Recordings That You Are Considering

[Sadko]

... They really play as one in terms of flow and phrasing. There is also a lightness (and fun) to their playing that seems to suit this music. ...

EDIT: You can also sample them on youtube

[Haydn Trio Eisenstadt:]

I agree wholeheartedly: There is so much joy in their interpretation that it was fun to listen to the whole set within a short period of time without ever getting tired of it.

[jlaurson]

I'm looking for a new recording of Haydn's piano trios and am wondering if this one by the Haydn Trio Eisenstadt is a good choice?



I already have the complete set of the trios by the Beaux Arts ensemble, but I'm looking for a modern, digital recording to go along with it. Would love to know what those of you think about this set, both in terms of sound and performance.

It's lovely and the music is great and I am a friend of that label... but in all honesty, it doesn't add to the Beaux Arts.

[amw]

I would go for Trio 1790 (unless you're like, deathly afraid of period instruments), which I consider one of the great chamber music recordings. It's at least as good as the BAT (I would say better but I'm kind of weird about the BAT in general) and, as Charles Rosen once pointed out, Haydn's trios don't really make sense on modern instruments.

I haven't heard the Van Swieten Trio, the main period instruments alternative, but it's also probably good. I have heard one disc by the Trio Goya which is excellent and also recommended.

[SonicMan46]

It's lovely and the music is great and I am a friend of that label... but in all honesty, it doesn't add to the Beaux Arts.

I would go for Trio 1790 (unless you're like, deathly afraid of period instruments), which I consider one of the great chamber music recordings. It's at least as good as the BAT (I would say better but I'm kind of weird about the BAT in general) and, as Charles Rosen once pointed out, Haydn's trios don't really make sense on modern instruments.

I haven't heard the Van Swieten Trio, the main period instruments alternative, but it's also probably good. I have heard one disc by the Trio Goya which is excellent and also recommended.

Well, I'd like another set of the Haydn Piano Trios and probably would prefer a PI version - in the past, I owned a lot of BAT recordings, including several of Papa Joe's trios, but culled them out for the two sets I now own (as shown previously) - SO, was I wrong about the BAT or should I just go ahead and buy the Trio 1790?  Both are about in the mid-$30 range on the Amazon USA MP - Dave

 

[Wakefield]

Well, I'd like another set of the Haydn Piano Trios and probably would prefer a PI version - in the past, I owned a lot of BAT recordings, including several of Papa Joe's trios, but culled them out for the two sets I now own (as shown previously) - SO, was I wrong about the BAT or should I just go ahead and buy the Trio 1790?  Both are about in the mid-$30 range on the Amazon USA MP - Dave

 

IMO, it would be a criminal mistake not purchasing that CPO set for that price. 

In addition, it's quite different compared to the van Swieten Trio, both in terms of instruments (harpsichord for the early trios) and performance (quite more "alert" than the interpretation on Brilliant Classics).

[SonicMan46]

IMO, it would be a criminal mistake not purchasing that CPO set for that price. 

In addition, it's quite different compared to the van Swieten Trio, both in terms of instruments (harpsichord for the early trios) and performance (quite more "alert" than the interpretation on Brilliant Classics).

Hi Gordo - thanks for your input! I believe that you're the 'straw that broke the camel's back' -    Believe that I'll go w/ the CPO offering (one of my favorite labels anyway) - also was convinced to buy the Rheinberger piano box tonight (about the same price) - Dave

[Mandryka]

The Holliger is one of my favourite piano pieces. (It was dedicated to András Schiff, I'm actually sort of keen to hear him playing it, don't think there's a recording.) As for Lonquich I think I was curious about his Schubert album with ... Carolin Widmann? His style in general is super distinctive, I'm not sure it would work for everything... still he seems less egotistical than eg Tzimon Barto and Schubert does require somewhat of a subsumption of the self.

