Arthur Honegger (1892-1955)

Started by vandermolen, August 31, 2007, 12:43:08 AM

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vandermolen

Quote from: Herman on November 11, 2020, 01:47:47 AM
I would love to be at a recital with a good string quartet performing Honegger's SQ nr 3.

Don't know it - must track it down!
"Courage is going from failure to failure without losing enthusiasm" (Churchill).

'The test of a work of art is, in the end, our affection for it, not our ability to explain why it is good' (Stanley Kubrick).

Roasted Swan

I was trying to track down some comparative versions of the 3 Movements Symphonique.  I was quite surprised how rare as a coupling it is to find them together on a single disc but it makes good and interesting sense.  I picked up this disc quite cheaply;



which I had completely missed - somehow the combination of artists and label didn't particularly entice.  My loss and mistake - this is really excellent in every regard and the performance of the Liturgique is thrilling and compelling too - played with real commitment and virtuosity and very well recorded.  Definitely a disc Honegger admirers should hear....

vandermolen

Quote from: Roasted Swan on January 13, 2021, 11:37:22 PM
I was trying to track down some comparative versions of the 3 Movements Symphonique.  I was quite surprised how rare as a coupling it is to find them together on a single disc but it makes good and interesting sense.  I picked up this disc quite cheaply;



which I had completely missed - somehow the combination of artists and label didn't particularly entice.  My loss and mistake - this is really excellent in every regard and the performance of the Liturgique is thrilling and compelling too - played with real commitment and virtuosity and very well recorded.  Definitely a disc Honegger admirers should hear....
Yes, I agree. That's a fine disc with a great combination of works and a thrilling performance of the 'Liturgique' from the NZSO.
"Courage is going from failure to failure without losing enthusiasm" (Churchill).

'The test of a work of art is, in the end, our affection for it, not our ability to explain why it is good' (Stanley Kubrick).

Cato

I thought I had mentioned this wonderful composition on an earlier page, but cannot find it right it now:


https://www.youtube.com/v/Wsz_UZGnMG4



For the String Quartet #3:

https://www.youtube.com/v/jpT_I8tjxbQ

"Meet Miss Ruth Sherwood, from Columbus, Ohio, the Middle of the Universe!"

- Brian Aherne introducing Rosalind Russell in  My Sister Eileen (1942)

Mirror Image

Quote from: Cato on February 06, 2021, 06:05:44 AM
I thought I had mentioned this wonderful composition on an earlier page, but cannot find it right it now:


https://www.youtube.com/v/Wsz_UZGnMG4



For the String Quartet #3:

https://www.youtube.com/v/jpT_I8tjxbQ

Two great works, Cato. I quite like Honegger's SQs (the 2nd SQ probably being my favorite of the three).

vandermolen

#345
I have been enjoying this finely performed and recorded (a bit less urgency than Ansermet) eloquent version of Symphony No.4 'Delights of Basel'. Haven't listened to No.2 yet.
An Amazon review, translated from Japanese reports that 'The CD storage box is adorable'. I have to agree  8)

"Courage is going from failure to failure without losing enthusiasm" (Churchill).

'The test of a work of art is, in the end, our affection for it, not our ability to explain why it is good' (Stanley Kubrick).

kyjo

Does anyone know if there are any recordings of Le roi David without the narration? There's some really great, fascinating music in that score, but it's annoying to me to have it so frequently interrupted by the narration.
"Music is enough for a lifetime, but a lifetime is not enough for music" - Sergei Rachmaninoff

Mirror Image

Quote from: kyjo on January 26, 2022, 07:36:08 AM
Does anyone know if there are any recordings of Le roi David without the narration? There's some really great, fascinating music in that score, but it's annoying to me to have it so frequently interrupted by the narration.

Not to my knowledge, Kyle. I like Le Roi David, but I always wished Honegger would drop the narration in many of these larger works.

kyjo

Cross-posted from the "blown away" thread:

Honegger: Sonatina for Violin and Cello (Christian Teztlaff/Christian Poltera)



Generally speaking, Honegger's works can be divided into two groups: the "dark/serious/dissonant" side (Symphonies 2, 3, and 5) and the "elegant/pastoral/insouciant/lyrical" side (Cello Concerto, Symphony 4, Pastorale d'ete). This delightful, expertly crafted work falls into the latter category, and is an immensely valuable contribution to the rather limited literature for violin and cello duo. The rustic, life-affirmingly diatonic melodies of the first movement brought joy to my soul! The slow movement is an oasis of calm with a witty middle section, and the finale is playful romp complete with virtuosic, "gypsy"-like cadenzas for both instruments. Absolutely essential listening for Honeggerians!!
"Music is enough for a lifetime, but a lifetime is not enough for music" - Sergei Rachmaninoff

Mirror Image

Quote from: kyjo on January 26, 2022, 06:10:00 PM
Cross-posted from the "blown away" thread:

Honegger: Sonatina for Violin and Cello (Christian Teztlaff/Christian Poltera)



Generally speaking, Honegger's works can be divided into two groups: the "dark/serious/dissonant" side (Symphonies 2, 3, and 5) and the "elegant/pastoral/insouciant/lyrical" side (Cello Concerto, Symphony 4, Pastorale d'ete). This delightful, expertly crafted work falls into the latter category, and is an immensely valuable contribution to the rather limited literature for violin and cello duo. The rustic, life-affirmingly diatonic melodies of the first movement brought joy to my soul! The slow movement is an oasis of calm with a witty middle section, and the finale is playful romp complete with virtuosic, "gypsy"-like cadenzas for both instruments. Absolutely essential listening for Honeggerians!!

