of redundancy, priority should be given to that which is new or at least unfamiliar. Having written that, I start with an exception. Strauss’s…
There’s A Time Artists Nominated for Blues Music Awards
The 36th Annual Blues Music Awards nominations have been announced, and both Doug MacLeod and Jimi Bott have made the list! The Blues Foundation is pleased to announce the nominations for its annual Blues Music Awards, which the international organization will present at the Cook Convention Center in downtown Memphis, Tennessee, on Thursday, May 7, 2015. The Blues Music Awards are universally recognized as the highest accolade afforded blues music performers. The annual Blues Music…
Organ Polychrome and Miraculous Metamorphoses Named Best of 2014
Kansas City critic, Don Clark, released a “Bakers Dozen” of “Best Recordings of 2014” on Pictures on Silence, and featured two of our Kansas City-based recordings: Organ Polychrome “A hallmark of a great concert hall is a great organ. Not used every day, but when a work requires an organ it is nice to have one around. The Casavant here is a fine “symphonic” organ and blends well with the orchestra. As a solo it…
Portraits of Colorado Trailer
New trailer for the upcoming Portraits of Colorado documentary featuring Charles Denler and the Colorado Symphony: Charles Denler’s Portraits of Colorado An American Symphony No. 1 and Six Variations for violin and piano The Colorado Symphony and Chorus Scott O’Neil, conductor World Premiere Recording! Order Today! “PORTRAITS OF COLORADO, An American Symphony No.1” is the first in a series of symphonies composed by Charles Denler. Inspired by a sunrise over the Rocky Mountains, and the…
Dvořák & Janáček Nominated for 2015 GRAMMY Award!
Extra! Extra! 2015 GRAMMY Awards Best Orchestral Performance Pittsburgh Symphony and Manfred Honeck — Dvořák & Janáček! See the list of Nominees at www.grammy.com! Dvořák • Janáček Manfred Honeck Pittsburgh Symphony OrchestraFR-710 SACD Antonin Dvořák Symphony No. 8 in G Major, Op. 88 Leoš Janáček Symphonic Suite from “Jenůfa”(Conceptualized by Manfred Honeck, realized by Tomáš Ille) Thrilling Live Performances From The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, In Brilliant Audiophile Sound! This release is the second in the…