Bruckner and Bates: Orchestral Works (CD Review)

by Karl Nehring

Bruckner: Symphony No. 7 in E Major (1863, Edition Nowak); Bates: Resurrexit. Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra; Manfred Honeck, conductor. Reference Recordings FR-757SAC

Listening to Bruckner can be exhausting. That statement is not meant as a slight against its quality; in fact, it’s something of a compliment, for it is the very quality and intensity of the music – and yes, its length and oft-repetitious structure – that can make listening to it an exhausting experience. But exhausting in a positive, satiated way. Based on my experience of seeing his Symphony No. 7 performed in concert, it also seemed to be an exhausting piece for the orchestra to play, for when the last notes of the finale finally faded away (it was the closing piece on the evening’s program, which had opened with something much lighter, a cello concerto by Haydn) Cello Concerto, many of the musicians in the orchestra looked as though they had truly given it their all and had nothing left to give. Given the power and intensity these Pittsburgh players bring to their playing on this release, which was pulled together from live performances recorded over March 25-27, 2022, I would imagine there were more than a few exhausted-looking countenances.

 

As is his custom, Maestro Honeck provides extensive notes on the music, not only its history and context, but also his approach to performance. Honeck observes that “throughout the music, Bruckner takes special care to notate specific expressive directions, for example the markings of ‘solemn’ or ‘misterioso,’ words that on the surface perhaps seem to have more to do with feeling than tempo. I view these, however, as direct clues to the tempo character, not only defining the expressive intent, but also signaling tempo modifications that would have been understood as part of the sensibility of the time. It is interesting to note that over time, these conventions would later come to be stretched to an extreme, leading Gustav Mahler to provide even clearer artistic instructions to the musicians, such as ‘don’t drag’ or ‘short break like a breath.’ Ultimately, I believe that with Bruckner, a balance must be found in honoring the expressive intent hidden within the musical text rather than merely focusing on pure execution. Just as Anton Bruckner himself remarked, ‘… many important things are not noted in the score’ …”

Maestro Honeck leads his Pittsburgh forces in a powerful performance that is captured in convincing sonic splendor by the engineering team from Soundmirror, the Boston-based firm that Reference Recordings employs for its Pittsburgh sessions. Reference Recordings made its name based on its audiophile-quality sound (“Professor Johnson’s Astounding Sound Show”), so if they trust Soundmirror to record for them, you know that Soundmirror knows what they are doing. This is Bruckner played and recorded superbly. 

Mason Bates

Honeck likes to include music by contemporary composers on his Pittsburgh recordings; this time around, that contemporary composer is Philadelphia-born Mason Bates (b. 1977), whose Resurrexit was commissioned by the Pittsburgh Symphony in honor of Maestro Honeck’s 60^th birthday. It is an amazing piece, 11 minutes of spellbinding musical excitement. It opens with a quasi-Middle Eastern sound, developing with brass, percussion, ultimately building into Telarc-level bass drum explosions that underpin passages of controlled orchestral fury. It is one of the most remarkable orchestral compositions I have auditioned in years. Exhilarating! 

With a first-rate Bruckner Seventh, an exciting piece by Bates, audiophile sound, and extensive liner notes, this is a recording not to be missed. Besides this physical SACD (I auditioned the CD layer), it is also available on several of the major streaming services; in addition, it can be downloaded in a variety of high-resolution formats from the Reference Recordings website.