“Anton Bruckner”, Pittsburgh Orchestra, Manfred Honeck

Each Honeck-Pittsburgh CD, so meticulously prepared, is an event. Of Bruckner, the conductor has already given us the 4^e And 9^e Symphonies. This Seventh is the antithesis of the Ninth by Poschner. The latter is worth it for its swarming and its surprises, while Honeck’s disc captivates by the absolute beauty of the orchestral playing and the perfect integration of all the parameters. We had been very severe on the 7^e Symphony by Rafael Payare in concert. At 1 minute 20, at the beginning of the symphony, Honeck’s approach explains our text exactly by perfectly illustrating what organic breathing is in Bruckner. It is not a question of tempo (which could be less weighted), but of language. Nourished by a deep culture, which is nestled in the detail of the polyphonic reading (3^e movement) as in the accuracy of the sounds (brass at the end of the 2^e movement!), this Seventh is the most beautiful since Abbado-Vienna. The CD is completed by Resurrexita spectacular work by Mason Bates.

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