Manfred Honeck and the legendary Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra are on tour across Europe. Music&Arts Networks met Manfred Honeck. 

You are from a very musical family. You have been yourself player in the Vienna Philharmonic orchestra, the most “traditional” orchestra in the world. Does the concept of “tradition” still make sense in 2016? Do you consider yourself as a Vienna conductor?

Tradition as an Austrian conductor is very essential. One cannot avoid to precisely study the compositions from Vienna composers (first and second Viennese school) who lived and composed in Vienna and for Vienna.

But repertoire is of course huge and also beyond Vienna composers. I cannot and do not want to eliminate composers like Debussy or Ravel for example.

But I am also a traditionalist and want to study works by Mahler and Bruckner and their Austrian folklore roots. As an Austrian conductor I am very interested in the way those works were played in those days. And of course I also love this Austrian music.

The Pittsburgh Orchestra is one of the most prestigious orchestra in the US. The names of the music directors are very prestigious. What makes the strength of the PSO?

Brilliance and energy, both offered by the PSO, is big joy for me. Many orchestras have developed in such a professional way, and globalism, which I actually support, can be dangerous for orchestras, because they can easily become exchangeable. The PSO has still a very unique sound of its own and a will for accuracy, that is very special. The orchestra is flexible with the works they are supposed to play. It is able to adjust to the requested sound and repertoire. And they have played a lot of different works within the last years.

How do you work on the orchestra’s repertoire? And programming?

To create a program always has something to do with the necessities and actualities of each season. One has to avoid doublings. So we create a three year program with the PSO, so that Beethoven’s 5 symphony for example will not be played each season, but only every other or every third year. There has to be an interesting and smart combination of  popular and also new repertoire.

My own wishes as conductor are of course important (back to my Austrian roots + rarities + works that train the orchestra like Bruckner symphonies).

So there should be a healthy balance between what is good for the orchestra sound, what the institution requires and what my personal choices would be.

I have heard that you have your own orchestra materials with your own annotations? Is it true?

Yes, that is true. These annotations are very important. Each orchestra member receives music sheets with my notes for interpretation, so that we all can start rehearsing with the music right away and not discuss these interpretation issues.

During this European tour 2016, you’ll conduct your own arrangement of Elektra by Richard Strauss. What pushed you in this adventure to arrange this symphonic suite?

The promoter in Brussels was very interested in the Elektra suite that I arranged and just recently finished, because there has surprisingly not been a suite with this opera material before. Elektra is the most symphonic opera by Richard Strauss in my opinion. In Brussels it will be the premiere of this arrangement / piece. It is great symphonic music and should not be withheld from the concert visitor. That is the reason why I worked on this and I am very grateful that the Strauss heirs have allowed this.

It has also been a challenge to downsize this huge opera orchestra cast to a slightly smaller one for our symphonic cast.

You will also conduct  Haydn’s symphony. Can symphony orchestra with a great tradition still perform Haydn in 2016?

Of course. And it is a pity that not every orchestra likes to play Haydn nowadays. My way to let the PSO play Haydn has been influenced by Nikolaus Harnoncourt and his  historically informed performance. I will not present Haydn in a romantic tradition with huge orchestra. Although we do not need historical instruments, the historical way to play it is very important.

Is this your sixth tour with the orchestra of Pittsburgh in Europe? While the economic crisis is hitting many American orchestras, the PSO seems to be in excellent health? What is the secret of such success?

There has always been a huge demand for the PSO to go on tour. For example this has already been the case with Mariss Jansons. Many sponsors and donors love to support this idea. Of course economy can change and nobody knows how it is going to develop, but those people who like to support us financially realize that the PSO is worth to be supported.

In 19 days, you will conduct 14 concerts?  Is it  physically challenging for a conductor?

Of course we have also breaks in between, but yes: travelling can be tiring. But the orchestra is used to this, our musicians are not overextended.

When being on stage, everyone is giving his/her best, there is no tiredness, there is incredible energy. This is an extraordinary quality of the orchestra to take on this responsibility. It works very well.

More about Manfred Honeck and the Pittisburgh Symphony Orchestra : http://pittsburghsymphony.org

Pierre-Jean Tribot. CR pictures : Felix Broede