1838 version of Kreisleriana is not that different textually (fewer repeats, a cut in No. 2, and replacement final bars in Nos. 4 and 5) but very different in terms of interpretive and agogic markings. It's the one I'm learning, or trying to in the absence of a proper score (mine has the 1850 text with the 1838 dynamics and tempo marks, and the 1838 textual changes in ossia—I'm hoping interlibrary loan will eventually be able to supply me the 1838 version itself)

Do you know why Schumann revised it?

[Que]

I would go for Trio 1790 (unless you're like, deathly afraid of period instruments), which I consider one of the great chamber music recordings. It's at least as good as the BAT (I would say better but I'm kind of weird about the BAT in general) and, as Charles Rosen once pointed out, Haydn's trios don't really make sense on modern instruments.

Agreed and agreed. I would also recommend the Trio 1790:

[asin]B005XP612S[/asin]
For those who live in Euorpe, jpc might be the cheapest place to get it.

I haven't heard the Van Swieten Trio, the main period instruments alternative, but it's also probably good. I have heard one disc by the Trio Goya which is excellent and also recommended.

IMO, it would be a criminal mistake not purchasing that CPO set for that price. 

In addition, it's quite different compared to the van Swieten Trio, both in terms of instruments (harpsichord for the early trios) and performance (quite more "alert" than the interpretation on Brilliant Classics).

I got the set by the Van Swieten Trio first, and hugely enjoyed it! But I have to say that the Trio 1790 takes it to another level. It is not just the more varied instruments, it is the level of intensity,  the nuance in playing, the expressiveness. I would describe the Van Swieten as a more "mellow" approach... Trio 1790 grabs me...

Q

[Jo498]

I got about 3 discs of the 1790 and then the Brilliant came out and I found these as good and stopped collecting the 1790. I would have to do a direct comparison but the differences are not large (except the harpsichord in a bunch of early pieces).
I seem to recall that I preferred the keyboard sound of the Van Swieten. In any case, they are both very good and you cannot really do wrong with either.

There are 4-5 discs (probably about half of the trios and most of the more famous late ones) with Cohen/Höbarth/Coin on harmonia mundi and those are far more "mellow" than either Van Swieten or 1790. Actually, sometimes a little too warm and slow and mellow for me.

[king ubu]

How about the three EMI cheapo boxes by Sabine Meyer?

[asin]B008K7X1EW[/asin]
[asin]B00KMKOBVM[/asin]
[asin]B00E6F12B6[/asin]

[Jo498]

I think this crucially depends how much you care for sometimes not quite first rate (e.g. Stamitz) clarinet/woodwind ensemble music.
(The most substantial collection is probably the one with Mozart, Nielsen and Hommage to Goodman)

I have some of those discs in earlier (usually single) incarnations and they are very good; although tastes in windplaying differ there is no doubt that Meyer is among the top players.
And the boxes are so cheap that they would certainly a good option to get to know the music. But there is probably a considerable probability that you will not listen twice to Stamitz concertos or Krommer partitas and the "Harmoniemusik" arrangements of Mozart opera stuff are great fun for me but for other listeners trite and superfluous.

[king ubu]

I think this crucially depends how much you care for sometimes not quite first rate (e.g. Stamitz) clarinet/woodwind ensemble music.
(The most substantial collection is probably the one with Mozart, Nielsen and Hommage to Goodman)

I have some of those discs in earlier (usually single) incarnations and they are very good; although tastes in windplaying differ there is no doubt that Meyer is among the top players.
And the boxes are so cheap that they would certainly a good option to get to know the music. But there is probably a considerable probability that you will not listen twice to Stamitz concertos or Krommer partitas and the "Harmoniemusik" arrangements of Mozart opera stuff are great fun for me but for other listeners trite and superfluous.

Thanks - that sort of sums up my own hesitations ... used to play clarinet myself, absolutely love the Mozart concert (but don't really feel a need for more recordings, except maybe new HIP ones), am not too deeply into any chamber music with winds (beyond the well-known Brahms and Mozart pieces) yet somehow that "Harmoniemusik" is the one with the biggest appeal to me, I think. On the other hands, they're all so cheap ... hm.

[The new erato]

I liked the "harmoniemusik" a lot, particularly for including some little known and never uninteresting musik. Playing and recording never less than firstclass if you tolerate MI.

