Haydn's Haus

[Karl Henning]

Sometimes, especially my own . . . .

[Pat B]

Check . . . and like any entrenched notion, it's not even at this stage completely disentrenched.

My current impression is that among musicians, there are a few combative personalities, but a live-and-let-live ethos seems to be the norm nowadays.

Listeners, though, may latch on to one particular performance style, often that of whatever happened to be the first record they had, and everything else is WRONG. (Not so much on gmg, thankfully.)

[Brahmsian]

Re-listen to Symphony No. 36, 33 and 9 from the wonderful Dennis Russell Davies and Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra set! 

Disc 6

Symphony No. 36 in E flat major Fantastic, frenetic opening mvt.  The II. Adagio has a lovely solo violin and solo cello dialogue.  The feel of this symphony has a quasi "heroic" feel to it. 

Symphony No. 33 in C major I. Wonderful strings, especially the high ascending strings.  II. Andante - Lovely, pleading, yearning strings.  So well played.  A gorgeous mvt.   III. Love the galavanting trio in this Menuet!  IV.  An emphatic joy ride of a finale!

Symphony No. 9 in C major I. Great horn and woodwind calls to the emphatic fortissimo strings.  Some voracious string playing, descending and ascending.  II.  Serene - love the woodwinds in this one and how they blend and intertwine with the harpsichord and strings!  III.  Great, prominent solo oboe that really stands out in this finale!

So yes, obviously the first time around, I was paying much attention, as these three have proven to be pretty damn great!!   

[Gurn Blanston]

Re-listen to Symphony No. 36, 33 and 9 from the wonderful Dennis Russell Davies and Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra set! 

Disc 6

Symphony No. 36 in E flat major Fantastic, frenetic opening mvt.  The II. Adagio has a lovely solo violin and solo cello dialogue.  The feel of this symphony has a quasi "heroic" feel to it. 

Symphony No. 33 in C major I. Wonderful strings, especially the high ascending strings.  II. Andante - Lovely, pleading, yearning strings.  So well played.  A gorgeous mvt.   III. Love the galavanting trio in this Menuet!  IV.  An emphatic joy ride of a finale!

Symphony No. 9 in C major I. Great horn and woodwind calls to the emphatic fortissimo strings.  Some voracious string playing, descending and ascending.  II.  Serene - love the woodwinds in this one and how they blend and intertwine with the harpsichord and strings!  III.  Great, prominent solo oboe that really stands out in this finale!

So yes, obviously the first time around, I was paying much attention, as these three have proven to be pretty damn great!! 

Great, Ray! I'm glad you didn't miss out on these. #9 was the tipoff, I said to myself 'Ray must not have been feeling well there (or Davies really sucked!)'.   

If you look at the overall picture of the things that have attracted your ears' attention so far, notice that it is a great variety of different licks on different instruments. That isn't just about Haydn writing to his strengths (which he did, of course) but also about what a great orchestra he had put together there. If he mentally envisioned an obbligato oboe part like in the finale of #9, he knew he could write whatever he wanted to and his oboist would play it just so. What a luxury that must have been for him! And what a benefit is still accruing to us!   

[Brahmsian]

Great, Ray! I'm glad you didn't miss out on these. #9 was the tipoff, I said to myself 'Ray must not have been feeling well there (or Davies really sucked!)'.   

If you look at the overall picture of the things that have attracted your ears' attention so far, notice that it is a great variety of different licks on different instruments. That isn't just about Haydn writing to his strengths (which he did, of course) but also about what a great orchestra he had put together there. If he mentally envisioned an obbligato oboe part like in the finale of #9, he knew he could write whatever he wanted to and his oboist would play it just so. What a luxury that must have been for him! And what a benefit is still accruing to us!   

Great points there, Gurn.  I agree with you.  Haydn did have that luxury, which not too many composers (and certainly not many during his lifetime), of access to a great orchestra, and great solo instrumental musicians. 

