Ten years ago, Reference Recordings released Bruckner’s Fourth Symphony. At the time, it was for many a first encounter with Honeck’s perception of Bruckner's symphonic oeuvre at the helm of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra (Bruckner: Symphony No. 4 - Honeck). It generated much interest, forging immediate success among a critical music-loving hi-res community. His reading set him apart from several other great recordings in that it was as individually coloured as it was original in its conceptual format. It catapulted this Viennese Music Director and his Pittsburgh crew into the coveted realm of Bruckner specialists. For many all the more reason to look forward with much anticipation to his views on Bruckner’s Ninth, released in 2019 by the same American label (Bruckner: Symphony No. 9 - Honeck). Following a similar, though more spiritually inspired pattern, it immediately reached ‘benchmark’ status. With this third release, RR continues Honeck’s survey of Bruckner symphonies with perhaps his most widely appreciated Seventh, ‘The Tremolo Symphony’.

One of the difficulties conductors must solve is deciding on the correct ‘speed’. Not only are Bruckner’s markings either ‘hidden’, global or adjusted by each new edition, but there are also moments of silence in the score, pauses to be bridged without interrupting the flow and, by the same token, the projection of the symphony as a whole.

In an essay - what his extensive and detailed observations in the accompanying booklet in fact is - Honeck remarks, among many other things worth reading “.. I find that it (the seventh Symphony) is often played too fast if the tempo is considered too literally”, and elsewhere: “.. with Bruckner, a balance must be found in honoring the expressive intent hidden within the musical text rather than merely focusing on pure execution”.

In this kind of repertoire, time can be a deceiving factor. Comparing the duration of a movement with the same movement of another recording gives no tangible clue about it being played too fast or too slow. Honeck seems to have effectively discovered the ‘secret’ of managing tempi and flow in a manner that not only captures the listener’s attention but was also able to create a noticeable bond between the orchestra and the audience during the live (2022) recording in Heinz Hall; a phenomenon that audibly intensifies as the music unfolds. One might call it magic, but as I see it, it is a sign of exceptional craftsmanship paired with a firm understanding of what the composer must have moved and felt, plus an orchestra that is fully up to the mark to support the metaphysical vision of its Master. I may recall that both Bruckner and Honeck are spiritually connected through their devout Roman Catholic faith.

Straight from the ‘Ur Nebel’ - the tremolos in the strings - rising out of nothing at the beginning of the first movement, one becomes aware that something extraordinary is happening. Honeck guides his musicians in a deeply spirited musical experience, with expressive dynamics and great dramatic precision. From a compositional order, the second movement, the heart of the Symphony, was written after the first and the third movements were finished. Not that it matters, but in the meantime, in the real world, things had happened that must have influenced the ultimate course of the scoring, notably the poor health and subsequent passing away of Richard Wagner. It led to the inclusion of the so-called Wagner Tubas. One may wonder whether it could also have been to mimic the sombre-toned power produced by the largest organ pipes, which Bruckner, as an accomplished organ player, was familiar with. Whatever the case, the result lends the adagio remarkable emotional weight. In his rendition, Honeck gradually builds tension, thus conveying Bruckner’s state of mind as the movement develops into a solemn funeral character. There is some discussion about whether or not the inclusion of a cymbal clash at the climax of the slow movement was Bruckner’s idea or imposed on him by first interpreters. Honeck obliges (Nowak edition).

The tempo in the third movement is slower than most, but it does in no way attenuate the dynamism and pronounced almost demonic Austrian dancelike character mingled with the jubilant sound of nature and .. the brass section of the PSO! In his notes, Honeck dwells on many aspects of the Scherzo (and other movements for that matter) which I suggest interested listeners take notice of before and during listening. It explains in detail the why’s and how’s of his reading. The finale is the compositional crown lifting the Seventh into higher almost suprarational spheres. Honeck lets the Wagner Tubas triumph in the conclusion of another major piece of art.

Summing it up: Where others merely play the outside of the music, and in all honesty, some do it very well, Honeck unravels the inside, laying bare the deepest feelings, and I believe that is exactly what makes his contribution to the world of classical music so intensely valuable. Some may call it ‘mannered’. I do not. It is an interpretation by someone with obvious affinity. I think that we have here an authentic and honourable attempt to take the listener into the often complicated, but all the more laudable devotional life of one of Austria’s monumental composers.

To reach the top of the mountain, every climber should be of the same excellence. In his notes, Maestro Honeck explains that for him understanding three elements is of the essence for crafting a worthy Bruckner symphony: Spirit, soul and body. That is his part of the overall result. For the audience, however, I’d suggest that adeptness by four entities is decisive: The composer for the score, the conductor for the interpretation, the orchestra for the execution, and … the sound engineer to save it for the listener (and eternity). It is seldom that all four in conjunction arrive at the same spectacular height. An achievement that stands as a rock.

