Haydn's Haus

[Gurn Blanston]

Hi Greg - now I've not looked ahead on this thread for the most recent pages, so this post may be redundant?  Sorry -

But, I have @ least 2 sets of the Haydn SQs, mostly on period instruments - I own a lot of the Quatuor Festetics recordings on Arcana - really enjoy; their earlier recording on Quintana is also in my collection & includes Op. 77 & 103 - not sure about its availability?  Good luck in your search - Dave

Yes, I have that Quintana disk also, it is from the first time they recorded the quartets. I like that disk a lot, although I didn't recommend because I thought (possibly wrongly) that he would never find it available anyway.  Generally the first series are not nearly as well-played as the second. Not true of this one though.

Availability of the Arcana set is spotty. Funny how sometimes they seem to be everywhere, and then, not so much. 

[SonicMan46]

Yes, I have that Quintana disk also, it is from the first time they recorded the quartets. I like that disk a lot, although I didn't recommend because I thought (possibly wrongly) that he would never find it available anyway.  Generally the first series are not nearly as well-played as the second. Not true of this one though.

Hi Gurn - well coming up next in my listening queue are the Haydn SQs, Op. 77/103 - the two Quatuors, i.e. Festetics vs. Mosaiques!

Interestingly, the Mosaiques disc lists the third work as Op. 77/III but in () as Op. 103 (the Hoboken numbers given for the 3 SQs are H.III.81, H.III.82, & H.III.83) - assume that Haydn wrote these as a 'trio' set but why is the third one usually severed off and listed as Op. 103?  I'm sure that I use to know but can't recall the circumstances @ the moment - any help (I suspect this will be @ your fingertips!  ).

BTW, found a used copy of the L'Archibudelli on Amazon for $8 and ordered - not really needed w/ the other two, but a favorite group of many here!  Dave

[Gurn Blanston]

Hi Gurn - well coming up next in my listening queue are the Haydn SQs, Op. 77/103 - the two Quatuors, i.e. Festetics vs. Mosaiques!

Interestingly, the Mosaiques disc lists the third work as Op. 77/III but in () as Op. 103 (the Hoboken numbers given for the 3 SQs are H.III.81, H.III.82, & H.III.83) - assume that Haydn wrote these as a 'trio' set but why is the third one usually severed off and listed as Op. 103?  I'm sure that I use to know but can't recall the circumstances @ the moment - any help (I suspect this will be @ your fingertips!  ).

BTW, found a used copy of the L'Archibudelli on Amazon for $8 and ordered - not really needed w/ the other two, but a favorite group of many here!  Dave

Hey, Dave,
Yes, that Op 103 was originally intended to be the third one of Op 77, but there was a 5 year pause in between, and he finally gave up the effort and Griesinger ended up giving the parts that were complete (the 2 interior movements) to Breitkopf for publication, along with the little bit that Haydn had made from his song "Der Greis" (The Old Man) which Breitkopf did indeed publish at the end, by way of explanation as to why the quartet was unfinished. Pretty sure I wrote out the whole story in one of my essays (1805 ?).

You will like the L'Archibudelli version. Among other things it is the only version I know of that actually plays the little song at the end, which was what Haydn had requested.

[Mandryka]

Mandryka, I wanted to make sure that the "earlier"/best Ulbrich Op. 20s that you mention are the following:


though for the moment I cannot find #1-3; I have not looked hard for them yet, but are/were they available from the same label?

Yes that's it, the whole thing from a Japanese reissue is here

http://www.amazon.com/HAYDN-STRINGS-NO-31-NO-36-ULBRICH-SQ/dp/B0006B9Z1S/ref=sr_1_1?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1365096780&sr=1-1&keywords=B0006B9Z1S

Or the first three op 20s here

http://www.amazon.com/String-Quartets-1-3-Haydn/dp/B000025P21

I first got to know about them because of a fabulous Ravel quartet that was uploaded on symphonyshare. You'll see if you go there the discussion.

[Mandryka]

Truthfully, the door for Haydn recommendations never closes with me. 
The Quatuor Festetics is a group I've never listened to, but will definitely search them out.
Thanks, Dave!

In op50 and op33 I really like what they do.