[Roberto]

I knew about the musical background of Haydn's time and actually I prefer the "back to the original" approach too. I love the sound of the timpani but it is just my personal taste.

Good news is that the Hogwood Symphonies box arrived yesterday and I will be at home entire next week so I have time to discover it. I listened to the 1st, 60th, 94th and 104th right now on my stereo. I think this box was good choice.  I was overwhelmed by the power and beauty of the 94th and 104th, the 1st was beautiful and 60th was gorgeous and very surprising. All movements was  but the last movement was  .

Sound of the orchestra is great and I think it will be a reference Haydn symphonies box for me. Shame on you Decca that you never finished this project and issue a valuable set with so weak booklet. 

Then, more than now probably, every performance was unique for oh-so-many reasons  (shit, the cook is sick. Now who will play second oboe?). Flexibility is the name of the game!

Yes but we have a device what didn't exist then: recording.

[Gurn Blanston]

I knew about the musical background of Haydn's time and actually I prefer the "back to the original" approach too. I love the sound of the timpani but it is just my personal taste.

Good news is that the Hogwood Symphonies box arrived yesterday and I will be at home entire next week so I have time to discover it. I listened to the 1st, 60th, 94th and 104th right now on my stereo. I think this box was good choice.  I was overwhelmed by the power and beauty of the 94th and 104th, the 1st was beautiful and 60th was gorgeous and very surprising. All movements was  but the last movement was  .

Sound of the orchestra is great and I think it will be a reference Haydn symphonies box for me. Shame on you Decca that you never finished this project and issue a valuable set with so weak booklet. 
Yes but we have a device what didn't exist then: recording.

Roberto,
I am sure that you will find it to be exactly the reference set you are anticipating it to be. I certainly do. And I totally agree with you about Decca. I wasn't aware that their booklet was inferior, although I should have anticipated it. In the original boxes, each volume has a comprehensive booklet by noted Haydnisto James Webster and notes also by Hogwood. It would have been far too accommodating for them to have condensed the material into one nice booklet for the new product...

Yes, recording. Well, the great (and not so great) performances are written in stone that way, for sure. My comment was only concerning real times, and how no two performances were ever the same. We can still take some of that forward when we hear a different take on things that we didn't expect. This is why I like to have so many period instrument recordings of the same works; they each sound authentic, but in their own way, not like each other does. It is just a personal peculiarity of mine.

[Gurn Blanston]

I have finally been emerging from my cocoon of ill-health, enough so that I felt able to publish a blog post today! I hope you will have time to check it out and see if it makes you want to listen 'off the beaten path' for a little while.

1764 – The Music part 4 – Doesn't have to be a symphony

Thanks for your interest.  0:)

[mc ukrneal]

I have finally been emerging from my cocoon of ill-health,

Get well soon! You know the best medication - Haydn in the morning, Haydn in the afternoon, Hadydn in the evening, and Haydn everytime in between!

[Gurn Blanston]

Get well soon! You know the best medication - Haydn in the morning, Haydn in the afternoon, Hadydn in the evening, and Haydn everytime in between!

Thanks, Neal. If that 'full immersion Haydn therapy' works, you shall share the credit in The Lancet.

[Madiel]

I wasn't aware that their booklet was inferior, although I should have anticipated it. In the original boxes, each volume has a comprehensive booklet by noted Haydnisto James Webster and notes also by Hogwood. It would have been far too accommodating for them to have condensed the material into one nice booklet for the new product...

It's this kind of thing that gives me the urge to seek out the original boxes instead. Plus, of course, slightly less overwhelming if the music arrives at my house in smaller chunks!

[Gurn Blanston]

It's this kind of thing that gives me the urge to seek out the original boxes instead. Plus, of course, slightly less overwhelming if the music arrives at my house in smaller chunks!

