Haydn's Haus

[jlaurson]

I need a new Op.64 SQ recording. I have the Buchberger Quartet Op.64 1-6, and am interested in the Mosaiques Quartet on Naive, but the cheapest I can find it right now is $13 for No.1, 3 and 6 and $33 for No.2, 4 and 5. which would be almost $50 for the complete set. I mainly want the Quartet for Strings in B minor, Op. 64 no 2/H 3 no 68 so if there was a single disc with this one I would consider it.

Thanks, Haus-mates, for any recs!   

Wait for the complete Mosaiques Box bound to come out soon... and invest the money you save on not indulging now then.

Meanwhile (and decidedly not HIP but musical and satisfying, even if I have some quibbles with them here and there) you might consider The Lindsays.

[TheGSMoeller]

Thanks for the recs, DD, Mand, Jens, I will research the ones listed.
I have Mosaiques 20,33 and 77 so I certainly believe their 64 is just as marvelous.

[Karl Henning]

Unless one prefers the QM approach to the music.

[North Star]

Unless one prefers the QM approach to the music.

Ah, the QM approach to music, as pioneered by Albert Einstein & Richard Feynman.

[Karl Henning]

what good approach or even music would do if you can not hear it properly

How is the balance a benefit if you care not for the performance?

[Opus106]

Ah, the QM approach to music, as pioneered by Albert Einstein & Richard Feynman.

Of course, the elder physicist later went on to state that God does not play Sound Engineer with the music.

[DavidW]

Wait for the complete Mosaiques Box bound to come out soon... and invest the money you save on not indulging now then.

When!?

Also will there be an Auryn Quartet box set?

[DavidW]

QM recording is dominated by the close 1st violin and cello sounds distant.

Not really, not even an issue on headphones.

[Dancing Divertimentian]

Wait for the complete Mosaiques Box bound to come out soon... and invest the money you save on not indulging now then.

Are we talking about a single box of all the Mosaiques's recordings? The French Amazon link I posted above is a 10 disc box of Haydn only.

[Dancing Divertimentian]

QM recording is dominated by the close 1st violin and cello sounds distant. The Lindsays are a better choice here

That's not the way I hear the QM. The balances are ideal, at least on my system, which may or may not play a part in this.

In fact, speaking of the Lindsays, I can't think of another ensemble where the first violin is MORE prominent! It's practically their signature sound, or at least is a known trait of theirs. Generally I avoid them because of this, just too squawky for my taste.

[North Star]

That's not the way I hear the QM. The balances are ideal, at least on my system, which may or may not play a part in this.

+1

Are we talking about a single box of all the Mosaiques's recordings? The French Amazon link I posted above is a 10 disc box of Haydn only.

Just the Haydn, I assume

[Parsifal]

Are we talking about a single box of all the Mosaiques's recordings? The French Amazon link I posted above is a 10 disc box of Haydn only.

I'd be more interested in a collection of the Mozart recordings, which went out of print even before the Haydn recordings did.  They went to the trouble of making the recordings, and they can't be bothered to sell them?  Idiotic!

[DavidW]

That's not the way I hear the QM. The balances are ideal, at least on my system, which may or may not play a part in this.

I've heard those recordings on various headphones and on speakers and have heard no balance problems.  Don't think professional reviews mentioned it either.  We should see what Scarpia thinks, he's highly allergic to these types of issues.

[Parsifal]

I've heard those recordings on various headphones and on speakers and have heard no balance problems.  Don't think professional reviews mentioned it either.  We should see what Scarpia thinks, he's highly allergic to these types of issues.

I had the Mozart QM recordings in a big box, for some reason decided I did not like them (can't remember why) sold them and now they are all out-of-print and impossible to get except at absurd prices.  Thanks Naive!    

[Dancing Divertimentian]

I'd be more interested in a collection of the Mozart recordings, which went out of print even before the Haydn recordings did.  They went to the trouble of making the recordings, and they can't be bothered to sell them?  Idiotic!

Yeah, I'm wondering if there won't be a Mozart box coming in the future as well. But they sure don't make it easy to predict...

[mszczuj]

Unless one prefers the QM approach to the music.

The problem with interpreting music of the Classical Era is that the every possible approach to the music is wrong as what is needed here is the individual approach to the each phrase.

[jlaurson]

Are we talking about a single box of all the Mosaiques's recordings? The French Amazon link I posted above is a 10 disc box of Haydn only.

That's what I meant. (I hate catch-all boxes anyway... I'd not be excited about that. Not that I need the all-Haydn box of the Mosaiques... but it feels good to promote it, being all-and-only Haydn.)

I'd be more interested in a collection of the Mozart recordings, which went out of print even before the Haydn recordings did.  They went to the trouble of making the recordings, and they can't be bothered to sell them?  Idiotic!

They're Mozart should be re-issued as well, true. But as per selling... that's not how the market works, I'm afraid. It costs a lot of money to keep things in print, beyond the first edition... and every subsequent edition takes money and effort and risk to re-issue. In their case, at least, it seems all feasible, because the recordings are attractive and they should be able to move a couple hundred if not even very low four digit numbres of copies.

[Parsifal]

They're Mozart should be re-issued as well, true. But as per selling... that's not how the market works, I'm afraid. It costs a lot of money to keep things in print, beyond the first edition... and every subsequent edition takes money and effort and risk to re-issue. In their case, at least, it seems all feasible, because the recordings are attractive and they should be able to move a couple hundred if not even very low four digit numbres of copies.

It seems to me you've got the economics backwards.  There is a large fixed cost to make the recording.  Then pressing more discs is just a small incremental cost ($0.50 per disc,  maybe close to a buck when you include the booklet and jewel case).   Of course, if they pressed more and absolutely no one bought them they would loose money.  But given that used copies of these discs are hard to find, there must be some demand for them.

Of course, we don't get to see their sales figures.  Maybe they pressed 1,000, sold 50 after 5 years and sent the rest to the grinder.  There is an effect where recordings that are impossible to get acquire a cult following and a legendary status.  Mozart string quartets are some of my favorite music in the universe and I couldn't bring myself to listen to more than one movement of the QM set at a time.  Still, the unattainability of the set is now making me feel that I need to get it. 

[Mandryka]

It seems to me you've got the economics backwards.  There is a large fixed cost to make the recording.  Then pressing more discs is just a small incremental cost ($0.50 per disc,  maybe close to a buck when you include the booklet and jewel case).   Of course, if they pressed more and absolutely no one bought them they would loose money.  But given that used copies of these discs are hard to find, there must be some demand for them.

Of course, we don't get to see their sales figures.  Maybe they pressed 1,000, sold 50 after 5 years and sent the rest to the grinder.  There is an effect where recordings that are impossible to get acquire a cult following and a legendary status.  Mozart string quartets are some of my favorite music in the universe and I couldn't bring myself to listen to more than one movement of the QM set at a time.  Still, the unattainability of the set is now making me feel that I need to get it. 

Isn't their Mozart on youtube? I mean, it won't take much just to go to youtube and confirm or deny your previous judgement.

[jlaurson]

It seems to me you've got the economics backwards.

No, I don't think that I have my economics backwards... at least I'd like to think that I know a thing or two about how the recording industry works.

Limited runs sell out... and then it needs a certain minimum demand to justify a second pressing, especially for box sets. There are ways to keep the cost down (using jewel cases with the original releases in a flimsy slip-box --- as opposed to those rather expensive whatshammacallit-paper-wallet cases... but it still costs money that, at low retail prices, is hard to get back if you don't know if you'll sell 100 copies or 1000. Although I'd like to think that Naive knows that re-issuing the Mosaiques should be viable.