Haydn's Haus

[Opus106]

Absolutely. Needs to do his research a little better...

Yes, he was doing OK by then. And he was never "impoverished" as such. How culd he waste so much money if he didn't have it to waste?

I would be amazed. Never heard it before. Although Brahms was a big fan of Haydn (the man knew his music!)

Three strikes! I find the claim about Brahms dubious.

Nice piece on National Public Radio this morning about Papa.  Even refers to the "classical period", Gurn. 

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=104731623

Nice. Thanks, Bill.

[jlaurson]

My Haydn contribution today:

Haydn 2009 - The String Quartets (Part 1)

Writing for the string quartet forces the composer to focus on the essentials of what makes classical music: "Melody, Rhythm, Harmony, and Counterpoint". (Georg Feder) There is no room to hide, no place to take cover behind the splendor of massive sounds, no opportunity to dazzle with effects. It's the composer laid bare and therefore the string quartet is, rightly, considered the most noble of genres in classical music; the royal discipline of the art of composing...
http://www.weta.org/fmblog/?p=558

Haydn 2009 - Fricsay's Symphonies

[Cato]

What a mostly moronic article. Haydn isn't at the top of the list of Vienna-bound tourists? No shit. What a revelation. And as far as "Haydn has it hard in a country that was the birthplace (it was not) of Mozart", well, ask any half-way civilized Austrian concert-goer or classical music lover for the "Austrian National Composer" or "most Austrian composer" and you'll get "Haydn" in 9 out of 10 answers. And the (annual, btw.) Haydn Festival this year in Eisenstadt is UN BE LIEVABLE. Every symphony... every mass, every big name in music.

Alas, that would not have made as catchy a story.

I did not have a chance to comment earlier: yes, I found the article "unusual" in the sense of it trying to interest the uninterested by ignoring things of importance, stating trivialities (the thing about Haydn's wife), and asserting that Haydn was some sort of country bumpkin overshadowed by Stadt-slicker Mozart.

Author George Jahn seems to write more about international politics than music, and for the San Francisco Chronicle: maybe that accounts for the oddities.

[jlaurson]

Author George Jahn seems to write more about international politics than music, and for the San Francisco Chronicle: maybe that accounts for the oddities.

It shouldn't. (I used to write more about politics than music, too... [well, maybe some will think that that explains a lot...] In any case, I'm sure he can do better. But it's just such a typical "article". You can smell the pitch to his editor from a mile away. It's sad that 'general audience' articles about classical music become such bland melanges of meaninglessness with a touch of story. Where's the hard hitting stuff? 

[Brünnhilde forever]

Nothing to do with Haydn whatsoever: Want to thank you for the two links to your incisive articles!

As you were! 

[Herman]

Gee, I didn't know the excellent Petersen Qt had done a Haydn opus, even if it's nr 1

[karlhenning]

I did not have a chance to comment earlier: yes, I found the article "unusual" in the sense of it trying to interest the uninterested by ignoring things of importance, stating trivialities (the thing about Haydn's wife), and asserting that Haydn was some sort of country bumpkin overshadowed by Stadt-slicker Mozart.

Baby's First Survey of Music History . . . .

[Herman]

You can smell the pitch to his editor from a mile away.

indeed

[Opus106]

Here is a link to the English version of "news item" I referred in Gurn's 'Classical' thread.

I would like someone here to identify the music that is performed when the narrator talks about Haydn's death (around the 2:50 mark). It definitely doesn't sound anything that was composed in his days... it sounds more like something that might have been written in the past thirty years, or something.

[Gurn Blanston]

Here is a link to the English version of "news item" I referred in Gurn's 'Classical' thread.

I would like someone here to identify the music that is performed when the narrator talks about Haydn's death (around the 2:50 mark). It definitely doesn't sound anything that was composed in his days... it sounds more like something that might have been written in the past thirty years, or something.

That was excellent, Op, thanks for that. Our seats weren't quite as good as Gabriel's, perhaps, but still...

I don't recognize that music, but I would tend to agree: either it's modern or the choir is out of tune...

