Ricochet is the best place on the internet to discuss the issues of the day, either through commenting on posts or writing your own for our active and dynamic community in a fully moderated environment. In addition, the Ricochet Audio Network offers over 50 original podcasts with new episodes released every day.
Manfred Honeck is the music director of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra and one of the best conductors in the world. He has been in New York this week, to guest-conduct the Philharmonic. Jay caught up with him for “Q&A.”
They talk about music and the musical life. What does it take to be a conductor? What are the differences, if any, between American orchestras and European ones? (Maestro Honeck is an Austrian and, indeed, a 
former member of the Vienna Philharmonic – where his brother is a concertmaster.) What about new music? How about the future of classical music (a much worried-over question)?
Manfred Honeck is enriching to listen to, whether he’s conducting or talking. Enjoy the experience.
Support Our Sponsors!
Watch The Great Courses popular collection of music courses – and hundreds of others — absolutely
FREE! This includes courses on How to Listen to and Understand Great Music…and Opera, The Great Works of Sacred Music. Beethoven’s Piano Sonatas. Start watching today! Go to thegreatcoursesplus.com/QA
This podcast is brought to you by Hillsdale College and their Constitution 101 course. You can sign up for FREE today. Once you start the course, you’ll receive a new lecture every week to watch on demand, along with readings, discussion boards, and more. Sign up for Constitution 101 for FREE at Hillsdale.edu/Ricochet
Subscribe to Q & A, Hosted by Jay Nordlinger in Apple Podcasts (and leave a 5-star review, please!), or by RSS feed. For all our podcasts in one place, subscribe to the Ricochet Audio Network Superfeed in Apple Podcasts or by RSS feed.
I can’t wait to listen to this interview–good catch, Jay!
Honeck’s recent Dvorak recordings are magnificent: a beautifully-captured Symphony No. 8 (with his home-town orchestra on Reference Recordings, 2014) and a red-blooded Violin Concerto (with Anne-Sophie Mutter and the Berliners on DG). The orchestral contributions on both are brilliant and one-of-a-kind. There are no better recordings of either piece.
I listened to this in the car and did not catch the composer and piece that Jay referred to as delightful but out of fashion but whom both Jay and the Maestro agreed would outlive its critics. Can someone list the piece and composer?
I had to look it up too, am listening to it now – Poet & Peasant Overture by Franz von Suppé:
Oh yes, it’s quite familiar, and lovely.
I love these interviews with musicians! Maestro Honeck is wonderfully humble in describing the conductors he learned from, and the last few minutes, where he talks warmly of the Austrian composers & their folk music – quite endearing.
That short waltz sounds so pretty.
Mrs.Cheese is dragging me to Pittsburgh on May15 at Heinz Hall to see and hear Honeck conduct Strauss. I get to drag her to a Pirate game at PNC Park to see them play the Cubs the next day.