The Classical Music Sentinel reviews Pittsburgh Symphony and Manfred Honeck’s Brahms: Symphony No. 4 & James MacMillan: Larghetto for Orchestra recording:
“In the beautiful [Symphony No. 4] Andante moderato… Honeck’s focus and attention are diverted to the charm of the orchestration. The lush string writing around the 8:00 minute mark, and the many fine moments in which the Pittsburgh woodwind section shines through. The boisterous and ebullient character of the following movement is well projected in this ‘live’ performance, with special plaudits to the “punchy” brass players, who also do a terrific job within the opening bars of the last movement, as well as bring the whole symphony to an impressive close. Honeck’s direction throughout is tight and focused, guiding us through all the thematic beacons along the way. … The Larghetto for Orchestra by Scottish composer James MacMillan (b. 1959)… blends in well as the extra work on this CD, and is presented here in its world premiere recording. … The main, recurrent motif seems based on a standard melodic line from the Latin liturgy, and lends the whole work a dark character, by bringing together the reverence of Renaissance Lamentations and the sonic idiom of a 21st century symphony orchestra. … the audio engineering is top-notch presenting a natural soundscape that well captures the depth and scope of the orchestra.”
—Jean-Yves Duperron, Classical Music Sentinel
See the full review on ClassicalMusicSentinel.com