Haydn's Haus

[Leo K.]

So, there is the first part of scans of the Dorati EOC booklets - L'infedeltà delusa.

http://www.4shared.com/zip/EbysqBKK/linfedel.html

Notes and synopsis in English then original and English libretto.

It was not very easy in the beginning as my scanner emerged rather bookletproof. But I hope next uploads will be done better and faster.

I will highly appreciate any remarks and advices about scanning technique.

Thank you very much! You sir, are a scholar and a gentlemen!

[Sergeant Rock]

A few days ago I was looking for the original version of La Roxelane (there was a conversation in the purchase thread). Most of the recordings I looked at online, and listened to, were the revised version (no timps, no trumpets).  I only found one of the original: Bostock:



So which did Hogwood record? It would be cool if he included both.

Sarge

[Leon]

Last night I watched the DVD that came with this set:



This project is fascinating in how it combines modern instrument makers and their masterful craft at recreating the instruments from the 18th century and cutting edge computer technology which allows a virtual acoustic image of a room to be simulated with millions of mathematical calculations performed at very high speed so that the natural reflections produced when we listen to an instrument being played live are conveyed within the computer and applied to the recording.  Of course it would have been best to simply record the works in the rooms themselves, but as was explained in the film, this was not possible either due to permissions or the practical reality of noise from the busy streets outside.  So the next best thing was to "bring" the rooms to McGill University where the project was realized.

The care taken for these recordings; the musicological research, the impressive technological accomplishment and not to be over shadowed, Tom Beghin's skill as a performer and interpreter of Haydn make this set a must have for any Haydn fan.

This easily constitutes my purchase of the year!

[Gurn Blanston]

A few days ago I was looking for the original version of La Roxelane (there was a conversation in the purchase thread). Most of the recordings I looked at online, and listened to, were the revised version (no timps, no trumpets).  I only found one of the original: Bostock:
So which did Hogwood record? It would be cool if he included both.

Sarge

Sarge,
Here is the bit of liner note from Hogwood concerning that topic. My take on it is that the version to which you are referring, the so-called original, never actually was a finished product. Note that it isn't only the instrumentation that is different from that sketch, the bassoon dropped as well as the timps and trumpets, but also it is entirely different music. The music from 1773-74 is most likely the first one of the different finales that he had for Hob 54. It had trumpets and timp.



As far as being a version of the actual, finished version of Hob 63, trumpets & timp are not present.

[Sergeant Rock]

Sarge,
Here is the bit of liner note from Hogwood concerning that topic.
As far as being a version of the actual, finished version of Hob 63, trumpets & timp are not present.

Thanks, Gurn. I'm about to take off (dinner with the in laws). I'll do a closer reading, and compare it to the liner notes in the Bostock CD when I return. By the way, the Bostock CD has the two minuets and two different finales. Of course I'm disappointed Hogwood didn't include the noise makers    My first Roxelane did: a Nonesuch LP with a performance of 63 by the Little Orchestra of London conducted by Leslie Jones. I'm conditioned to hear trumpets and drums and miss them when they aren't there. Hogwood's explanation does explain why that orchestration is so rare.

Sarge 

[Gurn Blanston]

Thanks, Gurn. I'm about to take off (dinner with the in laws). I'll do a closer reading, and compare it to the liner notes in the Bostock CD when I return. By the way, the Bostock CD has the two minuets and two different finales. Of course I'm disappointed Hogwood didn't include the noise makers    My first Roxelane did: a Nonesuch LP with a performance of 63 by the Little Orchestra of London conducted by Leslie Jones. I'm conditioned to hear trumpets and drums and miss them when they aren't there. Hogwood's explanation does explain why that orchestration is so rare.

Sarge

I am wondering if the trumpets and drum were added in to the current last movement (the real, final movement that Haydn wrote specifically for this work), or if the versions that you have are actually using the original finale from Symphony 54 which is where the trumpets and drum came from. I don't have a version of 63 that uses them, but I do have both versions of 54. At least if they were using the original 54 finale, it would be authentic to use the trumpets & drum....

[Gurn Blanston]

These two landed under the tree thanks to Linda:

 

Will give them a listen in the car today as we travel down to my folks.

Great, Bill. The Lovely Linda did you well. And since I know that you also have one/some of the Vienna Philharmonia Trio disk(s), interesting to hear your ideas how they might compare. Have a nice trip.

[Gurn Blanston]

Last night I watched the DVD that came with this set:



This project is fascinating in how it combines modern instrument makers and their masterful craft at recreating the instruments from the 18th century and cutting edge computer technology which allows a virtual acoustic image of a room to be simulated with millions of mathematical calculations performed at very high speed so that the natural reflections produced when we listen to an instrument being played live are conveyed within the computer and applied to the recording.  Of course it would have been best to simply record the works in the rooms themselves, but as was explained in the film, this was not possible either due to permissions or the practical reality of noise from the busy streets outside.  So the next best thing was to "bring" the rooms to McGill University where the project was realized.