[SonicMan46]

Hey, Dave,
Yes, that Op 103 was originally intended to be the third one of Op 77, but there was a 5 year pause in between, and he finally gave up the effort and Griesinger ended up giving the parts that were complete (the 2 interior movements) to Breitkopf for publication, along with the little bit that Haydn had made from his song "Der Greis" (The Old Man) which Breitkopf did indeed publish at the end, by way of explanation as to why the quartet was unfinished. Pretty sure I wrote out the whole story in one of my essays (1805 ?).

You will like the L'Archibudelli version. Among other things it is the only version I know of that actually plays the little song at the end, which was what Haydn had requested.

Thanks - now I remember the story (probably from reading your excellent reviews) - looking forward to the L'Archibudelli disc; I've acquired a lot of their recordings in the last 2-3 yrs and have enjoyed all!  Dave

[TheGSMoeller]

Any Haus-mates heard this?





Great musicianship of course, the sound has a concert-hall distance to it, which works well with the balance. The real shocker is the finale of Le Matin , compared to my other (6) recordings and a few other times I compared online, this finale is anywhere from a minute-and-a-half to over three-minutes longer. It definitely fits, just not accustomed to this tempo. It feels more like Moderato, but nowhere near the Presto that many groups seem to use.

It's on Spotify, which is where I'm listening to it. On to Le Midi now, again, very impressive.

[Gurn Blanston]

It has been out for a while, I think that ALF and I discussed it a couple months back. Amazon don't carry it, nor US sellers in general, so it probably hasn't been imported yet. I will certainly have it though, and your description makes it that much more intriguing.

[Wakefield]

It has been out for a while, I think that ALF and I discussed it a couple months back. Amazon don't carry it, nor US sellers in general, so it probably hasn't been imported yet. I will certainly have it though, and your description makes it that much more intriguing.

Amazon isn't America, dear Gurn. 

http://www.cduniverse.com/productinfo.asp?pid=8828575&style=music

[kishnevi]

Prestoclassical lists it, albeit not on sale ($17.25).

[Gurn Blanston]

Amazon isn't America, dear Gurn. 

http://www.cduniverse.com/productinfo.asp?pid=8828575&style=music

Well, as near as dammit!    I find it odd the CDU has that while Amazon only have the downloads. And 1 used copy that is going for more than the new one you show.

Thanks, Gordo,

[Gurn Blanston]

Prestoclassical lists it, albeit not on sale ($17.25).

Good price. I've never bought from them; perhaps I need to be less provincial. Although I bought the Novalis Haydn Masses disk I am listening to from a place in Prague, so that was pretty daring for me!!   

[kishnevi]

Good price. I've never bought from them; perhaps I need to be less provincial. Although I bought the Novalis Haydn Masses disk I am listening to from a place in Prague, so that was pretty daring for me!!   

They usually have some worthwhile sales, plus often because they're in the UK they can ship some new releases before they're released in the US.  At the moment they have a sale on "early music" in general, but for some reason this CD is not included.  (I haven't checked to see what Haydn might be part of that sale.)

Shipping is comparable to Arkivmusic; it can take from 2 to 4 weeks to get to me.  Only caveat is that the system they use charges your credit card at the time you place the order, not the time they ship they order (which can be a week later for many of their items)--even if you're pre ordering a CD that won't be released until a month after you place the order.

Also, at Christmas time, they seem to get backed up/overloaded, meaning you may have to email them with a polite "why hasn't my order shipped".  But they're always great on customer service, and the one problem I had with an order turned out to be the fault of the US Post Office, not Presto.

Also, despite the fact that your order will be in dollars, your credit card will impose its usual foreign transaction fees (same as Amazon Italy, etc.).

I order from them fairly regularly, which probably tells you my overall opinion of them.

[Gurn Blanston]

They usually have some worthwhile sales, plus often because they're in the UK they can ship some new releases before they're released in the US.  At the moment they have a sale on "early music" in general, but for some reason this CD is not included.  (I haven't checked to see what Haydn might be part of that sale.)

Shipping is comparable to Arkivmusic; it can take from 2 to 4 weeks to get to me.  Only caveat is that the system they use charges your credit card at the time you place the order, not the time they ship they order (which can be a week later for many of their items)--even if you're pre ordering a CD that won't be released until a month after you place the order.

Also, at Christmas time, they seem to get backed up/overloaded, meaning you may have to email them with a polite "why hasn't my order shipped".  But they're always great on customer service, and the one problem I had with an order turned out to be the fault of the US Post Office, not Presto.

