HONEGGER : Symphonies Nos. 1-5; Pacific 231 (Michel Plasson) 2CD (2003) APE (image+.cue), lossless

Taken together, Arthur Honegger's five symphonies and Pacific 231 form a compelling portrait of the man and his rugged style, clearly at odds with the studied elegance of his witty companions in Les Six. In the first three symphonies, Honegger's seriousness is communicated through rhythmically propelled melodies, biting dissonances, and vigorous counterpoint, and his block-like orchestration is calculated more for impact than for nuance. Honegger alternates between muscular developments and searching meditations, and the combative Symphony No. 1 and the uneasy Symphony No. 2 effectively play off these contrasts. A reverent tone dominates the Symphony No. 3, for orchestra, "Liturgique," but its religious feeling is born of doubt and conflict, as conveyed in the work's brutal episodes. The pastoral Symphony No. 4, "Deliciae Basilienses," and the sober Symphony No. 5, "Di tre re," are more varied in their orchestration and expression, and reveal a more relaxed Honegger. The mechanistic Pacific 231, a tour de force of tone painting, returns to the pugnacious mood of the set's opening work. This double disc restores to the catalog the fine recordings made by Michel Plasson and the Orchestre National du Capitole de Toulouse from 1977 to 1979, digitally mastered in 1992. The sound is a little flat on the first disc, but is transparent and vivid on the second. by Blair Sanderson
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