Episode 54: Manfred Honeck on Bruckner

Amid the plethora of Bruckner recordings released to mark the composer’s bicentenary this year, Manfred Honeck’s account of Symphony No. 7 with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra (coupled with a new commission by Mason Bates) stands out for what BBC Music Magazine described as the ‘high levels of synergy and mutual comprehension’ between conductor and orchestra as well as the sheer beauty of sound from each section.

Our guest contributor Rob Cowan spoke to Maestro Honeck last month about his long-standing relationship with Bruckner’s music, how his previous life as a viola-player informed his approach to the string sound, the influence of the countryside and religion on Bruckner’s musical imagination and much more…