Haydn Recommendations

I sometimes think that I could come to love Haydn almost as much as I love Bach. When I listen to Haydn, I hear:

A robust sense of fun that does not sacrifice anything in the way of profundity.

An absurd, and seemingly inexhaustible flare for musical invention.

Deep joy in the act of musical creation.

At its best, his music radiates well being, without seeming complacent.

I don't think you'd go far wrong with some of his later string quartets - I think it's Op76 that includes such masterpieces as "Emperor" and "sunrise", but no doubt the classical experts will correct me if I'm wrong. NAxos has cheap but very good recordings of this repertoire by the Kodaly Quartet.

Dear Mr. Underhill,

Like Droodzilla, I love Bach, but unlike him, I actually love Haydn just as much. For a wonderful late Haydn piece of Choral Music, which is also admirably compact, may I recommend the Te Deum Laudamus in C Major? I have this performed by the Vienna Boys Choir on RCA, led by Gillesburger. You would never guess that this was the work of an old man, though there is no doubt of the profundity of the music's utterance. Mostly joy with one very dark cloud in the middle, splendidly and humanely swept away in the finale triumph over sadness that is noble rather than complacent or too easy.

In the Symphonies I recommend that you start with the 12 London Symphonies. Beecham or Davis are both at budget price and still revealing of the very breadth of Haydn's invention, innovation, and extra-ordinary [if classical - more so than Mozart] emotional range and clout. My favourites among these are 99 in E Flat, 101 in D, The Clock, 102 in B Flat, and 103 in E Flat, The Drum Roll.

The Quartets are superb, and I will recommend starting right at the mature end with the Two Quartets opus 77, and in a specific recording by the Mosaïques Quartet on Astrée Auvidis E 8799. This is a wonderful recording, among my favourite performances of any Haydn music, and the best sort of introduction to the world the string quartet. The sleeve note is, for once, both lucid, and also helps explain the context of the music, and projecting forward in its purview to the linkage between Haydn's Quartets and those of Beethoven, giving a good pointers as to where to look next if you enjoy these, both forwards and backwards, historically.

Also don't overlook the great Trumpet Concerto in E Flat. Maurice André, Haakon Hardenberger, and others have made grand recordings of this compact but profoundly lovely piece, though my favourite remains the recording for EMI by Edvard Ole Antonsen with Tate and the ECO in attentive accompaniment.

Another great work which seems ever fresh to me is the Symphony No 88 in G, and for once I am going to recommend a performance by Furtwangler, who is both winning and wonderfully stylish and classical, though bursting with the joys of life, right at the end of his career, in the studio for DG with the BPO. Bruno Walter also left a wonderful recording on US Columbia/CBS/Sony.

Another set that is completely engaging is the group of six called the Paris Symphonies. I would firmly recommend the recordings from Nimbus played by the Austro-Hungarian Haydn Orchestra conducted by Adam Fischer. This orchestra is an ad-hoc ensemble drawing its members from the VPO and Hungarian State Opera Orchestra, who used to meet each summer for a Haydn Festival, and who recorded all of the Symphonies in time, but managed to retain a freshness and spontaneity lost in some of the complete versions by other artists. There is not one weak link in the Paris set from them.

ATB from George

Nice post George - might check out some of those recommendations myself, as I'm still finding my way around Haydn. I see a kinship between him and Bach that I struggle to describe, but which makes me want to explore more of his work.

I've long had a theory that it's easy(ish!) to make great art about melancholy or tragic subject matter, but relatively difficult to credibly represent the joys of life through art. Something to do with the danger of appearing trite, or crassly insensitive to life's woes (think of new happy-clappy Christian hymns). One thing that draws me to Haydn is the feeling that he pulls off this difficult trick - there's great buoyancy in the music by him that I've heard, a sense of unforced good cheer. I will investigate further...

Dear Droo,

I think Haydn's mystery and greatness resides in the fact that he understood sadness [and experienced enough] to know what it is. His music always lifts the listener's soul, but in a noble way, never facile, from darkness to light, where darkness is present, though some of his music is pure joy! Never trite though!

I hope this goes further. I have almost as much again to add, when the discussion progresses ...

ATB from George

quote:

Originally posted by droodzilla:
I see a kinship between him and Bach that I struggle to describe, but which makes me want to explore more of his work....

Hello Droodzilla, i thought you may like to have a look at this from the web, helps to put them into perspective : )

http://www-atdp.berkeley.edu/9931/htsai/haydn.html

kind regards ~
nymph

What George said, and I'd also recommend Brendel's selections of the "Piano" Sonatas, and - surprisingly! - the Emerson Quartet's recording of the Seven Last Words. I'm also fond of Jochum's recordings of the London Symphonies (a recent addition to my collection) and VERY fond of Harnoncourt's recording of the Paris symphonies - which also boasts belting sound quality.

