Honegger symphony cycles come and go, and this one has come and gone more than most. It’s back at a very reasonable price, and these are reasonably good performances. Michel Plasson and his orchestra lack the bite that the music ideally needs in the first three symphonies, and while the solo trumpet at the end of the Second Symphony is theoretically optional, its omission on a recording is a mistake. Snappier rhythms from the strings and a bit more bravura from the brass also would have served the music better. Still, Plasson sets lively tempos and keeps Honegger’s relentlessly contrapuntal textures clear.
He does particularly well in this respect in the First Symphony, a piece whose neglect is a mystery. Its bluesy slow movement and “Sorcerer’s Apprentice” march-finale contain some of the composer’s most appealing music. The best versions of these works remain Serge Baudo’s Supraphon recordings with the Czech Philharmonic, despite the slightly dated sonics–but if you have no other options, this will do. Certainly the strength of the music shines through any small inadequacies of performance.