[king ubu]

I liked the "harmoniemusik" a lot, particularly for including some little known and never uninteresting musik. Playing and recording never less than firstclass if you tolerate MI.

Thanks a lot, I think I've read that same comment before, somewhere, must have been you as well  - and yes, I do tolerate MI no problem. It's just with the clarinet concerto I sort of have my favourite (Michel Portal with Entremont on hm, the most recent acquisition, that Glossa disc by Brüggen, is mighty good, too) and I somehow don't even need listen, just thinking of the piece is good enough, I know it by heart, really (was able at one point to play the slow movement from memory, too). It's so close, I kind of needn't listen any more, it's always there. Might sound silly, but yeah, that's how it is ... and I have very little tolerance for, say, the big-toned Benny Goodman versions (plenty of others collected in plenty of boxes by now, but as I don't feel like listening, I so far didn't ...)

[jlaurson]

Well, I'd like another set of the Haydn Piano Trios and probably would prefer a PI version - in the past, I owned a lot of BAT recordings, including several of Papa Joe's trios, but culled them out for the two sets I now own (as shown previously) - SO, was I wrong about the BAT or should I just go ahead and buy the Trio 1790?  Both are about in the mid-$30 range on the Amazon USA MP - Dave

 

Hmmpf. De Gustibus, and all, but having four sets of Haydn Trios, I know that I would probably hang on to the Beaux Arts the hardest, the Eisenstadt and van Swieten the least... although I like them both. It's not a world of difference, but I get a more genial smile from the Beaux Arts. Perhaps I'm imagining Pressler going at it... that always helps. But yes, if you have the Eisenstadt, what I said the other way 'round goes here as well: The difference might not be great enough to merit the BAT over one of the HIP choices... lest you want (I almost wrote "need") three sets.

[Sadko]

Hmmpf. De Gustibus, and all, but having four sets of Haydn Trios, I know that I would probably hang on to the Beaux Arts the hardest, the Eisenstadt and van Swieten the least... although I like them both. It's not a world of difference, but I get a more genial smile from the Beaux Arts. Perhaps I'm imagining Pressler going at it... that always helps. But yes, if you have the Eisenstadt, what I said the other way 'round goes here as well: The difference might not be great enough to merit the BAT over one of the HIP choices... lest you want (I almost wrote "need") three sets.

I must be weird  With all the praise of all the Beaux Arts recordings - I didn't hear one yet that I liked. They always leave me completely cold, also the Pressler piano recordings.

[mc ukrneal]

I must be weird  With all the praise of all the Beaux Arts recordings - I didn't hear one yet that I liked. They always leave me completely cold, also the Pressler piano recordings.

After all the talk about them yesterday, I went to youtube to test out a few from BAT and 1900. The 1900 - I just didn't like the sound of the instruments, but others may feel differently. On BAT, I didn't think they were colder, so much as more formal. Where Eisenstadt really let the joy shine through, I felt BAT was a bit more...what's the word....stuffy?...constrained? They clearly play well, so perhaps I am just used to the lighter Eisenstadt?

But really, to anyone who doesn't have the music - BUY ONE OF THEM! The music is divine.

[Florestan]

IMO, it would be a criminal mistake not purchasing that CPO set for that price. 

How about the criminal mistake of culling BAT? 

[Florestan]

Hmmpf. De Gustibus, and all, but having four three sets of Haydn Trios, I know that I would probably hang on to the Beaux Arts the hardest, the Eisenstadt 1790 and van Swieten the least... although I like them both. It's not a world of difference, but I get a more genial smile from the Beaux Arts.

My thoughts and sentiments exactly.

[Sadko]

On BAT, I didn't think they were colder, so much as more formal. Where Eisenstadt really let the joy shine through, I felt BAT was a bit more...what's the word....stuffy?...constrained? They clearly play well, so perhaps I am just used to the lighter Eisenstadt?

When I hear the Beaux Arts Trio I always think "elegant gentlemen" - fine manners, but I'd enjoy a bit more soul.