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Grammy Award nomination – Best Engineered Album, Classical, 2018, (Mark Donahue, engineer; Mark Donahue, mastering engineer (Manfred Honeck & Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra)) Grammy Award nomination – Producer Of The Year, Classical, 2018 – Dirk Sobotka Grammy Award nomination – Best Orchestral Performance, 2018 – Manfred Honeck, conductor (Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra) In his fascinating and scholarly music notes, Maestro Honeck gives us insight into the history of both pieces, and describes how he conducts and interprets each. He reminds us that the “Eroica” was a bold departure from earlier symphonies, a “dance symphony with dramatic inventiveness, full of new elements that had never been heard before.” He quotes Beethoven’s student Ferdinand Ries, who wrote “Beethoven played recently for me (the “Eroica”) and I believe both heaven and earth must tremble when it is performed.” Honeck puts his own inimitable stamp on this interpretation, giving the listener a chance to experience the novelties of the “Eroica” as if hearing it for the very first time. William Caballero, Principal Horn of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra and soloist on Strauss: Horn Concerto No. 1, provides a thrilling and masterful performance of this youthful Strauss work. Before joining PSO in 1989, he held Principal Horn positions with the Houston Symphony, Houston Grand Opera and Hartford Symphony. The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, known for its artistic excellence for more than 120 years, is credited with a rich history of the world’s finest conductors and musicians. Past music directors have included many of the greats, including Fritz Reiner, William Steinberg, Andre Previn, Lorin Maazel and Mariss Jansons. This tradition of outstanding international music directors was furthered in fall 2008, when Austrian conductor Manfred Honeck became music director of the Pittsburgh Symphony.