The care taken for these recordings; the musicological research, the impressive technological accomplishment and not to be over shadowed, Tom Beghin's skill as a performer and interpreter of Haydn make this set a must have for any Haydn fan.

This easily constitutes my purchase of the year!

Arnold, your innate response is virtually identical to mine! That was the thing for me too; not only a very nice version of these works, but a fascinating project completed by people who obviously loved working on the cutting edge, and knew their stuff too. I believe it is Naxos' most successful project to date. And my nominee for 2011 Product of the Year.



----------------
Now playing:


Vienna Haydn Sinfonietta \ Huss - Hob 02_25 Notturno #1 in C for Lire Organizatte (London version) 4th mvmt - Finale: Presto

[SonicMan46]

Last night I watched the DVD that came with this set:

 

The care taken for these recordings; the musicological research, the impressive technological accomplishment and not to be over shadowed, Tom Beghin's skill as a performer and interpreter of Haydn make this set a must have for any Haydn fan.
.....................
This easily constitutes my purchase of the year!

Arnold & Gurn - well, believe that I've been convinced about the Beghin offering above, despite already owning 3 sets of Haydn's solo keyboard works!  Plus, a great sale price at the moment at Arkiv Music, i.e. $35 -

BTW - the above added Overtures disc set is in the mail!  Dave 

[Gurn Blanston]

Arnold & Gurn - well, believe that I've been convinced about the Beghin offering above, despite already owning 3 sets of Haydn's solo keyboard works!  Plus, a great sale price at the moment at Arkiv Music, i.e. $35 -

BTW - the above added Overtures disc set is in the mail!  Dave 

Might as well join us 'over the edge', Dave.   I am more than sure that you will sit down with that DVD and come away with the same impression that Arnold and I did. Wait til you see the Viennese Short Octave harpsichord. It is a fascinating little bugger to be sure.

[Sergeant Rock]

This easily constitutes my purchase of the year!

It made my 2011 Top 10 list 

Arnold & Gurn - well, believe that I've been convinced about the Beghin

Might as well join us 'over the edge', Dave. ....Wait til you see the Viennese Short Octave harpsichord. It is a fascinating little bugger to be sure.

I don't think you'll be disappointed, Dave. Even I love it...and y'all know how much I hate the harpsichord 

Sarge

[Gurn Blanston]

Part 30

1781

A light year on the composition front, but a busy one in general. I say 'light', but some of his finest music rolled off from his pen that year. A symphony with excellent horn parts, first one in a long time to feature the horn. String Quartets! 

"I am issuing a work consisting of 6 Quartets for two violins, viola and violoncello concertante, by subscription for the price of six ducats; they are of a new and entirely special kind, for I haven't written any for ten years ..." Letter from Haydn to Swiss intellectual Johann Caspar Lavater

I always struggle with works that are "doubtful". One such is the Horn Concerto #2 (Hob 7d:4). There is no autograph score, it was published in 1781 and attributed to Haydn, but if it IS by Haydn, it is likely to date from way back at the time of Concerto #1 (1762) or even earlier. Since 1781 is an otherwise light year, and since I only like to outright reject works based on positive evidence rather than negative; and dammit, since I like it, I decided to include it in here.

Last year's opera, La Fedeltà Premiata was given on 25 February 1781, on the inauguration of the rebuilt opera house. By all appearances, all the multitude of other operas that year were the work of others. Not even any replacement arias this year!

The music of 1781;

Hob 01_073 Symphony in D
   The Hanover Band / Goodman


Hob 03_37 Op 33 #1 Quartet in b   
Hob 03_38 Op 33 #2 Quartet in Eb   
Hob 03_39 Op 33 #3 Quartet in C   
Hob 03_40 Op 33 #4 Quartet in Bb   
Hob 03_41 Op 33 #5 Quartet in G   
Hob 03_42 Op 33 #6 Quartet in D
   Quatuor Festetics


Hob 07d_04 Concerto #2 in D for Horn
   Academy of St Martin-in-the-Fields / Neville Marriner - Barry Tuckwell


Hob 17_deest Fragment in G for Keyboard
   Christine Schornsheim


One of Haydn's finest symphonies comes this year. The D major La Chasse (The Hunt), named after the great finale. The 2nd movement is based on a theme from one of the Lieder that we discussed last year, although it is one that wasn't published until 1784, that is the #16 Gegenliebe. Although one can't leap to conclusions, since I also have it written that the Lied was based on the Andante instead rather than vice-versa. In any case, it is a lovely theme which Haydn makes the most of. But it is the finale, based on a reworking of the overture to La Fedeltà Premiata which was premiered in February, that is the standout movement. The opera had as a key character the goddess Diana, goddess of The Hunt, so the hunting horn motifs that predominate are in fact dedicated to her. It is very likely that this movement also contained a bit of tone painting too. At the end, it grows suddenly softer, and at the final cadence, surprisingly softer, and just sort of... expires, possibly like the hunt's quarry? In any case, it is a very difficult symphony to not enjoy. Despite the bits of thematic borrowing, it is wonderfully Haydnische, and this recording of the Goodman Band captures it well. As does the Hogwood, but I tend towards the Goodman, it is very fine.