I didn't know that about the Austro-Hungarian Haydn Orchestra - makes you want to hear them though doesn't it!

EW

"I love music more than my own convenience. Actually, I love it more than myself--but it is vastly more loveable than I."

-George Szell (1963)





Looks like it's going for 6.98 US and up on Amazon. Great music and superb performances.

While not disgareeing with anything George said, you might like the Paris Symphonies set by Nickolaus Harnoncourt with the Consentus Musicus Wien. Davis and Beecham are superb in the London sets.

Beecham is also very good on a budget "The Seasons" from EMI.

In the quartets, I prefer the lighter touch of the Kodaly Quartet to most others and on Naxos, they are quite cheap, so you can explore.

Don't be surprised if you become totally hooked by Haydn!

Reagards,
Ken

As far as the symphonies go, I would agree that the London symphonies (and also the Paris ones) are a great starting point, and much as I enjoy George's recommendation of the Davis recordings, I'd take Jochum's wonderful set to my desert island, not least for the way he treats the minuets, quite unlike any other interpreter I've heard.

I'm also very fond of Bernstein in Haydn, for sheer joy he brings. His recordings of the London symphonies are good and there is an excellent box of his DG Haydn recordings available fairly cheaply which includes a stunning performance of the Creation.


regards, Tam

Many Thanks ...I'll start ordering!

Martin

Martin,

IMHO Haydn is grossly underrated these days. When he was alive, many considered him as the finest composer in Europe, and Mozart himself was a fan (cf Mozart's 'Haydn' Quartets).

A few recommendations:

- Alfred Brendel - 11 Piano sonatas (4 CD box). Mr. Brendel is a great - if not the greatest - Mozartian alive

- String Quartets, Alban Berg Quartett. I have this 1975 vintage LP and to this day it's one of my favorite records. I once sold a $4,500 sound system just by making an 70-year-old lady listen to that record. I don't know if it is available on CD, though.

- The Paris Symphonies, Nikolaus Harnoncourt. If my recollection is right, it was both a Gramophone record of the year and a Diapason d'or. The Concentus Muisicus Wien reaches new highs, you can actually hear the great time they're having.

- The seven last words, Emerson String Quartet (DG). Hard to listen to that music without reaching your inner self somewhere.

Have fun!

Claude

quote:

Originally posted by ClaudeP:
- The Paris Symphonies, Nikolaus Harnoncourt. If my recollection is right, it was both a Gramophone record of the year and a Diapason d'or. The Concentus Muisicus Wien reaches new highs, you can actually hear the great time they're having.

A marvel indeed, with stunning sound.

Haydn: Mass in D min "The Nelson": Stahlman, Watts, Brown, Krause: Cond. Willcocks & LSO & Choir of King's College, Cambridge

A fantastic piece of vinyl, it must be available on CD somewhere

quote:

quote:
Originally posted by ClaudeP:
- The Paris Symphonies, Nikolaus Harnoncourt. If my recollection is right, it was both a Gramophone record of the year and a Diapason d'or. The Concentus Muisicus Wien reaches new highs, you can actually hear the great time they're having.


A marvel indeed, with stunning sound.

In view of Unstoppable's apparent disagreement with my recommendation (above) for this set, I'm delighted that some others enjoy it as much as I do.

Marc-Andre Hamelin's recent 2-CD release of Haydn Piano Sonatas on Hyperion is also (IMHO) well worth hearing.

Ken

quote:

Haydn: Mass in D min "The Nelson": Stahlman, Watts, Brown, Krause: Cond. Willcocks & LSO & Choir of King's College, Cambridge

A fantastic piece of vinyl, it must be available on CD somewhere

The boxed set of Hadyn's 6 Last Masses directed by the same (David Willcocks)is a true gem.
The recording is fantastic - warm spacious and with great depth. The performances are stunning, and the full vitality is captured.
Paukenmesse
Heiligmesse
The Nelson Mass
The Theresa Mass
The Creation Mass
Harmoniemesse
Decca (Argo) 1962-1972

regards,
mat

Antal Dorati was also a good conductor of Haydn with the Philharmonica Hungarica. Again, I only have vinyl copies of his London Symphonies but again they should be on CD. I think he was the first conductor to deliver a complete recorded set of the symphonies.

quote:

Originally posted by KenM:

quote:

quote:
Originally posted by ClaudeP:
- The Paris Symphonies, Nikolaus Harnoncourt. If my recollection is right, it was both a Gramophone record of the year and a Diapason d'or. The Concentus Muisicus Wien reaches new highs, you can actually hear the great time they're having.


A marvel indeed, with stunning sound.

In view of Unstoppable's apparent disagreement with my recommendation (above) for this set, I'm delighted that some others enjoy it as much as I do.

Well he seems to have changed his mind - I never saw what he said!

Harnoncourt's Paris Symphonies is some of the best Haydn ever recorded.

