BEETHOVEN: SYMPHONY NO. 9, Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, Manfred Honeck/ Reference Recordings SACD  The majority of the ten previous releases by Manfred Honeck and the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra for Reference Recordings Fresh! label have featured the music of composers most familiar to, and popular with, the concertgoing public – Beethoven, Dvorak, Tchaikovsky, Strauss, Bruckner et al. Inevitably, this has brought each of them into direct competition with a cornucopia of recordings from the past, all vying for attention by collectors. Nevertheless, the brilliance and charisma of Honeck’s conducting, his unique interpretive insights into the works he performs and the manner in which they are realised by the magnificent orchestra of which he has been Music Director for the past ten years, have resulted in each of these recordings moving effortlessly and justifiably into the select group of top recommendations for their respective repertoire. The icing on the cake, of course, has been the stunningly realistic sound quality consistently achieved by the Soundmirror recording team of engineer Mark Donahue and producer Dirk Sobotka. Their longtime familiarity with the acoustics of Heinz Hall, Pittsburgh and close collaboration with the conductor in matters of post-concert editing has ensured an enthralling experience for both audiophiles and those seeking great music making. A glance at his extensive discography indicates that Honeck has long been associated with the Austro-German repertoire that naturally places Beethoven at its core. His survey of the composer’s Symphonies for Reference Recordings has, so far, focused on the odd numbered works with outstanding accounts of symphonies 3, 5 and 7 to which this superb new recording of the Ninth can now be added. As has become customary with these Pittsburgh releases, Manfred Honeck has contributed an engagingly readable essay in the liner notes entitled “Beethoven a Musical Manifesto for all Time” in which he begins by giving a concise account of the origins of the Ninth Symphony. He then goes on to provide fascinating movement by movement details of the interpretive decisions he has made regarding, tempi, dynamics, phrasing etc. I suspect, for many of listeners, some of these nuances may go unnoticed, yet there is no doubt that collectively they contribute to the unequivocal integrity of Honeck’s performance. Honeck’s Beethoven as evinced from the previous releases is lithe and muscular; qualities that are at once evident in his incandescent account of the symphony’s opening movement. The conductor’s nod to period practice (violins divided antiphonally and timpani played with hard sticks) yields dividends throughout the performance while his control of dynamics in this movement is especially impressive. The scherzo that follows is bracingly energetic with marvellously crisp timpani at the fore, while the trio section, though taken at a rapid pace, is perfectly articulated by the excellent PSO woodwinds. As always, clarity and precision are a hallmark of Honeck’s performances. The slow movement – marked ‘Adagio Molto e Cantabile’– is exquisitely played and though Honeck’s swift tempo (with a timing of 12’.34” it is faster than some period performances!) may be of concern for some listeners, there is a natural and expressive unfolding of the long melodic lines and no lack of opulent lyricism in his shaping of the variations. The Finale generates plenty of anticipatory excitement in the opening orchestral recitatives and if perhaps bass-baritone Shenyang’s forthright delivery of “O Freunde, nicht diese Töne” sounds a touch strained at the start, he quickly settles down. The other three soloists, soprano Christina Landshamer, mezzo-soprano Jennifer Johnson Cano and tenor Werner Güra, do not disappoint while the large and well drilled chorus – the Mendelssohn Choir of Pittsburgh – sing Schiller’s ‘Ode to Joy’ with unbridled enthusiasm and excellent diction. The remarkable virtuosity displayed by the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra throughout is beyond praise, not least in the jubilant final bars of the symphony where the conductor tells us “Here, I have tried to go to the limit of playability” and he certainly succeeds! The recording was compiled from live performances given at Heinz Hall for the Performing Arts in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (June 6-9, 2019) and once again the Soundmirror engineering on this 5.0 multi-channel hybrid SACD is unimpeachable. As with most orchestras worldwide the devastating Covid-19 pandemic will have impacted on the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra’s future concert and recording schedules, but we are fortunate to be able to experience in wonderful high resolution sound this vibrant and electrifying account of Beethoven’s final symphonic masterpiece. Warmly recommended.

