Arthur Honegger (1892-1955)

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

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Cato

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

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

Cato

Quote from: Cato on September 12, 2016, 04:38:23 PM
It looks like I will be cranking this up tomorrow!

https://www.youtube.com/v/88aPXb6UphA

Okay, so far I have endured c. 7 minutes of this.  The music - when I can concentrate on it - dovetails very nicely with the text, but...the spoken text is practically continuous, and the actor usually drowns out the music, or the music drowns him out, at which point he starts shouting.

Schoenberg's A Survivor From Warsaw has a similar conception, but for some reason it works better than the opening as performed here. 

I will keep listening: maybe the balance between actor(s) and the music becomes better.
"Meet Miss Ruth Sherwood, from Columbus, Ohio, the Middle of the Universe!"

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

jlaurson

Quote from: Cato on September 13, 2016, 06:46:48 AM

I will keep listening: maybe the balance between actor(s) and the music becomes better.

Oh gawd. I managed a little further, but the heckler-lady, in broad student-theater American, gave me the rest.

Cato

Quote from: jlaurson on September 13, 2016, 07:13:20 AM
Oh gawd. I managed a little further, but the heckler-lady, in broad student-theater American, gave me the rest.

Yes!  I have stuck with it off and on this morning, and the opening is not representative of the rest, which does have the play unaccompanied, with the music becoming more cantata-ish and more of a bridge between scenes.

Perhaps a suite without the play - or at least this performance! - would improve things! 
"Meet Miss Ruth Sherwood, from Columbus, Ohio, the Middle of the Universe!"

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

snyprrr

Quote from: Cato on September 13, 2016, 06:46:48 AM
Okay, so far I have endured c. 7 minutes of this.  The music - when I can concentrate on it - dovetails very nicely with the text, but...the spoken text is practically continuous, and the actor usually drowns out the music, or the music drowns him out, at which point he starts shouting.

Schoenberg's A Survivor From Warsaw has a similar conception, but for some reason it works better than the opening as performed here. 

I will keep listening: maybe the balance between actor(s) and the music becomes better.

I made one minute!!!!! :o :o :o :o :o

"theater speak", lol, so bad... I think it comes from saying the word "fabulous" too many times.

nathanb

I listened to about 10 minutes of it before hopping in the shower this morning, and I found it significantly more interesting than a lot of Honegger I know.

Cato

Quote from: nathanb on September 13, 2016, 10:12:39 AM
I listened to about 10 minutes of it before hopping in the shower this morning, and I found it significantly more interesting than a lot of Honegger I know.

Yes, as I mentioned above, the music underscores the play quite well, once things get going.

Quote from: snyprrr on September 13, 2016, 09:26:19 AM
I made one minute!!!!! :o :o :o :o :o

"theater speak", lol, so bad... I think it comes from saying the word "fabulous" too many times.

;)  Fast forward to the sections where one can hear the music alone!
"Meet Miss Ruth Sherwood, from Columbus, Ohio, the Middle of the Universe!"

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

snyprrr

Concertino

I just love Hongger's 'Concertino', for Piano and Orchestra, ten minutes of pure charm and wit. It has the effect of a mini-drama, with the piano running through different "scenes". This would be solidly in the 'Neo-Classical' camp, and I can't tell if Honegger is Composing, or Quoting, but the overall effect is of a jaunty car ride along the coast, perhaps, with a dinner and dancing scene. It's all quite delightful.

I prefer the Thibaudet/Dutoit simply for the finesse. Some have said it lack the "thing", but I've found other versions a bit more aggressive: this needs to be played as charmingly as it is on the Decca, which also comes with Francaix's equally charming but not quite as memorable 'Concertino', and the two Ravel Concertos.

Honegger's Cello Concerto, too, in as pastoral wonder of fields and sunny days. And then, finally, the flute/oboe 'Concerto de Camera', whose slow movement is one of my all time favorite. Maybe it's time?

Robert101

Quote from: snyprrr on June 16, 2017, 09:43:34 PM
Concertino

I just love Hongger's 'Concertino', for Piano and Orchestra, ten minutes of pure charm and wit. It has the effect of a mini-drama, with the piano running through different "scenes". This would be solidly in the 'Neo-Classical' camp, and I can't tell if Honegger is Composing, or Quoting, but the overall effect is of a jaunty car ride along the coast, perhaps, with a dinner and dancing scene. It's all quite delightful.

I prefer the Thibaudet/Dutoit simply for the finesse. Some have said it lack the "thing", but I've found other versions a bit more aggressive: this needs to be played as charmingly as it is on the Decca, which also comes with Francaix's equally charming but not quite as memorable 'Concertino', and the two Ravel Concertos.

Honegger's Cello Concerto, too, in as pastoral wonder of fields and sunny days. And then, finally, the flute/oboe 'Concerto de Camera', whose slow movement is one of my all time favorite. Maybe it's time?

I heard this live years ago and loved it. I enjoy his lighter works quite a bit. Also the rest ::).

snyprrr

Quote from: Robert101 on June 19, 2017, 08:36:40 AM
I heard this live years ago and loved it. I enjoy his lighter works quite a bit. Also the rest ::).

