Classical Music Sentinel‘s Jean-Yves Duperron reviews Manfred Honeck and the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra‘s recording of Beethoven: Symphony No. 3 “Eroica” & Strauss: Horn Concerto No. 1:
“ Symphony No. 3, Op. 55 “Eroica” is loaded with quirks, most particularly the Scherzo, with all of its twists and turns, and constantly shifting accents. And lo and behold did I notice when reading the booklet notes that conductor Manfred Honeck points out that rhythm is one of the key factors that made this symphony such a game changer. And this is how he and the members of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra interpret and project this score. The rhythmic momentum is upbeat, the accents are punchy, the overall spirit of the work is lean and muscular, in other words an altogether different perspective on the symphony… The PSO players make it sound fresh, effortless, and most importantly as innovative today as it seemed two hundred years ago. … William Caballero, principal horn for the PSO, plays [Strauss’ Horn Concerto No. 1] with flair and character in keeping with its early provenance, but also demonstrates how far Richard Strauss was already stepping out of the status quo, and demanding more from the french horn, as a solo instrument. These are “live” recordings taken from concerts in 2017 and 2012 respectively, and again the people at Reference Recordings demonstrate how it’s done by fooling me into thinking that they were studio takes.”
Read the full review on ClassicalMusicSentinel.com
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