Honneger: Symphony No. 5; Symphony No. 3; Pacific 231

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
Arthur Honegger (1882-1955) was a member of the famous group of French composers-- influenced by Eric Satie's theories--called Les Six. Honegger's music, however, never followed any school or program. His Symphony 5, Di Tre Re, (1950) is a thoroughly modern update to the French symphony. His music is post-romantic with occasional elements of post-modernism thrown in. He wasn't afraid of the occasional modal clash. His Symphony 3 Liturgique (1946) is based on the Catholic liturgy, but contains many more dynamic elements, hardly liturgical at all. Pacific 231 describes a powerful train locomotive. The Chandos sound is absolutely spectacular. Recommended without hesitation. --Paul Cook

Tracks:

Symphony No. 5 'Di tre re': I Grave
Symphony No. 5 'Di tre re': II Allegretto - Adagio - Allegretto - Adagio - Allegretto
Symphony No. 5 'Di tre re': III Allegro marcato
Symphony No. 3 'Liturgique': I Dies Irae. Allegro marcato
Symphony No. 3 'Liturgique': II De profundis clamavi. Adagio
Symphony No. 3 'Liturgique': III Dona nobis pacem. Andante
Pacific 231: Modere - Rythmique

Amazon.com

Arthur Honegger (1882-1955) was a member of the famous group of French composers-- influenced by Eric Satie's theories--called Les Six. Honegger's music, however, never followed any school or program. His Symphony 5, Di Tre Re, (1950) is a thoroughly modern update to the French symphony. His music is post-romantic with occasional elements of post-modernism thrown in. He wasn't afraid of the occasional modal clash. His Symphony 3 Liturgique (1946) is based on the Catholic liturgy, but contains many more dynamic elements, hardly liturgical at all. Pacific 231 describes a powerful train locomotive. The Chandos sound is absolutely spectacular. Recommended without hesitation. --Paul Cook

Customer Reviews:

Shamefully Neglected 20th-Century Master.......2005-09-12

I dare anyone to listen to the expansive, hauntingly beautiful slow movement of Arthur Honegger's Symphony #3 (subtitled "Liturgique") and not feel that we are dealing with one of the unjustly neglected composers of the last century. Although often grouped with LES SIX (the iconoclastic group of composers in 1920's Paris responsible for breathing a lot of fresh air into music), Honegger had little in common with them. By his own admission he had "no taste for the fairground [or] the music hall", and preferred to write serious-minded orchestral music, chamber music, and oratorios.

Like its predecessor the Symphony #2 for strings and trumpet, the Symphony #3 has strong extra-musical associations, having been composed at the end of World War II when Honegger was absorbed in pessimistic thoughts about humanity's self-destructive tendencies. Each movement bears a Latin inscription from Catholic liturgy. The first movement, "Dies Irae", is appropriately explosive and harsh, full of striking sonorities and Stravinksy-like (eg. SYMPHONY IN 3 MOVEMENTS) in its block-like structures. In the stunning second movement, "De profundis clamavi", the lyric floodgates open as Honegger spins out an inexorable thread of melody through various harmonic changes like changing clouds. The final movement, "Dona nobis pacem", brings back the barbarism of the first (reflecting "the rise of collective stupidity") before dissolving into a final prayer-like Adagio in which the flute, representing the "dove of peace", hovers serenely above the orchestra.

The more slight Symphony #5 ("Di tre re") pales a bit incomparison with #3, though it offers some striking block-like polyharmonies and kinetic energy.

PACIFIC 231, a short tone poem for orchestra written in 1923, shows the younger, brash Honegger. This piece, with its startlingly realistic depictions of a steam locomotive, created a sensation and became emblematic of the Age of Steel.

Of the "French Six", only Francis Poulenc - once the clown of the group and later masterful composer of sacred music and songs - has survived in the repertory. Many listeners will see why I feel that Honegger needs a revival and deserves a more prominent place in the early modern pantheon. His music combines French sensibility with Germanic feel for "message" and personal expression. His symphonies are surely some of the most important in a century that produced few works in that august genre. Honegger's music needs to be heard, and the third symphony is a great place to start.

"Pacific 231" never sounded so good!.......2001-11-26

Arthur Honegger may have been the greatest composer of the "Les Six" group. Francis Poulenc was certainly easier to listen to, and he was brilliant in his own right. And Darius Milhaud, an instructor of big-name jazz musicians and Burt Bacharach, had an extraordinary command of counterpoint and a flawless sense of form. But there seems to be something more substantial about Honegger's music, for all its sternness and sometimes turgid texture. His music is hard to warm up to, but, believe me, it is worth the journey.

Speaking of journeys (and on the same train of thought), the "Pacific 231" performance contained on this CD is beyond faulting. The recording engineer has refrained from adding any artificial effects to the mix, especially during the chromatically-descending polytonal slow-down near the end--every wonderful, crashing note shines through. I live for this moment when I listen to this piece. I envision a deer on the tracks and frantic cries of "Stop the train!" ("Gunsmoke" marathons on TVLand are to blame, here.)

The symphonies, by contrast, are not crowd-pleasers. They are demanding, dissonant, and (often) dark works that unfold with a cold logic offset by melodic genius of the first order and huge helpings of humanity. Such a balance between warmth and austerity might be Honegger's most amazing achievement.

Track Listings:

Track Listings

track listings

Track Listings

Us (Dig)

Beethoven: Symphonies Nos. 3, 5, 6, 7

Black Appalachia: String Bands, Songsters And Hoedowns

The Loan

Lick 'em and Leave 'em [Explicit Lyrics]

Cheatin

Brand New Tennessee Waltz

Benjamin Britten: Variations on a Theme of Frank Bridge, Op. 10 / Simple Symphony, Op. 4 / Prelude & Fugue, Op. 29 - Richard Hickox

Basil for Nino

Bill Hardman [Import]

Amplified Heart

A Girl Like Me [CD-single] [Import]

Augustin Ramirez

Tunesmith

Order of Magnitude