What Hansslers are must-haves?

[Lethevich]

Hänssler is an uninteresting label in the sense it does not offer (according to Cataloque 2002) much repertoire other label's don't. I don't see what is the strength of this label? In what field does it try to be better than other labels?

Generally it offers very strong traditional performance of core repertoire, sometimes worth mentioning alongside the "greats", and generally with better sound quality. It should actually be praised for this, as it's one of the few independent labels which can do this (as nice as, for example, Alsop's Brahms on Naxos is, it's hardly a top choice), and is a good example of why the majors aren't "needed". It also has a lot of HIP/HIP-informed recordings such as Fey's Haydn symphonies and Norrington's stuff.

Edit: not to mention it has recorded contemporary works, which is also laudable. A lot of independants totally ignore things like that.

[71 dB]

Generally it offers very strong traditional performance of core repertoire,...

Core repertoire is heavily recorded. The market is saturated with quality releases and the competition is tough.

...and generally with better sound quality.

Really? Are the best sound engineers working for Hänssler?

Edit: not to mention it has recorded contemporary works, which is also laudable. A lot of independants totally ignore things like that.

To my understanding the independants are doing contemporary works heavily. Just look at the Naxos Cataloque. I don't see lack of contemporary works.

[The new erato]

Really? Are the best sound engineers working for Hänssler?

well, since you don't have any, you wouldn't know, would you?

[Brian]

Core repertoire is heavily recorded. The market is saturated with quality releases and the competition is tough.

Yes, but with Norrington in Beethoven, Fey in the 18th century, and Gielen in Brahms, Mahler and Ravel, the standards at Hanssler are very, very high; I won't say they've been better at core repertoire over the past 5 years than all the major labels, but I can certainly think it.  0:)

And the earlier point about their Koechlin series belies your claim that they don't have anything unique...

[MN Dave]

I think there are unique recordings if you search for them.

[Harry]

Actually, Hanssler works with the best engineers in the trade.....

[Lethevich]

Core repertoire is heavily recorded. The market is saturated with quality releases and the competition is tough.

Yes, which is why Hänssler making recordings that people who have heard Klemperer, Toscanini, Karajan, etc can become interested in is remarkable.

Really? Are the best sound engineers working for Hänssler?

It is because they are newer, although the SQ on their discs does tend to be very good compared to any new release by any label. Most of the "classic" performances on majors are decades old and often in dodgy sound, so to have a great conductor like Gielen making great performances in SOTA sound is valuble. Considering that the major labels have become more and more unable to produce solid cycles (often relying on gimmicks like Gergiev "I PLAY IT HARD" and Pletnev "I AM SO WEIRD"), and other labels like Naxos only managing "decent" performances (like Alsop/Brahms), Hänssler is useful at this time.

To my understanding the independants are doing contemporary works heavily. Just look at the Naxos Cataloque. I don't see lack of contemporary works.

That would depend on how it is looked at. There are major living composers with much of their work unrecorded, and the composers on Naxos will be among those. Just a token amount from each may look decent, it will produce a few new discs each money month for a label like Naxos, but it's not much really.

Edit: Correction, odd typo.

[Renfield]

relying on gimmicks like Gergiev "I PLAY IT HARD" and Pletnev "I AM SO WEIRD"

Hah. Come on, cut them some slack! In all seriousness, I agree that they're a bit too deliberate about keeping (and playing) to those images, but particularly Pletnev is an outstanding musician nonetheless, quirks and all.


But that's off-topic. Hänssler is an excellent label that produces top-notch recordings of at least a few very great musicians (like Michael Gielen), and its existence is more than warranted, in my view.

[71 dB]

It is because they are newer, although the SQ on their discs does tend to be very good compared to any new release by any label. Most of the "classic" performances on majors are decades old and often in dodgy sound, so to have a great conductor like Gielen making great performances in SOTA sound is valuble. Considering that the major labels have become more and more unable to produce solid cycles (often relying on gimmicks like Gergiev "I PLAY IT HARD" and Pletnev "I AM SO WEIRD"), and other labels like Naxos only managing "decent" performances (like Alsop/Brahms), Hänssler is useful at this time.