EW

quote:

Well he seems to have changed his mind

Either that, or someone changed it for him. If he changed his mind, it seems an odd thing to do, leaving the fact of his diapproval on the thread. Still, who knows but him?
Ken

Haydn is one of the supreme masters of classical music - up there with Beethoven and Bach and Mozart. And in string quartets he is the best. As to works and recordings, consider:

String Quartets Op 20, 33, 50, 54, 64, 71, 74, 76, and 77. That's 41 works, all brilliant. The Mosaiques, Budapest, Angeles, Kodaly, and Tatrai quartets are all worth hearing.

Symphonies - 6-8; Sturm und Drang (44-49), Paris (82-87), and London (93-104) are all superb. For the Paris and London symphonies, Harnoncourt and Bernstein make for fine, contrasting listens. Neville Marriner is quite good in Haydn, too. For the early symphonies (6-8), there's a peach of a Naxos disc that is too good to pass up. For the Sturm und Drang, there are several options, but Maksymiuk on EMI offers a light, fast modern instruments approach. Pretty good stuff.

For piano sonatas, consider the John McCabe set if you want them all, otherwise individual sets of note are available from Andras Schiff, Fazil Say, Jean-Efflam Bavouzet (hard to find), Zoltan Kocsis, and Marc Andre Hamelin.

For piano trios, try the Beaux Arts Trio.

For the late masses, Gardiner is quite good, and I'm generally not a big Gardiner fan.

There's so much great stuff that one should just buy, buy, buy.


--

One of my absolute favorite recordings is from a quartet you've never heard of- The Fry Street Quartet playing Hayden's OP. 9, #4 in d and OP. 77, #2 in F, so one early and one late quartet. The Fry Street Quartet is the quartet in residence at Utah State University. Don't be put off by their no-name status as this is a recording full of vigor that exudes a love for life that is absolutely infectious. An equal partner in bringing this recording to life is Ray Kimber (of Kimber Kable) who has developed a new stereo recording technique he calls "IsoMike". His laboratory is the Austad Auditorium at Weber State University in Ogden, Utah, where his company is based. All proceeds of his sales go directly to the Music Department at Weber State. The first sampler CDRs I bought in 2004 after reading about the project in Stereophile actually resulted in a letter from the music school dean thanking me for my donation! At that time he sold copies of the demo CD he was taking around to various audiophile venues for whatever amount you cared to make a check out for in the name of Weber State University. The two sampler CDRs had incredible sound, but were collected snippets of unrelated sound bites. It was at Stereophile's Home Entertainment 2006 show in Los Angeles that I heard Ray Kimber's multichannel DSD demonstration for myself and bought three of his finished commercially produced SACDs. You can read more about the process here. The hybrid SACD, simply titled "Hayden", also can be ordered from a link there or directly from the Fry Street Quartet's website.
Very Highly Recommended.

Norman

quote:

Originally posted by ClaudeP:
- The Paris Symphonies, Nikolaus Harnoncourt. If my recollection is right, it was both a Gramophone record of the year and a Diapason d'or. The Concentus Muisicus Wien reaches new highs, you can actually hear the great time they're having.

They may have won awards, and undoubtedly they have their admirers, but I suggest you listen before you buy. It's true, I haven't heard them in full, only extended exerts on Radio 3's CD Review. I cannot get on at all with his stop-start approach which saps the joy and the life from these works (to my ears). I know I'm not alone in this view, so try and hear some before you part with your money.

regards, Tam

quote:

Originally posted by Tam:
I cannot get on at all with his stop-start approach which saps the joy and the life from these works (to my ears).

I was just listening to them, and I'm not sure I perceived this lack of joy and life! If anything, I think some will find them a little too sprightly!

If you've got an established taste, then I suppose Harnoncourt's view of things might jar. It depends what you compare his approach with I suppose.

EW

quote:

Originally posted by GFFJ:
Another great work which seems ever fresh to me is the Symphony No 88 in G, and for once I am going to recommend a performance by Furtwangler(...)

quote:

Originally posted by Huwge:
Antal Dorati was also a good conductor of Haydn with the Philharmonica Hungarica.

Let's combine the two - Dorati's version of the 88 and 89 with the Philharmonica Hungarica (I have the old London FFRR vinyl) is a joy to listen to.

BTW, re-reading the thread I see that in my enthusiasm I have inadvertently recommended records others had already mentioned. I apologize. Note to self: read threads more carefully before posting.

Claude

Dear Claude,

Two recommendations amount to more than one!

ATB from George

quote:

Originally posted by ClaudeP:
BTW, re-reading the thread I see that in my enthusiasm I have inadvertently recommended records others had already mentioned. I apologize. Note to self: read threads more carefully before posting.

Well, since you recommended many of the recordings I did, all is forgiven! Wise heads think alike...