When I bought my boxes, I had no idea there was a box set in the offing. However, I was still well behind the curve in terms of being OOP, since they were! I was able to get all 10 boxes over a period of 6-8 months, a few of them still factory sealed, for ~$250 USD. Spread over that amount of time, it wasn't too big a chunk to hurt me, and I was delighted to have the entire. One purchase involved winning an eBay auction for 5 boxes, 'like new', for $100. One may not be that fortunate, but patience and persistence can win the day.

Just sayin', it is a do-able thing.

[Madiel]

Oh, I know its doable. I'm still on my quest to get the first 40 Suzuki Bach cantatas in boxes of 10...

[Gurn Blanston]

Oh, I know its doable. I'm still on my quest to get the first 40 Suzuki Bach cantatas in boxes of 10...

  Good luck with that. The thrill of the hunt definitely makes it worth the effort!

The only thing that takes some of the enjoyment away is when I look for a couple of years or even longer, finally find my quarry and make a killer deal on it, then a month later it is re-released for a few dollars and includes the original booklet and all! That's just wrong,

[Roberto]

And I totally agree with you about Decca. I wasn't aware that their booklet was inferior, although I should have anticipated it. In the original boxes, each volume has a comprehensive booklet by noted Haydnisto James Webster and notes also by Hogwood. It would have been far too accommodating for them to have condensed the material into one nice booklet for the new product...

In this complete box even the cases have misprints... I realized it yesterday when I added this box to my CD database. Sometimes case title said it is a major scale symphony but in fact it is a minor scale symphony...

Yes, recording. Well, the great (and not so great) performances are written in stone that way, for sure. My comment was only concerning real times, and how no two performances were ever the same. We can still take some of that forward when we hear a different take on things that we didn't expect. This is why I like to have so many period instrument recordings of the same works; they each sound authentic, but in their own way, not like each other does. It is just a personal peculiarity of mine.

I think you and karlhenning are right about balance. I listened to other symphonies yesterday and today and I think these are perfect in this way of performing and orchestration.

It's this kind of thing that gives me the urge to seek out the original boxes instead. Plus, of course, slightly less overwhelming if the music arrives at my house in smaller chunks!

I prefer original boxes too but empty space for new CDs is decreasing in my room. 

[Gurn Blanston]

Hopefully, a prod to the listener. Two outstanding symphonies for 1765, here is a short discussion with some features to listen for. Hope you enjoy these!

Alleluia and Hornsignal

[Brahmsian]

Hopefully, a prod to the listener. Two outstanding symphonies for 1765, here is a short discussion with some features to listen for. Hope you enjoy these!

Alleluia and Hornsignal

Hmmm, I will have to read this.  Thanks, Gurn.  The Hornsignal Symphony had an immediate and highly positive 'first listen' impact on me.  As I mentioned, to date, the Alleluia Symphony is the sole Haydn symphony, to date, that did not really make an impression.  Re-listens, and perhaps reading the discussion, will turn this around!! 

[Gurn Blanston]

Hmmm, I will have to read this.  Thanks, Gurn.  The Hornsignal Symphony had an immediate and highly positive 'first listen' impact on me.  As I mentioned, to date, the Alleluia Symphony is the sole Haydn symphony, to date, that did not really make an impression.  Re-listens, and perhaps reading the discussion, will turn this around!! 

Thanks, Ray. I hope you enjoyed the discussion, but even more so, I hope the Alleluia took a better hold on you this time around. I would guess that your recording uses the trumpets as well as the horns, he seems to be pretty true to the brass parts. That is all good.

[Karl Henning]

Just for a quick check-in ... I've listened to the odd symphony or two each day this week, as part of luxuriating in the novelty of two days completely free.

Not much to add at the moment, perhaps more in a while....

[Karl Henning]

Naturally, given Ray's (comparative, only comparative) coolness to the Alleluja, I should like to revisit it . . . and the new nannydom is an obstacle.  (As it has been generally, slowing my visits to da Haus.)  I keep the DRD cube by my night-table . . . .