So Hänssler has better SQ than new recordings of Naxos, CPO, BIS, HM, Hyperion ? Good to know. 

Naxos only managing "decent" performances? I beg to differ but hey, I haven't heard the über-Hänssler discs! 

That would depend on how it is looked at. There are major living composers with much of their work unrecorded, and the composers on Naxos will be among those. Just a token amount from each may look decent, it will produce a few new discs each money month for a label like Naxos, but it's not much really.

Naxos releases more discs/month than any other label. For example this month music by James Cohn and  John Corigliano was released.

[Lethevich]

So Hänssler has better SQ than new recordings of Naxos, CPO, BIS, HM, Hyperion ? Good to know. 

I didn't say that... Their sound is certainly no worse than any of those, it's very good. What I mean is that they have a lot of better performances of core repetoire (which most of the labels you mention don't aim to record anyway).

Naxos only managing "decent" performances? I beg to differ but hey, I haven't heard the über-Hänssler discs! 

The point is not decent performances of as wide a range of things as possible (like with Naxos), it is quality performances of specific popular repertoire. I would in general not look to Hänssler for lesser known baroque or classical composers like I would with CPO, but I would also not look to CPO for Bruckner, Mendelssohn and Brahms, which I have found myself doing with Hänssler. You may have a problem with Hänssler recording a lot of standard repertoire (although as mentioned, it has also championed recent composers as well), but a lot of people find these interpretations to be good enough to be worth their time (and with all the recordings currently available, something has to be damn good to warrant that).

[not edward]

Composers I have on Hanssler include Hartmann, Schoenberg, Webern, Berg, Steuermann, Gielen and Rihm, so I'd hardly say they lack for coverage in the 20th century Germanic rep, at least.

The performances I've heard on this label have generally been near the top of the range, too.

[Que]

Same here Harry. It's an uninteresting label.

As can be concluded from my earlier post, I think the instrumental part of their Bach Edition (don't like Helmut Rilling's Bach) is an unqualified success. I fact of the matter is that I have now considerably more issues on Hänssler than on NAXOS! 

Q

[71 dB]

I didn't say that... Their sound is certainly no worse than any of those, it's very good. What I mean is that they have a lot of better performances of core repetoire (which most of the labels you mention don't aim to record anyway).

Interesting labels don't aim to record core repertoire much because it's done already so many times. There's so much neglected and forgotten music to be discovered.

The point is not decent performances of as wide a range of things as possible (like with Naxos), it is quality performances of specific popular repertoire. I would in general not look to Hänssler for lesser known baroque or classical composers like I would with CPO, but I would also not look to CPO for Bruckner, Mendelssohn and Brahms, which I have found myself doing with Hänssler. You may have a problem with Hänssler recording a lot of standard repertoire (although as mentioned, it has also championed recent composers as well), but a lot of people find these interpretations to be good enough to be worth their time (and with all the recordings currently available, something has to be damn good to warrant that).

I'm not heavily into Bruckner or Brahms but Mendelssohn is one composer I should explore more (I have more music by Johann Rosenmüller than Mendelssohn!  ). 2002 Cataloque does not have many Mendelssohn discs but perhaps I could try Hänssler when exploring the symphonies?

[Lethevich]

Interesting labels don't aim to record core repertoire much because it's done already so many times. There's so much neglected and forgotten music to be discovered.

Well, I said that they also record "new" music which can be equally as obscure as lesser-known Classical/Baroque music. Example: there are at least two labels who have recorded some of Dittersdorf's symphonies - and some new repertoire Hänssler have recorded have no more recordings than that. A label that focuses on premiere recordings of undiscovered works is also only interesting to a certain group of people (ones who look for music they have not heard before). The word can also be used by people who want new/diverse/creative/good performances of popular music - eg. I would describe Norrington's Berlioz Symphony Fantastique as "interesting". I probably like both types of label equally.

