“Honeck was a model of farsighted musical intelligence and no-nonsense command. For years he served as a violinist with the Vienna Philharmonic and his experience there showed in the singing warmth of string sound he elicited from the CSO players in all three works. There's a palpable sense of purpose behind his musical choices, and everything he achieves he does so with the utmost clarity and directness. … Honeck has strong ideas about [Tchaikovsky's Sixth Symphony], and his blazing performance placed a high premium on emotional subtext, vividly projected. The first three movements he treated rather like an extended introduction to the despair and tragedy of the finale, with the 5/4 waltz of the Allegro con grazia and the third-movement march moving along as fast as one has ever heard them taken. When the finale arrived, the effect was devastating, but without feeling lugubrious. The orchestra played very well for Honeck, the full-throated low brass as darkly Russian as one could have wanted.” —John von Rhein, Chicago Tribune
Labels: Chicago Tribune, Manfred Honeck, TchaikovskyDvorak