I originally heard this, in the mid-'60s, conducted by Igor Markevitch, on LP, and fell in love with the drama of it, and the way Honegger makes dissonance work to support, not undercut, coherence: like Prokoviev and Bartok. Since then I've heard at least two other recorded performances, and bought one, which seemed unsatisfactory. Finally I bought a rerelease of the Markevitch on CD. This is the first time I've heard this performance, and I think it even better: wonderful clarity, dynamics, and phrasing, to convey even better the coherence and the emotional impact of this work.
The post WW2 years of Arthur Honegger were marked both by a fatal diésasse which caused him many troubles and premature death, and a deep pessimism about man and his future. He was not an atheist, so he considered that this ws just the result of human stupidity, egoism, bureaucracy, etc... This brought him o write harsh scores during that period. In happier times, his langage was dissonant, but sounded positive (his dissonances were consonant, told Ansermet). During this last period, he nevertheless wrote some scores were light penetrated, either by their deep meaning (Christmas Cantata) or dimply by musical writing (concertino for flute, English horn and strings). But in this last symphony, he expresses quite dark feelings (in spite of the lighter beginning of the second movement) while keeping a strict control an a rigorous architecture, as he always did, in line with Bach, Mozart and mainly Beethoven's heritage. The title 'Di Tre Re", technical rather than psycho logic, seems to insist on this point. In my modest opinion, this dark music is a great symphony of a great composer. Our contemporary time would have to gain by listening to Honegger's music and the implicit message which it brings to us.
Honegger.....when i first heard his piece JOAN OF ARC...i knew i had discovered someone special. This work is thought provoking, sombre, haunting....Thank you Wellesz Theatre.
Klare und gut artikulierte Aufführung dieser logisch komponierten Sinfonie mit präzis kontrollierten Töne aller Instrumente. Der geniale Maestro dirigiert das hoch funktionelle Orchester im perfekt analysierten Tempo mit sorgfältig kontrollierter Dynamik. Ausgezeichnet!
The opening of this first movement is a great example of mirror writing: from the opening d minor chord, each note of the chord has two components which move not only in contrary motion, but in equal intervals, and this is maintained for about 30 bars. I wish A.H.'s pieces would get more performances. I was lucky to have friends who introduced me to this stuff (those Serge Baudo / Czech Phil. recordings) when I was still in high school...and then that Berlin / Karajan disc a couple of decades later was another revelation. Anybody else hear shadows of the West Side Story signature in the last movement of this symphony?
Very powerful work, dark, wise and inspiring... I like it even more than his 3rd symphony. The performance is also great, better than Dutoit's. Thank you, TheWelleszTheatre!
The ambivalent ending makes the symphony even more emotionally draining, after the brooding central section of the second movement and violence of the outer movements. It can reasonably be argued that Honegger was the greatest symphonist of the 20th century.
Why don't posters include the artists? Anyway, I much prefer the Markevich /Lamoureaux performance. H. called it Di Tre. Re, Italian for the three D's, musical keys. He felt that after the Beethoven 5 the no one had the right to Call his 5th simply 5th. I like the beeth ,5th of course but will take this one. Right up there with. the Bruckner , Mahler and Sibelius.
I originally heard this, in the mid-'60s, conducted by Igor Markevitch, on LP, and fell in love with the drama of it, and the way Honegger makes dissonance work to support, not undercut, coherence: like Prokoviev and Bartok. Since then I've heard at least two other recorded performances, and bought one, which seemed unsatisfactory. Finally I bought a rerelease of the Markevitch on CD. This is the first time I've heard this performance, and I think it even better: wonderful clarity, dynamics, and phrasing, to convey even better the coherence and the emotional impact of this work.
The post WW2 years of Arthur Honegger were marked both by a fatal diésasse which caused him many troubles and premature death, and a deep pessimism about man and his future. He was not an atheist, so he considered that this ws just the result of human stupidity, egoism, bureaucracy, etc... This brought him o write harsh scores during that period. In happier times, his langage was dissonant, but sounded positive (his dissonances were consonant, told Ansermet). During this last period, he nevertheless wrote some scores were light penetrated, either by their deep meaning (Christmas Cantata) or dimply by musical writing (concertino for flute, English horn and strings). But in this last symphony, he expresses quite dark feelings (in spite of the lighter beginning of the second movement) while keeping a strict control an a rigorous architecture, as he always did, in line with Bach, Mozart and mainly Beethoven's heritage. The title 'Di Tre Re", technical rather than psycho logic, seems to insist on this point. In my modest opinion, this dark music is a great symphony of a great composer. Our contemporary time would have to gain by listening to Honegger's music and the implicit message which it brings to us.
One of the finest works ever composed.
Honegger.....when i first heard his piece JOAN OF ARC...i knew i had discovered someone special. This work is thought provoking, sombre, haunting....Thank you Wellesz Theatre.
Jeanne d'Arc is indeed outstanding.
Honegger and Hindemith almost never heard on radio.
Klare und gut artikulierte Aufführung dieser logisch komponierten Sinfonie mit präzis kontrollierten Töne aller Instrumente. Der geniale Maestro dirigiert das hoch funktionelle Orchester im perfekt analysierten Tempo mit sorgfältig kontrollierter Dynamik. Ausgezeichnet!
The first music of Honegger I had heard after Pacific 231. So excellent!
The opening of this first movement is a great example of mirror writing: from the opening d minor chord, each note of the chord has two components which move not only in contrary motion, but in equal intervals, and this is maintained for about 30 bars. I wish A.H.'s pieces would get more performances. I was lucky to have friends who introduced me to this stuff (those Serge Baudo / Czech Phil. recordings) when I was still in high school...and then that Berlin / Karajan disc a couple of decades later was another revelation. Anybody else hear shadows of the West Side Story signature in the last movement of this symphony?
Very powerful work, dark, wise and inspiring... I like it even more than his 3rd symphony. The performance is also great, better than Dutoit's. Thank you, TheWelleszTheatre!
Something of this darkness you find in the concerto for double orchestra, piano and timpani of Boruslav Martinu (1938).
I find Baudo and the Czech Phil is the most tragic and moving performance for me.
The ambivalent ending makes the symphony even more emotionally draining, after the brooding central section of the second movement and violence of the outer movements. It can reasonably be argued that Honegger was the greatest symphonist of the 20th century.
Maravillosa obra!!!!!!
Such a masterpiece. And yet they play Mozart all the time...
Why don't posters include the artists?
Anyway, I much prefer the Markevich
/Lamoureaux performance.
H. called it Di Tre. Re, Italian for the three D's, musical keys. He felt that after the Beethoven 5 the no one had the right to Call his 5th simply 5th.
I like the beeth ,5th of course but will take this one. Right up there with. the Bruckner
, Mahler and Sibelius.
Sounds like Rautavaara.