Haydn's Haus

[Mandryka]

I'm not sure there ARE 'historic' performances of the trios, so you're in luck there. The BAT was a landmark in being the first ever complete set, and really, it isn't so modern, I think it was begun in the 1970's when scores became available.

The 1970's is old to me, BTW.

The performance style of that era is what turns me off, in addition to sucky sound. I like modern performances by people who appreciate Haydn as much as I do.

Op 77#1 is well represented, I will add on to this when I get home, but the Alea Quartet, QM, Schuppanzigh, Salomon, and a half dozen others.

Goes without saying that the symphonies are in the same boat for me.

Oh there are some wonderful historic trio recordings - Oistrakh-Oborin-Knushevitsky; Casals-Thibaud-Cortot; Goldberg and Lilli Kraus and

It's only my discovery of Trio 1790 (thanks to you) which has made me turn away from these, I hated BAT. Oistrakh-Oborin-Knushevitsky is really special.

[Gurn Blanston]

Oh there are some wonderful historic trio recordings - Oistrakh-Oborin-Knushevitsky; Casals-Thibaud-Cortot; Goldberg and Lilli Kraus and

It's only my discovery of Trio 1790 (thanks to you) which has made me turn away from these, I hated BAT. Oistrakh-Oborin-Knushevitsky is really special.

Curious which ones they performed. There were only a trickle of scores available back then and they were pretty inaccurate, although great music can transcend that sort of thing. Trio 1790 are the cat's ass, despite opinions I've heard otherwise.

BAT didn't give me a Viagra moment either, although hats off for recording the entire cycle for the first time.

[Mandryka]

Curious which ones they performed. There were only a trickle of scores available back then and they were pretty inaccurate, although great music can transcend that sort of thing. Trio 1790 are the cat's ass, despite opinions I've heard otherwise.

BAT didn't give me a Viagra moment either, although hats off for recording the entire cycle for the first time.

You know that Paul Badura Skoda recorded quite a large number of the trios with Fornier and Janigro? Not complete but maybe a dozen, maybe even more. Modern instruments. Elegant style, nice and relaxing.

[Sergeant Rock]

I think you need to be careful sarge. They were very variable, and often pretty dull. Why can't you sample through spotify? Two I like are op 77/1 and op  64/6. The sound is fine -- you just have to use your imagination, you can hear well enough what they were doing.

Historic recordings don't bother me. I mean, I listen to Golovanov  

I do think that you need to hear those two at least, whether we have different tastes or not. They're important in 20th century reception history. And those performances have not been bettered...

There's the rub. I have a hard time believing that Pro Arte got it right and no one else since has.

Anyway how can you resist Haydn Hot Club style?

Well, it is hard to resist     That's why I keep going back to Amazon and sampling. I may succumb...someday.

Sarge

[Brian]

Anyway how can you resist Haydn Hot Club style?

What I think of when I think of Hot Club style:

[Karl Henning]

"Hoagie" Haydn

[Mandryka]

There's the rub. I have a hard time believing that Pro Arte got it right and no one else since has.


Sarge

Well I didn't intend to suggest that.

[Karl Henning]

I know, and you're only a virgin once. That's why I was encouraging Ray. Hell, I can't remember what I think of each of them without a relisten!

Again, I find it a comfort to know that a chap like yourself, who has certainly spent more time with the Haydn symphonies than yours truly, is still . . . listening to them again for the first time now and again.  I don't know when a day of "just Haydn" may become available, but I know I should need several in order to get what I will consider (for myself) a proper grasp of them.  That said, I am enjoying the weird sensation of going back to listen to piece to which I know I have listened before, and yet feeling that the music is entirely new to me.

[Gurn Blanston]

Again, I find it a comfort to know that a chap like yourself, who has certainly spent more time with the Haydn symphonies than yours truly, is still . . . listening to them again for the first time now and again.  I don't know when a day of "just Haydn" may become available, but I know I should need several in order to get what I will consider (for myself) a proper grasp of them.  That said, I am enjoying the weird sensation of going back to listen to piece to which I know I have listened before, and yet feeling that the music is entirely new to me.

One of the nice things about the gigantic size of his oeuvre is that you can listen around and it may be months before you hear the same piece again, and meantime you've heard so much memorable music that it got pushed out of your head. I'm sure the Bachians experience something similar, although the music is not at that same level. It has been mentioned here by many that he never seems to repeat himself within a genre (no true, of course, but he disguises it well). I think that makes it seem like so much more. 

