The second recording by Manfred Honeck and the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra has a special significance for the conductor, as he sees in it particularly clearly the Czech influence on Dvorak's composition. The symphonic sequence from Janacek's opera Jenufa, arranged by Czech composer Thomas Ille, is a fitting accompaniment.
In his dedication in the manual, Honeck makes special note of the use of the xylophone to link the dances and emotions in this musical sequence. Sonically, the recording is blessed with the dynamic range of a large symphony orchestra and combines it absolutely appropriately with the warm soundstage of Pittsburgh's Heinz Hall.
The declared goal of the sound engineers is to capture the sound of the orchestra in its natural space and not to artificially create something new. The recording itself was made with five omnidirectional DPA 4006 microphones and a variety of spot microphones. Technically, it is a DSD recording with the subtleties post-processed on a Pyramix mixing system. The recording appears as a hybrid SACD with stereo and multichannel mixing, and there is also an HDCD encode on the stereo CD track.
Works:
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Dvořák: Symphony No. 8 in G major, Op. 88
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Janáček: Jenufa – Suite