Also, despite the fact that your order will be in dollars, your credit card will impose its usual foreign transaction fees (same as Amazon Italy, etc.).

I order from them fairly regularly, which probably tells you my overall opinion of them.

I have used another UK vendor to good effect, MDT, but usually if they don't have it I back away since I am still not comfortable with dealing with a place that I can't go there and punch them in the nose if I don't get my disk. It's the Texas way.  

Novalis is just a hard label to find. This place in Prague, Online Express, is an AMP vendor now, and they seem to have a regular stock of Novalis. I have a couple more on my wishlist with them that I will be ordering this month. Price is about the norm for a high-end disk ($21.99) with AMP s & h, and I got it in 10 days, so no complaints there!! I suspect that Presto didn't list it because it isn't particularly new, it's from the early 1990's. Not OOP though, just... rare! 

[kishnevi]

I have used another UK vendor to good effect, MDT, but usually if they don't have it I back away since I am still not comfortable with dealing with a place that I can't go there and punch them in the nose if I don't get my disk. It's the Texas way.  

Novalis is just a hard label to find. This place in Prague, Online Express, is an AMP vendor now, and they seem to have a regular stock of Novalis. I have a couple more on my wishlist with them that I will be ordering this month. Price is about the norm for a high-end disk ($21.99) with AMP s & h, and I got it in 10 days, so no complaints there!! I suspect that Presto didn't list it because it isn't particularly new, it's from the early 1990's. Not OOP though, just... rare! 

I have found it easier to deal with Presto than with MDT, and the shipping charges are much easier to figure out, to say the least.   Also the packaging Presto uses seems to be better than MDT.  I've had packages from MDT which seemed to have gotten smashed around considerably in transit, even accounting for the possible attentions of the US Customs.  Presto's parcels have surviived admirably. 

Another good packer of parcels is JPC in Germany, btw. 

[Opus106]

I find it odd the CDU has that while Amazon only have the downloads. And 1 used copy that is going for more than the new one you show.

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B0097RFE6M/?tag=goodmusicguideco

You may have to check with them as to the identity of the disc, just to be on the safer side.

[Gurn Blanston]

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B0097RFE6M/?tag=goodmusicguideco

You may have to check with them as to the identity of the disc, just to be on the safer side.

The typical example of one of Amazon's double listings;

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008R3JMJ2/ref=dm_dp_cdp?ie=UTF8&qid=1365255378&s=music&sr=8-1

I hate when they do that; and why?? 

Thanks, Nav, the Ultimate Search Machine Guy!

[Opus106]

The typical example of one of Amazon's double listings;

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008R3JMJ2/ref=dm_dp_cdp?ie=UTF8&qid=1365255378&s=music&sr=8-1

I hate when they do that; and why?? 

Thanks, Nav, the Ultimate Search Machine Guy!

You're welcome, Gurn. It's not so much of searching as finding the product at one Amazon and changing the TLD to see if there's an equivalent page at another.

All this talk of this trio of symphonies has now made me play a concert recording of Harnoncourt leading the CMW. 6, 7, 8, and 94. (Quite a jump!)

[Gurn Blanston]

You're welcome, Gurn. It's not so much of searching as finding the product at one Amazon and changing the TLD to see if there's an equivalent page at another.

All this talk of this trio of symphonies has now made me play a concert recording of Harnoncourt leading the CMW. 6, 7, 8, and 94. (Quite a jump!)

Ah, they're tricky, these GMG'ers.

I like that Harnoncourt version. In fact, the Pinnock was one of the very few that I didn't like. And a 94 thrown in. I get quite a jump there too.

[TheGSMoeller]

All this talk of this trio of symphonies has now made me play a concert recording of Harnoncourt leading the CMW. 6, 7, 8, and 94. (Quite a jump!)

I like that Harnoncourt version. In fact, the Pinnock was one of the very few that I didn't like. And a 94 thrown in. I get quite a jump there too.

+1 for Harnoncourt/Haydn from me as well, I've always enjoyed his live-performance atmosphere, even if the sound quality isn't top notch (Performance > Sound Quality)

Another set of 6-8 I've been listening to is...

[asin]B000MGBT9S[/asin]

from Günther Herbig and the Staatskapelle Berlin. Well recorded, and an interesting contrast from the HIP-pier and PI performances. I believe this is a re-issue from 1973.