Recordings That You Are Considering

[PerfectWagnerite]

We might have a different "fluff line";  but I do not think the fluff content at all excessive, and there is a lot of great stuff in there.

Stuff like Nutcracker, Swan Lake, Carmina Burana, deFalla, Offenbach, Bizet etc. I do not really care for. I want the Daphnis, Scheherazade, Respighi etc. but not sure whether I want to spring 60 bucks for them.

[North Star]

We might have a different "fluff line";  but I do not think the fluff content at all excessive

Oh, I don't know. Much of the contents look downright cuddly to me.  0:)

[Karl Henning]

Oh, I don't know. Much of the contents look downright cuddly to me.  0:)

To me, as well!

[Karl Henning]

Stuff like Nutcracker, Swan Lake, Carmina Burana, deFalla, Offenbach, Bizet etc. I do not really care for.

I do feel a bit of a pang whenever someone does not like the Tchaikovsky ballets.  But, we probably cannot all be enthusiastic for all the same things, and it is your money.

[Jo498]

I do not recognize a fluff difference between Swan Lake and Sheherazade (Rimsky) or Orff and Respighi... 
It's not mainly about dis/liking something but about classifying something as (comparably) "light", entertaining music.

[aligreto]

I must have listened to at least half of it by now, I love it.

I may agree that the applause after each symphony can be a nuisance, but I also hit the Next Track button, and any nuisance is entirely curtailed.

Thank you Karl. Did you listen in sequence or randomly; just wondering if the consistency is good throughout?

[aligreto]

I have it I think it is very good. Brisk and energetic with an HIP feel, even though it is on modern instruments. It doesn't surpass my favorite Haydn recordings (Harnoncourt/Concergebouw, Fey) but I like it much better than any other complete set (Hogwood/Bruggen), Dorati, Fischer. I only wish they had not included applause.

Thank you Scarpia. Your reason for liking the set appeals to me.

[Karl Henning]

Thank you Karl. Did you listen in sequence or randomly; just wondering if the consistency is good throughout?

I've hopped around the set at apparent random.  I think the consistency is good.

[Jo498]

When the Russell Davies came out there were a few fairly negative reviews on Amazon, complaining about switched channels and some other, partly technical problems, so I never bothered with it (as I already have a lot of Haydn symphonies then). You might want to check these reviews and maybe someone can also check whether these complaints about the sound are justified or not.

[aligreto]

When the Russell Davies came out there were a few fairly negative reviews on Amazon, complaining about switched channels and some other, partly technical problems, so I never bothered with it (as I already have a lot of Haydn symphonies then). You might want to check these reviews and maybe someone can also check whether these complaints about the sound are justified or not.

Yes, I do recall the issues that you mention.

[kishnevi]

I do feel a bit of a pang whenever someone does not like the Tchaikovsky ballets.  But, we probably cannot all be enthusiastic for all the same things, and it is your money.

I think of it in terms of, "Do I want more than one recording of this work?" and, not quite the same thing, "is this one of those pieces familiar enough that I suffer from overexposure". 

Which is why, for different reasons, I do not feel impelled to get any more recordings of Swan Lake and the Four Seasons.

[Karl Henning]

I think of it in terms of, "Do I want more than one recording of this work?" and, not quite the same thing, "is this one of those pieces familiar enough that I suffer from overexposure". 

Which is why, for different reasons, I do not feel impelled to get any more recordings of Swan Lake and the Four Seasons.

Also a most prudent consideration.

[aligreto]

I have found no technical shortcomings in the recordings, although I have admittedly not listened to a large fraction of the set. Perhaps karlhenning can comment, since he reports having listened to more than half of it. Looking at Amazon, the negative reviews seem to be dominated by people who are outraged over the fact that track timings are not listed, the symphonies are not in the customary order and that the booklet is skimpy. Maybe so, I find the music to be excellent.

In the end, that is all that matters assuming that the performances are good. I am assuming you infer that they are. Thank you for the comments.

[PerfectWagnerite]

Other than Mr. Henning having listened to more than half of the Haydn, has anyone actually listened to a COMPLETE or Haydn symphony cycle be it Dorati, Fischer or otherwise? I made my way to around symphony number 20 on the Fischer set and just can't go on anymore. They are all interesting works but I can't listen to 30+ cds of them at a time.

[Madiel]

Other than Mr. Henning having listened to more than half of the Haydn, has anyone actually listened to a COMPLETE or Haydn symphony cycle be it Dorati, Fischer or otherwise? I made my way to around symphony number 20 on the Fischer set and just can't go on anymore. They are all interesting works but I can't listen to 30+ cds of them at a time.

Consider how many years it took Haydn to write all the music on those cds. Then ask yourself why you expect to be able listen to them all in quick succession.

[Daverz]

Other than Mr. Henning having listened to more than half of the Haydn, has anyone actually listened to a COMPLETE or Haydn symphony cycle be it Dorati, Fischer or otherwise? I made my way to around symphony number 20 on the Fischer set and just can't go on anymore. They are all interesting works but I can't listen to 30+ cds of them at a time.

I never tried listening that way.  I just listen to a specific symphony if it comes up in conversation, or to whatever strikes my fancy, but never to big blocks of them.

[PerfectWagnerite]

Consider how many years it took Haydn to write all the music on those cds. Then ask yourself why you expect to be able listen to them all in quick succession.

Because they come nicely in a box and it is convenient to listen one after another? Plus if I stop I forget which CD I am up to.

[mc ukrneal]

Other than Mr. Henning having listened to more than half of the Haydn, has anyone actually listened to a COMPLETE or Haydn symphony cycle be it Dorati, Fischer or otherwise? I made my way to around symphony number 20 on the Fischer set and just can't go on anymore. They are all interesting works but I can't listen to 30+ cds of them at a time.

Over the course of several years, I listened to them all. Admittedly, I listened out of order. For me, that was important. I think I felt constrained listening in order, but letting myself choose the order seemed to help a lot. That said, it still took time to absorb them. Strangely (?), I got through the Michael Haydn symphonies much faster.

[Daverz]

Because they come nicely in a box and it is convenient to listen one after another? Plus if I stop I forget which CD I am up to.

That's always an issue for me with big boxes of similar works.  Still don't have an easy solution.  I suppose if I were still playing from discs, I could keep a slip of paper in the box recording what I've listened to.

[Madiel]

Because they come nicely in a box and it is convenient to listen one after another? Plus if I stop I forget which CD I am up to.

You've just told us that it isn't actually convenient.

Switch the order of the CDs in the box. Put the ones you've listened to at the back.