A lot of his minor works are as yet unrecorded. A whole album of selected 'Rare Works' would be welcome. I'd love to hear the 'Largo', or the 'Blues', or some of the other ultra rare pieces.

Almost took Symphony 5 with me today (Markevitch of course!).

vandermolen

Since Kyle and myself have been discussing Honegger on the Frank Bridge thread I thought I'd revive Arthur's own thread. I've just bought a very cheap second hand copy of Honegger's Cello Concerto with Julian Lloyd Weber playing. It's a charming work which I think I only heard on LP before.
"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

Quote from: vandermolen on September 30, 2017, 12:50:42 PM
Since Kyle and myself have been discussing Honegger on the Frank Bridge thread I thought I'd revive Arthur's own thread. I've just bought a very cheap second hand copy of Honegger's Cello Concerto with Julian Lloyd Weber playing. It's a charming work which I think I only heard on LP before.

Great piece! The opening is one of the most serenely beautiful passages of music I know - the chord progression reminds me of the moving Epilogue that closes Bax's Third Symphony, interestingly enough.
"Music is enough for a lifetime, but a lifetime is not enough for music" - Sergei Rachmaninoff

vandermolen

Quote from: kyjo on September 30, 2017, 01:03:55 PM
Great piece! The opening is one of the most serenely beautiful passages of music I know - the chord progression reminds me of the moving Epilogue that closes Bax's Third Symphony, interestingly enough.
I enjoy your comparative discussions Kyle! Bax's 3rd Symphony is another great favourite of mine so I'll look forward to making the Honegger Cello Concerto comparison. The other work which reminds me of Honegger's Third Symphony is Vaughan Williams's Symphony 6 although the extraordinary 'Epilogue' seems more nihilistic rather than redemptive to me. Having said that I think that Neville Marriner's recording invests the Epilogue with a warmth and compassion which I don't associate with other recordings.
"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).

vandermolen

#313
This is a stupendous recorded performance of Honegger's 'Litugique' Symphony (Dresden Philharmonic, Johannes Winkler, 1983). Possibly the greatest performance I have heard with a most beautifully lyrical and poetic closing Epilogue - there were moments which incongruously reminded me of 'A Pastoral Symphony' by Vaughan Williams. Up until now Karajan's DGG recording was in a class of its own far as I was concerned but this a valid alternative view of the work and I have rarely been as excited by a new recording of a work with which I am very familiar. It is unusually coupled with Nielsen's 5th Symphony. The performance of that (Berlin Symphony Orchestra, Gunter Herbig, 1966) is also very fine. By the way the CD I bought has a different cover (Eterna label) and was much cheaper than the current price on Amazon:
[asin]B0000267PQ[/asin]
"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).

Mirror Image

Better than HvK/Berliners, Jeffrey? Wow....it must be good.

Cato

Quote from: vandermolen on March 07, 2018, 03:39:11 AM
This is a stupendous recorded performance of Honegger's 'Litugique' Symphony (Dresden Philharmonic, Johannes Winkler, 1983). Possibly the greatest performance I have heard with a most beautifully lyrical and poetic closing Epilogue - there were moments which incongruously reminded me of 'A Pastoral Symphony' by Vaughan Williams. Up until now Karajan's DGG recording was in a class of its own far as I was concerned but this a valid alternative view of the work and I have rarely been as excited by a new recording of a work with which I am very familiar.

For those who can read German:

https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johannes_Winkler_(Dirigent)

It says that Winkler was born in East Germany in 1950, and died in a "tragic traffic accident" at age 39 in 1989.  I have never heard of him before, so, many thanks to Vandermolen!
"Meet Miss Ruth Sherwood, from Columbus, Ohio, the Middle of the Universe!"

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

vandermolen

Quote from: Mirror Image on March 07, 2018, 05:27:35 AM
Better than HvK/Berliners, Jeffrey? Wow....it must be good.
I'm not sure about 'better' John but more lyrical in the last movement. I wouldn't be without the HvK version but this is just as fine in a different way I think.
"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).

vandermolen

Quote from: Cato on March 07, 2018, 05:43:04 AM
For those who can read German:

https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johannes_Winkler_(Dirigent)

It says that Winkler was born in East Germany in 1950, and died in a "tragic traffic accident" at age 39 in 1989.  I have never heard of him before, so, many thanks to Vandermolen!
Oh, thank you Leo - that is very sad I must say. On the basis of the Honegger he was a very fine conductor. I hadn't heard of him before this either.
"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).

Mirror Image

Quote from: vandermolen on March 07, 2018, 06:19:47 AM
I'm not sure about 'better' John but more lyrical in the last movement. I wouldn't be without the HvK version but this is just as fine in a different way I think.

Excellent, Jeffrey. 8)

Maestro267

Picked up a recording of the five Symphonies today. I was very impressed with No. 1. Its calm ending brought to mind Copland's Appalachian Spring.