TCHAIKOVSKY: Symphony No. 6 in B minor, Op. 74 "Pathétique. DVORÁK:
Rusalka Fantasy (arr. Honeck)
Pittsburgh Symphony Orch/ Manfred Honeck, cond.
REFERENCE RECIRDINGS SACD FR 720 PT: 67:03

BRUCKNER: Symphony No. 4 in E flat "Romantic."
Pittsburgh Symphony Orch/Manfred Honeck, cond.
REFERENCE RECORDINGS FR 713 TT: 66:07

BEETHOVEN: Symphony No. 5 in C minnor, Op 67. Symphony No. 7 in A, Op.
92
Pittsburgh Symphony Orch/Mafred Honeck, cond.
REFERENCE RECORDINGS SACD FR 718 TT: 71:27

Austrian conductor Manfred Honeck (b. 1958) is one of today's
most respected conductors. In his youth he studied viola and violin
and played
in the Vienna Philharmonic. He also worked with Claudio Abbado and the
Gustav Mahler Youth Orchestra. Honeck has led countless opera
productions, particularly in Zurich, and appears often with major orchestras.
He first
appeared with the Pittsburgh Symphony in 2006; the following year
was appointed Music Director. The Pittsburgh orchestra has an impressive
history. Previous conductors associated with the orchestra include
Fritz
Reiner, William Steinberg,
André
Previn,
Lorin Maazel,
and Sir Andrew Davis. Since Honeck's appointment,
the Pittsburgh Symphony joins the elite group of top American orchestras.
Under Honeck's direction they have recorded four Mahler symphonies (1,
3, 4, 5) for the Exton label. There also is a recording of Strauss's
Ein Heldenben, a work the orchestra took on tour two years
ago and performed in Berlin's Philharmonie—you can see this remarkable
performance
on the
internet. In it, the interplay between concertmaster Noah
Bendix-Balgley and the
rest of the orchestra is amazing. After this performance, the 29-yer
old violinist was named concertmaster of the Berlin Philharmonic—Pittsburgh's
loss, Berlin's gain.
For Reference Recodings, there are SACDs
of Strauss symphonic poems, and Dvorák's Symphony
N
o. 8 coupled
with
a
suite from Janacek's opera Jenufa. Now we have three more
SACDS of live recordings all made in the fine acoustics of Pittsburgh's
Heinz
Hall for the Performing Arts. All of these are superlative, virtuoso
performances. The Beethoven symphonies are high energy throughout,
with
a rather frantic but exiting pace for the final two movements of Symphony
Nol 7. The Bruckner symphony also is impressive, challenging the finest
other versions , with a scherzo of unusual power. Competition
is keener for the Tchaikovsky symphony. A plus is the mightily
impressive huge gong preceding the final pages of the symphony. Whatever
the specifications
of the instrument, it produces a soft but massive lasting sound that
doubtless is what the composer had un mind. The suite from Rusalka,
arranged by the conductor, is an intriguing filler, and of course
it includes
the famous
Song to the Moon, exquisitely played by the Pittsburgh strings.
All of these impress and are important additions to the catalog.
R.E.B. (May 2016)
(NEXT SURROUND SOUND REVIEW)
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