Haydn's Haus

[lordlance]

I found the original upload of the Haydn 100. Turns out it is with Israel Philharmonic:

[Karl Henning]

If it is Honeck's invention, it's a really great idea honestly. I really liked it.

A kind of inversion of the Farewell Symphony.

[Brian]

Honeck has a reputation for these kinds of creative but appropriate and enjoyable additions to music he conducts.

[Madiel]

Honeck has a reputation for these kinds of creative but appropriate and enjoyable additions to music he conducts.

In other words, he has taste.

[Florestan]

Honeck has a reputation for these kinds of creative but appropriate and enjoyable additions to music he conducts.

Sticking with Haydn, I wonder how he'd tackle The Miracle... 

[Madiel]

Sticking with Haydn, I wonder how he'd tackle The Miracle... 

Hopefully he'd start by switching to the symphony during which the miraculous event actually happened.

[Jo498]

Chandelier accidents have been trivialized by Phantom of the Opera, I am afraid.

[Florestan]

Hopefully he'd start by switching to the symphony during which the miraculous event actually happened.

That would turn it into a Surprise. 

[Karl Henning]

Chandelier accidents have been trivialized by Phantom of the Opera, I am afraid.

The Lloyd Webber Effect?

[Karl Henning]

That would turn it into a Surprise. 

(* chortle *)

[lordlance]

I'm hunting for an "ultra" HIP recording of Symphony 104 - clipped phrasing, fast tempi, aggressive attack, period instrument a La Norrington Haydn 82. I recently heard Gardiner's live 104 with LSO on YouTube but the acoustics were bad (COVID) and he went limp in the finale unlike his ultra HIP Mendelssohn cycle.

Any suggestions? 

[Jo498]

There is an earlier recording by Norrington (1980s EMI/Virgin, I think) that you could try but I have never heard it. Neither Minkowski's who is always a candidate for madness. A favorite of mine but this might be too moderate for these demands is Kuijken/harmonia mundi.

[DavidW]

Another vote for Minkowski, who is a wild demon in the Londons.  He should be frenetic enough for you.

[Gurn Blanston]

I saw the brief discussion above concerning whether Haydn had actually arranged a Turkish section to appear for the march in the Allegretto. He didn't, at least it is nowhere documented. However, that isn't to say the concept escaped him. He just approached it differently. Here is the review which appeared in the AMZ shortly after the premiere:

In reviewing this symphony, the reviewer for the Allgemeine Musikalische Zeitung, in Vienna, noted some things which differentiated it from its contemporaries of the London era.

... it is therefore unnecessary to say anything further about this symphony, composed in London by the great master, except that it is one of the finest he has written. It is somewhat less learned, and easier to take in, than some of the other newest works by him, but it is still just as rich in new ideas. The effect of surprise cannot perhaps be pushed further than it is here, when in the second movement we are utterly surprised by the full Janissary music in the minore – up to the point that we had no idea that these Turkish instruments were part of the symphony's scoring. But here, too, we see not only the inventive but also the prudent artist. The Andante [recte: Allegretto] is conceived as a whole: for despite all the pleasantness and lightness with which the composer in the first part attempts to distract attention from the coming coup, it is laid out and worked out like a march...

So if the audience didn't know the instruments were to be used, it seems highly unlikely the players were lolling about onstage dangling their triangles and the like, so my guess is that they maybe didn't come out like a marching band, but they were at least introduced in some surprising way.

The original question here was about brisk performances. Minkowski is a good choice, although I dislike his treatment of the surprise. It was amusing the first time, Haydn's original is amusing every time. Norrington with his London outfit do a really nice job, quite after your description, but they only do the last 6.  Kuijken would surely not suit you. It is my favorite cycle, but it's very much played straight, no punching up anything, memorable only for its wonderful execution. Like Bruggen in that way, but I like the band better.

🤠

[Jo498]

Somewhat heretically, the "Military" might be my least favorite of the London set, so (unlike 104) I never did much listening/comparing. It was a favorite Scherchen's, though, one of the few he re-recorded in stereo (much better sound and playing) and this one is worth trying out (it was in his EMI great conductors volume) although it's rather slow in the allegretto but the contrasts are very strong with terrifying percussion and the finale is manically fast.

[DavidW]

Kuijken would surely not suit you. It is my favorite cycle, but it's very much played straight, no punching up anything, memorable only for its wonderful execution. Like Bruggen in that way, but I like the band better.

🤠

Kuijken and Bruggen are also my favorites.  But the new project is upending all of my old choices, and 2032 will be releasing some Londons with volume 16 in a few months.

[Gurn Blanston]

Kuijken and Bruggen are also my favorites.  But the new project is upending all of my old choices, and 2032 will be releasing some Londons with volume 16 in a few months.

Yes, I have several new favorites in that series already. Hope I get to hear them all. It's seeming to take forever to actually release them, but OTOH, they are especially good because they are rehearsing on the road for quite a while before recording. That was a problem with some other cycles, sounded like they were doing a prima vista performance.

🤠

[Brian]

crosspost from New Releases



Amazon.DE says March 29.

I missed the similar-looking Max Goberman Haydn box...have not heard anything about these recordings before.

[JBS]

crosspost from New Releases



Amazon.DE says March 29.

I missed the similar-looking Max Goberman Haydn box...have not heard anything about these recordings before.

@Gurn Blanston has definitely mentioned them a few times here and on his website.

[Jo498]

Too late. I have 11 symphonies of the Solomons recordings that were available on CD in the 80s/90s and heard a few more in LP transfers that used to be on the web years ago.
While I like some of them a lot, it's somewhat scratchy, very small ensemble HIP playing that would have been great to have on CD at that time because it's usually far more intense and expressive as e.g. Hogwood's.
But I fear that 40 years later it's mainly for specialists, partly because of the incompleteness, partly because despite its qualities Solomons' Haydn is hardly as special and desirable today as it would have been even in the late 1990s. I'd certainly have bought the set even about 10 years ago (when I was happy to find a 3 disc set of the few CBS releases used) but today I'll probably pass.