“New releases from this particular conductor/orchestra combo still feel like an event. You won’t find box sets of Beethoven or Mahler in Manfred Honeck’s Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra discography, Honeck preferring to record single discs of pieces he’s fond of, often with striking couplings. So it is with this new Tchaikovsky 5… Honeck’s urgency is thrilling, the first movement’s “Allegro con anima” swift and exciting. This orchestra’s dark, voluptuous timbre feels entirely right for the piece, the Pittsburgh brass really making their presence felt. Transitions are well judged, musically and emotionally; I’d forgotten just how exciting this music can sound. … If that’s not tempting enough, the filler is a must-hear, an orchestration by Honeck and the Czech composer and guitarist Tomáš Ille of the Five Pieces for String Quartet by Erwin Schulhoff.… The closing “Alla Tarantella” is stunning, and reading about Schulhoff’s tragically early demise makes his loss more upsetting. Production values are as high as you’d expect from this label, and Honeck’s detailed sleeve notes are well worth reading.”
—Graham Rickson, The ArtsDesk