First off, excuse me, but it hasn't been 120 days since this thread was up, right? I thought,...ah,...oh, well, BUTtt!!!...
FINALLY!!
After many years, and even many more, and also in consideration of the scarcity of these pieces, I finally got the
Honegger SQs 1-3/Erato Qrt. (Ermitage). Well, I don't know how many of you out there are familiar with them, but, I'm going to give all three an,... are ya ready?,...ah?,...YES!!!,...UNQUALIFIED MASTERPIECES in all capitals, fer sher!
The library has 2, maybe three of
Honegger Complete Chamber Music on Timpani, but never have I heard the SQs. And, since Honegger became my, oh how do you say it?.... nizzle? hearing these has always been there, though Amazon has been dry of the Timpani SQs (Ludwig), and the Erato, in two different guises (Ermitage with the pic of the group on the cover, and Aura, with abstract painting, and I say, must they not be the same performance???), the Erato has been very expensive (currenty @$40). I thought I paid a hefty @22, but, I will tell you
GOD, in Jesus' name,... I will say yay, prompted me to bid $22 and I tell you I wouldn't have gotten it for less at the last second, so, Praise the Lord, haha! (where's the angel smilee???
) I know it's a total deal, but I was not expecting to pay the full, so when I "heard" the number, I gladly submitted. I DO NOT RECOMMEND tempting the Lord, however,... I'm just sayin'.
Don't Diner me!
So, therefore, with greatest anticipation did I receive yon mail the other day. Ohhh, the cover, ahhh, the spine. We go for
No.2 first. and
I am hearing for the first time the very closest thing to
Szymanowski's first mvmts. of both of his SQs, that ecstatic, longing, plus,... and that's not all folks, but the best in
Janacek, Bartok, Hindemith, Prokofiev, and the like (
Pijper, especially), the very cream of early-mid 20th century SQ literature, it's all there in there in the first two mvmts. of this three mvmt. work. For me, the finale was a wee bit of a let down after the incredible first two mvmts., seeming not as focused, as if from another SQ, but, I'm warming to Honegger's choice,... right! No, this SQ shot right up into an already bulging core of masterpieces that I thought had seen it's last new member (though, also this year,
Novak No.3 ). For those of you who haven't heard, I'll just let you drool, but the first two mvmts. are, I'll say it, transcendental Honegger.
I know I can ramble on, but trust me, I could go on about this music!
No.3, to my surprise, was quite different. Though only written a year after No. 2 (1937),...whoop!, there's that year again!!!,... anyhow, all of the melodic appeal of No.2 is gone, and here we have a quasi Hindemithian sounding concentration (Hindemith in uber serious mode), but also Pijper really comes to mind here in the melodic/cellular-type curve appeal. It is a working out of motives SQ, as opposed to No.2's more overt lyricism. On the surface I didn't like No.3 immediately as much as No.2, but it's homogeny and concentration are more intellectually appealling. No.3 is probably Honegger's greatest chamber work,... (thinking, thinking)... but I'd perhaps like to say the combination of the two, because they make such an excellently contrasted pair.
So, after this most delightful discovery, I made to No.1, written in 1917, in another good cluster vintage when
Milhaud, Koechlin, Martinu, and such like were writing their first essays. The teen years up to 1919 are one of my favorite eras, and let me say, that I was immediately struck by Honegger's first big, great piece. I'd looove to go into some detail about the time, but, anyhow, the SQ No.1 starts of in full turmoil of motif, a Tempest, if one may, and really is put together well. The notes remind that this is the ONLY? (SQ?, any?) French music which is obviously influenced by
Reger, and the such like. I'm not that familiar with the
Magnard, but, I do trust that Magnard and Honegger, though both more Germanic leaning, don't sound that much alike.
After the turbulent first mvmt., the 15min slow mvmt. really is a wonder,... yea, 15mins!,... even Honegger thought hist first SQ was long (he didn't say which part, heehee),...but, no, as far as Honegger slow mvmts. go, it is certainly the masterpiece of his youth,... the seeking searching serious man, the poor man's Beethoven, haha. I do believe I just gave away quite the jewel of the crown here, but in the panoply of composers who wrote one SQ early, and then returned later, mature, and there are tons before 1919, this Honegger work must be considered very very highly, I think. I really don't want to compare to early
Myaskovsky, eh, mmm, eh, but there is a certain sameness of serious purpose, oh those serious boys!
In the finale we can hear the seeds of future Honegger allegros. I said, Oy!, there you are! I can't place it, but it's there, haha! This might be my fav finale of the three, though, since No.3 is so different, they can co-chair.
As to the production, all I can say is that the Erato play with undoubted passion, which is quite on display everywhere, from the Edgar Allan Poe of No.1, to the soaring surreality of No.2, to the zip-it/shut-up, rigorous concentration of No.3. I can't imagine how the Ludwig on Timpani could be much better, though it would be quite the match-up, no? Mmmm...yes! The 1992 recording cushions Honegger's sometimes harsh sonorities for an excellent listening experience, immediate and full, yet just enough away to congeal in warmth.
I've gotta tell ya, I've listened to this cd twice whilst writing. These mvmts. go by pretty fast, wow! Well, for any Honeggerian, this is a great moment, and I just hope someone gets the fire. Like I said, if you've wondered about them, they are truly in the same class as your favs. I was very very surprised; I was not expecting Honegger to show this particular type of depth in these pieces, but he certainly appears to have lavished some attention on them. All I can say is, they're perfect. Honestly, with my personal history with Honegger, this is quite a day. I proclaim it National Honegger Appreciation Day, buh-buh!!
I feel a Honegger Love Fest coming on!
