Beethoven: Symphony No. 6; Stucky: Silent Spring

by Manfred Honeck, Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra

Overview

Conductor Manfred Honeck has had the kind of tenure with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra that's rare these days, and he has molded the orchestra into an instrument that can keep up with his more unorthodox ideas. Honeck's cycle of Beethoven symphonies, all beautifully recorded live at Pittsburgh's Heinz Hall, in no way follows well-established paths for these works, and in addition, he generally fills out the program with a second work that is relevant in some way. Here, that is an inspired choice: Steven Stucky's Silent Spring is a four-movement work commissioned in 2011 to mark the 50th anniversary of Rachel Carson's environmental classic, and its chilling ending, receding into silence, puts a new perspective on what might be called Beethoven's environmental symphony, the Symphony No. 6 in F major, Op. 68 ("Pastoral"). The Beethoven itself will not be to all tastes, but it's not dull in the least. Honeck takes some liberties with the score, having his orchestra members stamp their feet (lightly) in the peasant dance in the third movement, adding ponticello effects in the cellos in the fourth movement, and generally playing fast and loose with what's notated by Beethoven in terms of dynamics and accents. He justifies everything in an unusually detailed booklet note, and he doesn't go beyond anything a conductor like Mahler might have done (except for the foot-stamping), but some listeners will be left wondering whether devices more intrinsic to the written score might have been used to achieve similar ends. Honeck takes fairly brisk tempos and keeps a strong sense of forward motion without losing pictorial details, and his reading should generally be a crowd-pleaser. At any rate, devising fresh interpretations of Beethoven's symphonies is no easy matter by this time, and Honeck deserves credit for risk-taking. ~ James Manheim

Product Details

Release Date:	06/10/2022
Label:	Reference Recordings
UPC:	0030911274726
Rank:	10245

Tracks

1. Symphony No. 6 Pastoral~I. Awakening of cheerful feelings on arriving in the country: Allegro ma non troppo
2. Symphony No. 6 Pastoral~II. Scene by the brook: Andante molto mosso
3. Symphony No. 6 Pastoral~III. Merry Assembly of country folk: Allegro
4. Symphony No. 6 Pastoral~IV. Thunderstorm: Allegro
5. Symphony No. 6 Pastoral~V. Shepherd¿¿¿s Song ¿¿¿ Benevolent feelings of thanksgiving to the deity after the storm: Allegretto
6. Silent Spring~I. The Sea Around Us
7. Silent Spring~II. The Lost Woods
8. Silent Spring~III. Rivers of Death
9. Silent Spring~IV. Silent Spring

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Manfred Honeck   Primary Artist,Conductor
Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra   Primary Artist,Orchestra

Technical Credits

John Karapandi   Stage Technician
Julie Goetz   Editing
Ed Dearmitt   Photography
Brian Hughes   Art Direction,Cover Design
Mary Persin   Coordination,Editing
Ron Esposito   Stage Technician
Dirk Sobotka   Recording Producer,Technical Notes,Editing
Steven Stucky   Liner Notes,Composer
Manfred Honeck   Liner Notes
Todd Rosenberg   Photography
Mark Donahue   Balance Engineer,Technical Notes,Mastering,Mixing
Ludwig van Beethoven   Composer
Paul Selvaggio   Photography