Opus 33. What can one say? One of the finest opera of string quartets by anyone at any time. So full of Haydn's humor that a book can be written on it (and they have been). My choice of the Festetics here is based on my own great enjoyment of them. You might like them too, if they are to your taste, but you also can't go wrong with the Mosaiques. Right now their box set that contains Op 20, 33 & 51 (The 7 Last Words) are being virtually given away and they would be very hard to pass up. I didn't.   No matter which you listen to though, even on modern instruments, the music will surpass your expectations if you haven't heard it before. And admit it, it will catch you up from time to time. Just like it has the millions before us who have loved it.

Our recording of the controversial 2nd Horn Concerto is performed by the Academy of St Martin in the Fields / Marriner, with Barry Tuckwell on the valve horn. As discussed earlier, this is an unauthenticated work, so no PI group will come close to it, which is a pity since it is a rather nice work after all. I agree with the surmise that it is earlier rather than later, since it does sound a touch baroque-ish in places. It is composed for the accompaniment of just strings, no other winds but the soloist. Anyway, the disk is out there, and worth your while to pick up simply for one of the other recordings on it, which is the Cello Concerto in C major, performed by The English Chamber Orchestra / Benjamin Britten with Rostropovich on the cello. That's why I bought the disk to start with, many years ago, and then recently realized it was also the only recording I have of the horn concerto.

Finally, Christine Schornsheim, in her prodigiously all-inclusive solo keyboard set, gives us this very nice little fragment. It is a "deest", which is to say, it doesn't appear in Hoboken. I don't know if it was discovered later or else he avoided most fragments. Anyway, a nice little scrap from the master's Tafelklavier...

So thus goes 1781. Even if you take away nothing but Op 33 and La chasse you will have enriched your listening pleasure immensely.

As always, feedback welcome, even encouraged!

[Geo Dude]

Today I've managed to complete my transversal of this thread and snag Pinnock's Sturm und Drang set for under $18 shipped.  It has truly been a great day in Haydn-land.  Now to go listen to some music....

[Gurn Blanston]

Today I've managed to complete my transversal of this thread and snag Pinnock's Sturm und Drang set for under $18 shipped.  It has truly been a great day in Haydn-land.  Now to go listen to some music....

Hey, that's a great deal! Gotta love it.  

But Geo, it's always a great day in Haydn-Land...   0:)

[Leon]

Arnold & Gurn - well, believe that I've been convinced about the Beghin offering above, despite already owning 3 sets of Haydn's solo keyboard works!  Plus, a great sale price at the moment at Arkiv Music, i.e. $35 -

BTW - the above added Overtures disc set is in the mail!  Dave 

Dave, for anyone who is interested in period instruments and especially one who is a fan of Haydn, The Virtual Haydn box cannot help but be an worthwhile addition to your collection.  I don't often make recommendations but feel so strongly about this set that I can easily recommend it with no reservations.  And you cannot beat the price.

[Antoine Marchand]

Part 22

1773
Hob 28_05 Opera "La Infedelta Delusa"
   Liszt Ferenc Chamber Orchestra, Budapest / Sandor


First Italian opera since 'Le pescatrici', and the first for the new opera house, L'infedeltà delusa (Deceit outwitted)  is a comedy (burlesca) from a score by Coltellini. It was first performed in July for the nameday of the Prince's mother, and again in September during a famous visit by Empress Maria Teresa, after which she declared that if she wanted to see an opera, Esterháza was the place to go. While she was there, she also saw the marionette opera Philemon & Baucis and was so impressed that a couple of years later she borrowed the entire kit and caboodle from the Prince and treated herself in Vienna.

Please feel free to discuss. I certainly would appreciate some feedback on these essays to help to make them useful for you.

Admittedly, I can't follow the pace of this thread, so I'm a bit late. Anyway, I wonder if the Haydnistos have noticed the existence of a PI version of this opera, conducted by Sigiswald Kuijken:

[Gurn Blanston]

Admittedly, I can't follow the pace of this thread, so I'm a bit late. Anyway, I wonder if the Haydnistos have noticed the existence of a PI version of this opera, conducted by Sigiswald Kuijken:

Hmm, looks lovely! Does it actually exist though? Or did DHM print 7 copies in order to have the nice picture of Esterháza?

[Antoine Marchand]

Hmm, looks lovely! Does it actually exist though? Or did DHM print 7 copies in order to have the nice picture of Esterháza?

I think there are some copies at some AMP (UK, for instance). Anyway, if they only made 7 copies, your friend owns one of them... 

[Gurn Blanston]

I think there are some copies at some AMP (UK, for instance). Anyway, if they only made 7 copies, your friend owns one of them... 

Aye, pity he lives in Chile!       

Well, I'll cast about. You never know.

[Antoine Marchand]

Aye, pity he lives in Chile!       

It's crazy because I bought this set two years ago at a local store... here in Chile!

IIRC, I paid $40 aprox., so I guess it wasn't a bargain.