[Opus106]

either it's modern or the choir is out of tune...

Not much of a difference, methinks.

*ducks*

[karlhenning]

Not much of a difference, methinks.

Ouch!

[Gurn Blanston]

Not much of a difference, methinks.

*ducks*

*all creatures, great and small*

[Gurn Blanston]

Ouch!

Umm, oh, hello Karl, hope you are doing well today... 

0:)

[karlhenning]

 

[Opus106]

In my defence, I haven't heard everything modern composers have to offer...  you see, I did not say it makes no difference at all. 0:)

[SonicMan46]

For Haydn's (Joseph that is! ) fortepiano concertos we seem to be spoiled for choice with two TOP performers!
Could I have your comments on differences in approach and your preference? (If you have one, maybe you like them both.. )

Click on pictures for links

.

Piano Concertos - anything new or comments on what is available currently?

Nearly 2 yrs ago in this thread, Q posted the above but there seem to be little response; but since that time, I've greatly expanded my Haydn collection w/ box sets, including the complete symphonies, baryton works, et al; however, I still have just one disc of piano concertos - so are these compositions worth obtaining in larger numbers? 

[snyprrr]

I am coming to the end of my library time with Haydn Op.20 with the Mosaiques.

I have real problems with Haydn SQs, but I hadn't heard Op.20 for years, so I thought a trip to HIP land might do the trick.

Well, my first impression was, no, this IS Haydn, but I force fed myself this stuff for two weeks.

A) I don't neccesarily think it's a HIP problem, but I don't know if I like the Mosaiques. Some say all you hear is the first violin and cello. I don't know if that's my issue. The Festetics seem to get better reviews, but I've heard some criticism there too.

B) Is that a slightly "late baroque" sound I hear? Is the HIP accentuating that?

C) The one SQ that jumped out at me was No.2 in C major. The slow mvmt. definitely had that minor key baroque sound I like, in a very masculine presentation. Does anyone else think No.2 has a somewhat more reserved character than the rest? For a Haydn SQ to be immediately appealing to me is odd, but this one hit all my expectations. Even the two minor key SQs proper didn't have the minor key sound of this one.

D) As much as I tried, I still can't tell them much apart. A few bits here and there reminded me of the LvB "start and stop- gotcha!" game. Perhaps this is where he got that (the g minor?). I don't know if it's the "sound" of the HIP, or the contours of the music, but my memory mushes a lot of it together. Only the drama of No.2 really siezed me so far.

Why don't I like Haydn SQs? For me, it seems that Haydn is the only composer who turns the homophonous SQ textures into sleepy time. I'll admit that the ABQ's razor sharp performance in "The Rider" woke me up, but I don't recall the Kodaly playing with that kind of passion. And these Mosaiques I'm just not really sure about. I keep wanting to hear a continuo. Am I just wrong???

And why doesn't anyone ever want to discuss the middle SQs? It's always 76-77, 76-77, 76-77...

Anyhow, since we all live in a positive world, I would love to lift up Op.20 No.2 in C major as my new fav Haydn SQ!  So there! IS there perhaps a more "gothic" performance, though (gothic as this one is)?

[snyprrr]

I thought there was a Haydn SQ thread? If so, could you move me? Thanks.

[jlaurson]

Anyhow, since we all live in a positive world, I would love to lift up Op.20 No.4 in C major as my new fav Haydn SQ!  So there! IS there perhaps a more "gothic" performance, though (gothic as this one is)?

I don't actually follow you in many or most of your responses to Haydn (though I might have been much more sympathetic, at some earlier point)... and esp. as regards the Quatuor Mosaique I'm a little surprised... but since we live in a positive world I'll leave all that aside, congratulate you on your tenacity listening to them in the first place, making a honest effort... and end with recommending you the Amadeus Quartet which, reading your description of what you did and did not like, I think might be--at this point--a better match for you than Mosaique & Co. Not exactly "Gothic" (can't turn a row boat into a destroyer), but definitely packed with more meat.