That said, among the many recordings in any format there is hardly a common view on which one carries off unanimous approval. Granting the various Bruckner devotees each their views and preferences, I dare say, however, that from whatever angle one looks at it, this latest addition to the plethora of existing recordings of Bruckner’s Seventh, is a serious challenge to any of the great Maestros who have recorded it before.

Comparing the two-channel downloadable 96/24 FLAC file with the multi-channel track on the SACD, the difference is much bigger than I thought. It is like a beautiful, though slightly craquelé painting on the wall versus being able to absorb the music in a gloriously three-dimensional, fine-tuned soundscape. The wizards of SoundMirror have done it again.

The choice for the ‘filler’ is noteworthy. The PSO commissioned it for Honeck’s sixtieth birthday. It is like a modern (2018) reminder of important junctures of Christianity, from the darkness of the mysterious Middle East to a tumultuous resurrection. The composition is beautifully melodious in a film music style in the best sense of the word, reminiscent of John Williams. Manfred Honeck and the PSO have set it down formidably, pulling all the stops towards the end.

Blangy-le-Château, Normandy, France.

Copyright © 2024 Adrian Quanjer and HRAudio.net

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The bicentenary of Anton Bruckner’s birth that falls on on 4 September 2024, is already being marked by events, concerts and new recordings of his symphonic works, all of which are vying for the attention of Bruckner devotees all over the world. Not until 1884 his 60th year when the first performance of the 7th Symphony in Leipzig was received with unanimous enthusiasm did Bruckner achieve the success he had been denied for so long. After the Leipzig premiere and subsequent performances in other European capitals his recognition as an individual genius was cemented.

Manfred Honeck has already firmly established his impeccable Bruckner credentials thanks to the superb recordings he has made of his compatriot’s 4th and 9th Symphonies with the orchestra he has honed, over his 16 years as their music director, to respond to his interpretive requests with absolute exactitude. It should, therefore, come as no surprise that this compelling account of the composer’s 7th Symphony from Manfred Honeck and the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra on Reference Recordings is one that will be regarded by discerning music lovers as worthy to join the pantheon of the finest performances available on disc.

As was the case with previous releases from this source Maestro Honeck contributes his own personal thoughts on the music in an essay entitled ‘Thoughts on Bruckner’s Seventh Symphony – A Window into Bruckner the Artist and Man’ in which he first details the genesis of this Symphony before discussing each movement in some depth and providing a personal insight into his interpretation of the work. This makes edifying reading and is a useful guide to listeners curious to explore the conductor’s reasons for decisions made regarding tempo, dynamics, articulation etc. throughout the course of the performance.

Overall timings for this symphony vary wildly amongst interpreters from 56.45 (Ivan Fischer) to 86.15 (Sergiu Celibidache). Honeck with a timing of 66.48 avoids these extremes and is naturally cognisant that Bruckner’s monumental style, while requiring expansive tempi, should never be driven too hard. The first movement is a perfect exemplar of his wonderfully supple approach to the score and the manner in which he elicits richly nuanced playing from the Pittsburgh strings.

The indisputable sublimity of the slow movement, a long and deeply felt adagio marked ‘Sehr feierlich und sehr langsam’, is the heart of this symphony and Honeck’s impeccably paced account is surely ideal. For the first time in one of his symphonies Bruckner added a quartet of Wagner tubas to the brass section. Wagner tubas are notoriously difficult to play and keep in tune which is why horn players in UK orchestras jokingly call them “catastrophones”! They do, however present no problems for the wonderful Pittsburgh brass who play them with sonorous unanimity and weight of utterance throughout the movement. Honeck’s rendition of this magnificent movement emanates a glowing radiance that is enhanced by the fine acoustic of Heinz Hall and the sumptuous recorded sound, courtesy of the expert Soundmirror engineers.

The Scherzo though delivered at a tempo marginally slower than the suggested marking of ‘Sehr schnell’, effectively combines rhythmic impetus with considerable power, while the pastoral trio section provides the necessary contrast of mood. The finale brings us full circle with an urgent and coherent account of this complex movement made especially gripping by the superb quality of the orchestral playing and the manner in which Honeck drives his forces to its incandescent peroration.

While Bruckner’s 7th Symphony may not require a fill-up, this one is a real winner. Mason Bates’s ‘Resurrexit’ composed in 2018 as a commission from the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra to celebrate Manfred Honeck’s 60th birthday. It is an instantly accessible and thrilling 11 minute orchestral work that opens ‘in biblical darkness’ and gradually rises to a rip-roaring finale. A perfect piece to showcase the virtuosity of this wonderful orchestra.

Copyright © 2024 Graham Williams and HRAudio.net

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