Actually, it pleases me that a professional musician can have the same things to grapple with as I have. That 'this is totally new to me' feeling can be really disconcerting when you know it isn't true! 

[Karl Henning]

And honestly, I think that is why the underhanded result has been, a consensus grade of B for "Papa" as a musical force.  But folks have not actually evaluated the music;  they've found it too daunting a task, and fixed a Post-It™ note to him . . . .

[Karl Henning]

. . . which is why, when musicians have made the effort to investigate the music, they invariably have a high opinion of him.

[Gurn Blanston]

And honestly, I think that is why the underhanded result has been, a consensus grade of B for "Papa" as a musical force.  But folks have not actually evaluated the music;  they've found it too daunting a task, and fixed a Post-It™ note to him . . . .

Exactly true. I think anytime that a body of work is that large, it tends to get lumped into great chunks (like the early, middle and late symphonies (or string quartets or keyboard trios &c &c), and then generalities get made instead of specifics. Even the history is hard, given the 60 years of active musicianship that stretches out over one of the most interesting and eventful parts of Euro history! One ends up with early, middle and late Esterházy periods too.   

[Dancing Divertimentian]

I'm sure the Bachians experience something similar, although the music is not at that same level.

Well, with the chihuahua on my lap vying for attention I'm in no real position to unleash (no pun intended) major salvos in defense of Bach. Let's just say I don't agree with this assertion at all.

EDIT: Hmm...with the chihuahua now off my lap I've had time to give this quote a more thorough going-over. But I can't quite get past its ambiguity. Being the big Bach fan I am (love Haydn, too) I'm not sure how to read it. First reactions might've been wrong, however.

[Gurn Blanston]

Well, with the chihuahua on my lap vying for attention I'm in no real position to unleash (no pun intended) major salvos in defense of Bach. Let's just say I don't agree with this assertion at all.

EDIT: Hmm...with the chihuahua now off my lap I've had time to give this quote a more thorough going-over. But I can't quite get past its ambiguity. Being the big Bach fan I am (love Haydn, too) I'm not sure how to read it. First reactions might've been wrong, however.

I have a real talent for that, don't I? 



PS - I have a chihuahua also. Paco. He loves Haydn's music. Go figure!   

[Wakefield]

I have a real talent for that, don't I? 

It was exactly what I thought this morning: You enjoy to tease Bach from time to time. 

BTW, this afternoon arrived my new Mac all-in-one, with 27-inches screen (I needed to say that! ), and for the first time I noticed a long vertical crack on the design of the site (left side when you're in front of the computer).

Does somebody else see the same?

[Dancing Divertimentian]

I have a real talent for that, don't I? 

  With a politician's flair:



http://www.youtube.com/v/5FRVvjGL2C0

PS - I have a chihuahua also. Paco. He loves Haydn's music. Go figure!   

Ha! That's awesome. Unfortunately our Bella only has two interests: food and bullying the stuffies around the house. But she's cute as hell!

[Gurn Blanston]

It was exactly what I thought this morning: You enjoy to tease Bach from time to time. 

BTW, this afternoon arrived my new Mac all-in-one, with 27-inches screen (I needed to say that! ), and for the first time I noticed a long vertical crack on the design of the site (left side when you're in front of the computer).

Does somebody else see the same?

True, but he is OK with it.

Wow, 27" monitor, cool!  Anyway, no, I cannot see any such crack, but my puny monitor is clearly not up to the job. Probably for the best.

[TheGSMoeller]

My 4 year old always tells me to "play a quartet", this came from me always playing Haydn string quartets around the house or in the car, since he's learning numbers it was a great way to introduce the terms trio, quartet, quintet, etc.

The other day I played a YouTube clip from a piece posted in the "21 Century Music" thread, my son said, "Daddy, turn that sound off."   

[Gurn Blanston]

  With a politician's flair:



http://www.youtube.com/v/5FRVvjGL2C0


Ha! That's awesome. Unfortunately our Bela only has two interests: food and bullying the stuffies around the house. But she's cute as hell!

Paco has 4 she-terriers-from-hell to keep in line, he doesn't have time for food and toys. He's damned proud of himself though!

[Gurn Blanston]

My 4 year old always tells me to "play a quartet", this came from me always playing Haydn string quartets around the house or in the car, since he's learning numbers it was a great way to introduce the terms trio, quartet, quintet, etc.

The other day I played a YouTube clip from a piece posted in the "21 Century Music" thread, my son said, "Daddy, turn that sound off."   

Splendid child! The apple didn't fall too far from the tree, mayhap.