RACHMANINOV: THE BELLS, ÉTUDES-TABLEAUX (ORC. RESPIGHI), Dortmunder Philharmoniker, Gabriel Feltz/Dreyer Gaido SACD  This is the fourth SACD from Gabriel Feltz and his Dortmunder Philharmoniker released on the Dreyer Gaido label that features the music of Rachmaninov. The two performances recorded here were of live concerts given in the Konzerthaus Dortmund (February and November 2019). Rachmaninov considered his choral symphony ‘The Bells’ as the finest of all his works and yet performances of it in the concert hall and on disc are quite rare. Feltz’s account is extremely well paced and he shows admirable control over his large forces. Comparison with the Bychkov version reveals no great differences in their overall approach to the work. Feltz, like Bychkov, elicts wonderfully sensitive playing from his Dortmund orchestra in the second movement (Lento) and I marginally prefer his flowing tempo to Bychkov’s more measured one here. In the scherzo (Presto) that follows, both conductors drive the music forward to thrilling effect, but thanks to his urgent tempo, superb playing from the WDR Symphony Orchestra and more incisive attack from the chorus, Bychkov provides just that extra frisson. Honours are equally divided between the three soloists though the fine bass Luke Stoker for Feltz is much to be preferred to Bychkov’s rather coarse Vladimir Vaneev. Neither version provides the sung texts (inexcusable for a choral piece), but at least Dreyer Gaido does reproduce the text of the 1849 Edgar Allan Poe poem which was the inspiration for Rachmaninov’s composition. The recorded sound on the Dreyer Gaido SACD is natural rather than spectacular with a convincing concert hall perspective and soloists less forwardly balanced than for Bychkov. On balance though, the more vivid recording and crisper playing from the WDR Symphony on the Profil version makes that the one to have. The other work on this disc is is most welcome as it is the first recording in hi-res of Respighi’s Orchestration of five of Rachmaninov’s Études-Tableaux. In 1930 Rachmaninov received a proposal from Serge Koussevitzky that Ottorino Respighi be commissioned to orchestrate some of Rachmaninov’s solo piano pieces. Upon hearing of the commission, Rachmaninov enthusiastically embraced the idea and contacted Respighi to select the works to be orchestrated and discuss the character of each of the pieces with him. Rachmaninov’s selections for orchestration were from his two sets of Études-Tableaux, Opus 33 and 39 from which he chose five pieces. These were: No. 4 from Opus 33, and, Nos. 2, 6, 7 and 9 from Opus 39. Rachmaninov’s usual reluctance to reveal any extra-musical program for his études was waved on this occasion and in a letter to Respighi the composer provided his programmatic intentions for each of them. Respighi transcribed each of these études, for full orchestra with his customary brilliance and finesse. Little was changed in the structures of the original pieces. However, Respighi did change the order of the études and assigned them the programmatic titles Rachmaninov suggested in his letter: 1. The Sea and the Seagulls; 2. The Fair; 3. Funeral March; 4. Little Red Riding Hood and the Wolf; 5. March. Serge Koussevitzky conducted the Boston Symphony Orchestra for the premiere performance of Respighi’s orchestration on November 30, 1931.  Feltz and his orchestra give a splendid and characterful account of these pieces and the playing has considerable panache, so those seeking this particular coupling need not hesitate. It is, however, worth noting that a new SACD of Respighi Transcriptions that includes the Five Études-Tableaux is reviewed opposite by Barry Forshaw, the latest in what has been John Neschling’s outstanding Respighi survey. The vexed question of applause comes into play in both works. There is a gap of about five seconds following the sublime ending of ‘The Bells before the audience shows their respectful appreciation of the performance, whereas after the Études-Tableaux it is only a couple of seconds. It is fair to say that only those hypersensitive to applause on recordings will be concerned. Definitely recommended.

SHOSTAKOVICH: SYMPHONIES 5 & 9, Concerto Budapest, András Keller/Tacet SACD  Tacet’s unique approach to making recordings, in what they describe as ‘Real Surround Sound’, places the listener in the centre of the performance via the use of all the channels available on the SACD or Blu-ray carriers. This concept, particularly in both chamber and orchestral music, has yielded astonishing results, allowing details to be heard that would be lost in conventional seating of the performers. Even with a solo instrument the recreation of the hall acoustic, ambience and accurate positioning of the performer is quite remarkable. I very much enjoyed the recent Dvorak programme on this label from András Keller and Concerto Budapest so hoped that this new coupling of two Shostakovich symphonies recorded in the fine acoustic of the Italian Institute, Budapest in June 2019, a venue that has hosted many fine recordings in the past, would be as impressive in both musical and sonic terms. Keller’s account of the 9^th Symphony that is placed first on the disc is lively and very light on its feet. He elicits crisp playing from his orchestra in the circus high jinks of the two outer movements while his poignant account of the second movement (Moderato) allows appreciation of the fine woodwind section of Concerto Budapest. Thanks to the committed orchestra playing it is fair to say that in isolation Keller’s performance will not disappoint, but nor will it supplant the arguably more nuanced versions on SACD from Gergiev, Wigglesworth or Kreizberg and many others. An even greater task is presented for any conductor and orchestra hoping to challenge the finest versions from the vast competition available on disc in Shostakovich 5 – his most recorded symphony. The limp attack by the strings at the start of the symphony fails to create any tension though things do quickly improve and the lyrical passages that follow are most beautifully realised. As the movement progresses Keller’s brisk tempo for the main allegro is certainly exhilarating though the central march here sounds upbeat rather than conveying any sense of menace. The scherzo is deftly delivered and the orchestra give of their best in the tragic slow movement with string playing of luminous intensity. The performance really catches fire with the finale that opens at a cracking pace and builds impressively to its climactic closing pages, but overall I feel Keller’s interpretation is too soft-grained for this most iconic of Shostakovich symphonies. With a carefully set up surround hi-fi system Andreas Spreer’s 5.1 Real Surround Sound recording provides aural thrills aplenty in both works. The liner notes include diagrams of the orchestral layout used for each of the symphonies so listeners may check visually the accuracy of any adjustments they need or wish make to what they are hearing. In short, it must be acknowledged that the performances presented here, though certainly enjoyable, challenge few if any of the myriad choices for these two symphonies on disc in, spite of the excellence of the Tacet sonics.