Search - Honegger, Zinman, Tonhalle-Orchester Zurich :: Pacific 231 / Rugby / Symphony 2

Scrunchily sympathetic, sonically spacious

08/25/1999

(4 out of 5 stars)

"The Zurich Tonhalle has hardly been in general LP or CD circulation, so it's good to see them appearing on a major label. They have always been my favourite Swiss orchestra, and this disc confirms that they are currently in very good shape. The tone of the orchestra is just right for Honegger's scrunchy music, and Zinman conducts sympathetically. The performance of the 3rd Mouvement Symphonique is the best I have heard. The 2nd Symphony also comes over well, with some very fine playing by the Tonhalle strings. Karajan's Berlin version remains my favourite here, but Zinman provides a valid alternative. Perhaps Pacific 231 (rather oversold on the CD's cover, incidentally) is the weakest performance here, but this piece has been given somewhat wider coverage over the years. The sound quality in the difficult Tonhalle acoustic is very good, with clarity mixed in well with the hall's spaciousness. Unlike the Karajan, the trumpet is actually audible at the end of the symphony, without being overbearing. In my view, this is not a world-beating collection, but it is a fine introduction for anyone unfamiliar with the music and contains one piece (Monopartita) not otherwise recorded. For me, this is in the higher level of the 4-star rating."

First-class Honegger

Brett A. Kniess | Madison, WI | 12/12/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is a compendium of the great orchestral works by the French composer Arthur Honegger. His music is hard to describe, but it is all rather interesting. His most famous works include the three Mouvement Symphoniques included on this disk.



The first entitled Pacific 231 is amazing to me. Devoid of any real melodies, or perhaps even form, the music describes with great reality, the sounds, and feels even, of a large, at first lumbering, but later, speedy, train. The music isn't pretty, nor is it repugnant, but instead, it is what it is, a very visual depiction of a train. It begins slow, in the station, with sounds of steam, creaks, and squeals, with eventual emphasis in the lower tessitura instruments and percussion (tuba, contrabassoon, bass clarinet, etc.). As it speeds up, the rhythms divide, slowly increasing the pace of the train, maintaining the tempo of he work, adding instrumental elements; the work eventually ends in a clamor. I find the 6 minute piece to be one of the most fascinating works I have heard in a long time. The second Mouvement Symphonique is entitled after the sport Rugby, and Honegger lets you know how he feels about the game. From the whimsical opening orchestral flourish, sometimes the game is rough, messy, and musically dissonant, other times he shows the gracefulness of team strategy through sweeping melodic lines. I believe his intent is a positive one, and the music conveys that well. The third one has no particular program, but is simply entitled Mouvement Symphonique No. 3. After a short rising introduction, the strings relay a jumpy, nearly heroic theme that comes back later. The music is very aggressive and dissonant, and eventually calms down in the end, featuring an alto saxophone solo. The music of these pieces use dissonance to their advantage and are sparse with melodic material, but the music speaks for itself, one of great visual and musical diversity.



Honegger's Symphony for Strings, or his Second Symphony, is one of great angst and struggle. While there is a peaceful calm and simple melody at the opening, the allegro shortly dispels the peacefulness. The second movement throbs painfully over a soaring melody, a melody of strife. The burly final movement has great industriousness, and not until the trumpet enters at the end, is there any glimmer of hope. Honegger aggressively set the strings in a compound meter with occasional manic duple chords, but in a whirlwind, after the chorale with trumpet, the last movement settles all of a sudden on a chord of bliss. A highly modern sounding piece, it is not a-tonal, but one of great dissonance rooted in the tonal world.



In stark contrast is the Pastorale d'ete, and eight minute work of great radiance and warmth. Written for strings and solo horn, oboe, bassoon, clarinet, and flute, there is a Spanish sumptuousness to the opening, with a slightly exotic dance feeling, along with a radiant oboe/horn melody. Lush, with interjections of nature, this is Honegger not yet heard on the disk, highly pastoral and soothing. The middle section is an upbeat rural feast, but it all goes back to the opening material. A small treasure on the disk.



The Monopartita is almost a fantasy of all the different styles we hear from Honegger on this disk. In six sections, here is a diverse assortment of textures, themes, and orchestrations, it really is a potpourri of ideas, and a great representative of the Honegger "sound".



Rarely does one averagely known composer get a CD to himself (aside from his symphonies), and certainly not such a first-rate performance. David Zinman and the Tonhalle Orchestra of Zurich play the snot out of these pieces (sorry for the highly technical term). The music is approached with such knowledge and rigor, the disk is an immediate success all around. If you are unfamiliar with the works of Arthur Honegger, especially his symphonic literature, this is the one to have. Listen to the examples to make sure you like this sort of music, it is not for everyone, I must admit; I find it entirely interesting. The performances and music are excellent and easily recommendable."

Absolutely Brilliant

Mr. Allan K. Steel | Sydney, AUS | 10/21/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I have about 7 recordings of Sym 2 and this is probably the

best. Solo cello comes out very strongly at end of 2nd movement.



Other works are all great too: excellent performances and recording.



Great 20th C works which are often dark and dissonant.



Strongly recommended for anyone wanting to try out Honegger.



The Karajan recording which everyone raves about (mentioned in amazon review above) is OK, but this one is heaps better."