“Empathy and understanding are two flourishing intangible ingredients which a conductor must cogitate then parlay for the ear in order to elicit a composer’s deepest thoughts. Such pensive factors engulfed Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s life, and while the conveyance of his finale à la vie are rendered sublime by Manfred Honeck, the germination of musical tendrils only gets better in his récriture personnelle of Dvorák’s lyrically rich fairytale opera, Rusalka. Reference Recordings’ award winning Soundmirror creates another unforgettable and unblemished journey of rarified diction unlike any other. The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra’s (PSO) seamless array of exceptional vocabulary and erudite commentary inside the Symphony N° 6 creates a ‘frozen moment’ in time for end-of-life Tchaikovsky. Mr. Honeck approaches this music with utmost maturity and complexity yielding maximum exponential value. … Reference Recordings’ Tchaikovsky/Dvorák combination is a winner. This is consummate craftsmanship, and Manfred Honeck alongside his Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra are to be lauded on all fronts. Stellar.” —Christie Grimstad, ConcertoNet
Labels: Christie Grimstad, ConcertoNet, Manfred Honeck, Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, TchaikovskyDvorak