Petrassi - Secondo Concerto; Honegger - Symphony nr. 4

I've been listening patiently to Petrassi's Secondo Concerto per Orchestra, a composition from 1951. The music is not that difficult but it does show a certain measure of abstraction and hence it takes a while to get a feel for the overall structure. The idiom clearly connects to the Primo Concerto, although the stance is somewhat less heroic. The work is also more transparently scored, and sounds more genuinely as a concerto for orchestra. Once you get into the music it is very atmospheric and Petrassi conjures some wonderful textures from the orchestra. The work it reminded me most strongly of is Honegger's Fourth Symphony, 'Deliciae Basilienses' (1946). Incidentally, both the Petrassi Concerto and the Honegger symphony were commissioned by Paul Sacher. This is a name that continues to pop up once one starts to dig into the neo-classical modernists' repertoire from 1930s to 1950s. The Honegger symphony is in a still more relaxed and narrative vein than the Concerto. But the airiness of the textures and the general harmonic feel do overlap a lot. It was a pleasure to relisten to the Honegger symphony in a truly excellent version by the Bournemouth Sinfonietta led by Tamas Vasary (another pianist-turned-conductor; recording is still available in the Chandos catalogue). Vasary's choice of tempo is just right and he coaxes beautiful playing from his wind soloists and trumpets, suffusing the work with a melancholy light and a bittersweet tone that is quite unique.