This is an outstanding recording, Kyle. All of the works are top-drawer Honegger.

kyjo

Quote from: Mirror Image on January 26, 2022, 07:08:19 PM
This is an outstanding recording, Kyle. All of the works are top-drawer Honegger.

+1 The alternately pastoral and jazzy/neoclassical Cello Concerto (is there anything more beautiful than that opening?) is one of my favorite works in the genre, and the Cello Sonata is a dark, turbulent work with a particularly witty ending.
"Music is enough for a lifetime, but a lifetime is not enough for music" - Sergei Rachmaninoff

Mirror Image

Quote from: kyjo on January 27, 2022, 07:52:13 AM
+1 The alternately pastoral and jazzy/neoclassical Cello Concerto (is there anything more beautiful than that opening?) is one of my favorite works in the genre, and the Cello Sonata is a dark, turbulent work with a particularly witty ending.

Absolutely! I wish more people were familiar with Honegger's chamber music. He wrote some outstanding music for the genre.

springrite

For some unknown reason, last night all my dreams were about Honegger! I met him for dinner. I listened to works I did not know he composed (like a violin sonatina, a string quartet, and were backstage (not in the audience) for a performance of Joan of Arc, after which I obtained lots of score of music I did not know from him.

So the first thing I did this morning was to listen to Roi David!
Do what I must do, and let what must happen happen.

Mirror Image

Quote from: springrite on January 28, 2022, 08:28:04 AM
For some unknown reason, last night all my dreams were about Honegger! I met him for dinner. I listened to works I did not know he composed (like a violin sonatina, a string quartet, and were backstage (not in the audience) for a performance of Joan of Arc, after which I obtained lots of score of music I did not know from him.

So the first thing I did this morning was to listen to Roi David!

A rather pleasant dream, indeed, Paul.   :)

71 dB

I have always seen Honegger as an "unnecessary" composer. Those composers too many to explore in just one lifetime. Nowadays I feel even more this way as I struggle to enjoy classical music the way I did long ago. I have some ideas what's the problem, but even if I can fix it we are talking about something that will take years. I certainly envy people who have managed to keep their enthusiasm of classical music up for decades. It seems for me it was a 5 years long run 1997-2002 after which it has been downhill with occational moments of excitement such as discovering contemporary classical music a few years ago. I fear I have already discovered most of what there is to discover... ...how many Elgars can there be? It seems like only one and I discovered him quarter of a century ago! Sure, Weinberg was a great discovery about 10 years ago (?), but this kind of discoveries are becoming few and far between at this point...

Everyone should listen to music that they connect with, music that they enjoy. For me this music has been recently non-classical: Especially Tangerine Dream and Air Supply. So some reason I connect with their music really well at the moment while struggling with classical music. It is not dislike. It is that the enjoyment is weak. Classical music doesn't overwhelm my guts it used to 20-25 years ago when it was all new and exciting for me. I also think it is about not knowing what kind of classical music would work right now. Should I be listening to Fauré's Nocturnes? Vivaldi's Concertos perhaps? Or Puccini's Turandot? There is just too much to choose from. It is so much easier to just listen to some Tangerine Dream and be done with it...

I don't like exploring composers because other people indicate I should do so. The best way to enjoy exploring music is to hear "accidentally" something that blowns you away and then You start exploring that as your OWN thing. I liked that aspect of classical music exploration in the beginning of my classical music journey. Absolutely nobody told me to explore Elgar!! I was blown away by Enigma Variations I heard on radio and I started exploring Elgar on my own. Then the influence of internet started to mess things up and I didn't understand what is happening. Now years and years later I have come to understand this.

So, if I one day hear something from Honegger that blows me away, I will explore him further, on my own terms so that I actually enjoy the process. Meanwhile I am busy working to re-connect with the classical music I already know.  :P
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Mirror Image

Well, thanks for stopping by, Poju. ::) One doesn't have to explore every composer under the sun. One only has to enjoy the journey.

71 dB

I listened to Naxos 8.555974 on Spotify and I was pleasantly surprised.  I didn't expect liking Honegger this much. It is like Gerald Finzi on steroids.  8)
Spatial distortion is a serious problem deteriorating headphone listening.
Crossfeeders reduce spatial distortion and make the sound more natural
and less tiresome in headphone listening.

My Sound Cloud page <-- NEW Jan. 2024 "Harpeggiator"

foxandpeng

Quote from: Mirror Image on January 31, 2022, 05:50:55 AM
Well, thanks for stopping by, Poju. ::) One doesn't have to explore every composer under the sun. One only has to enjoy the journey.

Wise words
"A quiet secluded life in the country, with the possibility of being useful to people ... then work which one hopes may be of some use; then rest, nature, books, music, love for one's neighbour — such is my idea of happiness"

Tolstoy

Mirror Image


springrite

Quote from: Mirror Image on January 31, 2022, 10:59:14 AM
Thanks! In my former life, I was a sage. ;)

You still are, just in better disguise!
Do what I must do, and let what must happen happen.