I'm not heavily into Bruckner or Brahms but Mendelssohn is one composer I should explore more (I have more music by Johann Rosenmüller than Mendelssohn!  ). 2002 Cataloque does not have many Mendelssohn discs but perhaps I could try Hänssler when exploring the symphonies?

I very much like the Norrington 3 & 4 disc, but that is a bit controversial and has attracted some medicore reviews - perhaps some people expected more pyrotechnics from the iconoclast conductor. If I recall correctly, you quite like oratorios? There are several of Mendelssohn's ones on that label too, although I am not a great fan of them. The Fey discs look like they could be good as well - I am only familiar with the string symphonies from Hyperion discs (a kind of Romantic take), and it'd be nice to hear a different view. Hehe, and speaking of obscure music, Hänssler seem to have recorded his opera "Der Onkel aus Boston"

[Brian]

Naxos only managing "decent" performances? I beg to differ but hey, I haven't heard the über-Hänssler discs! 

Well, I gotta say in this respect that Lethe is definitely correct as far as Brahms goes. Listen to Alsop's mediocre Second and Third, and nearly excellent First and Fourth, and "decent" makes for a pretty good average estimation. As for Gielen's Fourth, it's in my all-time top two and would probably be #1 were it not for the fact that I like my slow movement a little slower.

[71 dB]

Well, I said that they also record "new" music which can be equally as obscure as lesser-known Classical/Baroque music. Example: there are at least two labels who have recorded some of Dittersdorf's symphonies - and some new repertoire Hänssler have recorded have no more recordings than that. A label that focuses on premiere recordings of undiscovered works is also only interesting to a certain group of people (ones who look for music they have not heard before). The word can also be used by people who want new/diverse/creative/good performances of popular music - eg. I would describe Norrington's Berlioz Symphony Fantastique as "interesting". I probably like both types of label equally.

I'm not much into "new" classical music, obscure or not.
Two labels recording Dittersdorf? So what?

I very much like the Norrington 3 & 4 disc, but that is a bit controversial and has attracted some medicore reviews - perhaps some people expected more pyrotechnics from the iconoclast conductor. If I recall correctly, you quite like oratorios? There are several of Mendelssohn's ones on that label too, although I am not a great fan of them. The Fey discs look like they could be good as well - I am only familiar with the string symphonies from Hyperion discs (a kind of Romantic take), and it'd be nice to hear a different view. Hehe, and speaking of obscure music, Hänssler seem to have recorded his opera "Der Onkel aus Boston"

I don't find Norrington 3 & 4 disc in Cataloque 2002 (Hänssler's cataloque is "messy"). Must be a newer release. Yes, I am into oratorios. I have Paulus (Joshard Daus/Arte Nova) but not Elias.

I have one dics of string symphonies (Naxos, Vol. 3) and I enjoy it quite a lot.

Well, I gotta say in this respect that Lethe is definitely correct as far as Brahms goes. Listen to Alsop's mediocre Second and Third, and nearly excellent First and Fourth, and "decent" makes for a pretty good average estimation. As for Gielen's Fourth, it's in my all-time top two and would probably be #1 were it not for the fact that I like my slow movement a little slower.

What makes you think I have Alsop's Brahms? I have Rahbari. Naxos releases lots of discs every month and one or two mediocre releases doesn't mean much. Also, what is mediocre to you can be excelent to someone else. 

[Renfield]

Also, what is mediocre to you can be excelent to someone else. 

Exactly. And that is why Hänssler has a place in the market, even just looking at it from a supply/demand perspective: some of us like their discs.

[The new erato]

Exactly. And that is why Hänssler has a place in the market, even just looking at it from a supply/demand perspective: some of us like their discs.

There's no such thing as too many classical discs. If Hanssler floats, their discs are good enough.

[Harry]

There's no such thing as too many classical discs.

I could not agree more, more.......!

[Renfield]

There's no such thing as too many classical discs. If Hanssler floats, their discs are good enough.

That's exactly what I meant.