Customer Reviews

Haydn: The 12 'London' Symphonies

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

With this 5-disc DG "Collectors Edition" boxed set, Eugen Jochum's incredible early-70s performances of Haydn's 12 "London" Symphonies make a welcome return to the catalog. While I will always treasure the recordings I grew up on (Szell's "90s" Symphonies and Bernstein's "100s"), Jochum's accounts are as good as any currently available, including the celebrated ones by Davis and Dorati. Even serious collectors who own the initial CD release of these works will have to take a second look at this new set because of what is contained on its 5th Disc. It features three symphonies -- No. 91 with the Bavarian RSO from 1958, and Nos. 88 & 98 with the Berlin Philharmonic from 1961 & '62 respectively -- which have never been previously available on CD. They were enough for me to spring for an upgrade, and I am really glad I did!

When I think of Eugene Jochum the first thing that pops into my mind is Bruckner, not Haydn. These recordings have been in and out of the catalog for years, but at this price, they are a steal! Jochum is a wonderful Haydn interpreter. What you get in this set are light-hearted rhythms, delicate execution, graceful and polished playing, and well-paced performances -- the way Haydn SHOULD be played. The London musicians give the listener the transparency expected when Haydn is performed. The only minor flaw, if there is one, is that some of the Menuettos tend to be a little heavy-footed.

In particular, Jochum's take on Haydn's 101st was a revelation to me. What has been nick-named "The Clock" gets a real racy treatment that grabbed me by the throat. And Jochum never let go! The opening movement is played with attention-grabbing exuberance. The big plus with this set is the jaunty Haydn 88th.

This is another set that the serious Haydn collector ought to have at his disposal.

I love this set so much I sold my Davis Duo sets to the used shop. This is a must buy for any Haydn fan.

Jochum and London Phil deliver the highest level of Haydn playing just like Colin Davis and Concertgebow do. I own both and tried to compare between two.

Jochum adds plenty of personal touches that decidedly grab your attention. You hear poignant romanticism or Beethoven-like roar in many places. Colin Davis, by comparison, lets the music flow naturally and makes it sound more balanced. In his set, you hear more of Concertgebow Orchestra than Colin Davis. I think it's the other way around in Jochum set. Concergebow's sound is more transparent and charmingly light-footed while London Phil sounds fuller and creamier without losing crispness. You get more agility and refinement from Davis set. You get more expressiveness and warmth from Jochum's.

Let me emphasize that all of the good qualities I attributed to either of the sets actually exist in both (they are inherently in Haydn's writing). It's just that some qualities are more apparent in one than the other.

As to the recording, Colin Davis set has more sparkle and vividness. It sounds more modern. Jochum's has a typical old-fashioned analogue sound in a very good way. It has plenty of natural ambience but doesn't sound muddy.

I recommend you buy both of these delightful and affordable sets. I never regretted doing so :-)

I should qualify my views by saying I don't find the early instrument approach to Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven or Berlioz to be more satisfying than great performances played by a modern orchestra.

Because of my interest in Jochum I decided to purchase this set of "London Symphonies". I listened to one of my very favorite Haydn works, "the Miracle" symphony, #96 in D. I was struck by the first phrase of the allegro; here was a reading that surpassed Szell because it he wasn't taking himself quite so seriously. Jochum was a bit faster and full of glee as the first and second violins rocked back and forth on an octave in the exposition. I had always thought precision to be the key to these pieces. When I was in college to say otherwise would have been out of the question. I discovered that I had been fooled for YEARS by this misconception.

Its easy to sum up this box set. Via team work and simplicity of approach, Jochum achieves what Haydn must have - sunshine - both at the core of the music AND the music making; the players seem to be having fun. What a lovely way to work. When precision excludes humor in some music all is lost. I can say that another way. Listen to Toscanini conduct Haydn.

When I wake up in a less than happy mood, Jochum's Haydn always makes the coming day better; these performances, treasures all, (pardon this) are a sonic tonic.

I'm prompted to write this review by our Haydn fan:

There's a story about Brahms listening to a performance of his first piano concerto, turning to his friend sitting next to him and saying, "You can play it that way, too." Most of us would never think that one conductor would reveal everything there is to reveal in a Beethoven or Mozart symphony; why would we think differently about Haydn?

Haydn's late symphonies are immensely sane and optimistic, unfailingly inventive, full of contrasts and surprises, bold and daring, and multi-dimensional emotionally. In other words, they are just as complex as the more obviously complex symphonies of the romantic era, despite their seemingly placid surfaces; they are just more subtle.

My standard for "great" performances are ones that communicate emotionally, hold together structurally, and tell me something new about the piece. Jochum's performances of the "Salomon" symphonies are amongst that group. Jochum clearly loves this music, and his love comes through in every bar. These are genial, warm, robust performances, recorded live by DGG in a London concert series. A photo of the orchestra in rehearsal with Jochum shows a slimmed-down version of the London Philharmonic, so textures are relatively transparent. Tempi are brisk in general, but never rushed and without the waywardness that could creep into Jochum's performances of romantic composers. Everything feels judiciously considered and spontaneously rendered. Jochum apparently wanted to record these symphonies with an English orchestra, and the London Philharmonic has that "English" sound, with slightly nasal woodwinds, smooth but lean strings, and somewhat brash brass. The sound is DGG's early-70's analog stereo at its best: detailed and warm, with great hall ambience. The cd transfers, not surprisingly, are excellent.

Should this be your only set of these symphonies? No. There is much to learn from Beecham, Bernstein, Scherchen and Szell, amongst others, and amongst the newer generation, Thomas Fey, whose series of Haydn symphonies is generating alot of interest. Music this complex and this good deserves to be heard several ways; as Brahms would have said, "You can perform it that way, too!"

There's no getting around the fact that Jochum adds his own personal touches to all the works in this set, and as with his Bruckner, they work marvelously and make the listening a lot of fun. Haydn infuses his work with a great deal of humor and wit as it is; these performances simply enhance those qualities. They're not as rough & ready as Bernstein/NYP, not as refined as Colin Davis/COA; but they're well-played, inspired, and for the Haydn enthusiast, never dull.

The "bonus" recordings on Disc #5 date from 1962 and 1958 (the remainder of the set from 1972-73) and sound absolutely great!

Eugen Jochum is probably best remembered for his sterling interpretations of Bruckner's symphonies. However, he should be well regarded too for his splendid interpretations of Haydn's late symphonies. This superb 5 CD set has been listed - and then deleted inexplicably - by Deutsche Grammophon for years; now at last it is back in a relatively inexpensive form, demonstrating once more that it is among the finest recordings of these symphonies ever made. Jochum leads the London Philharmonic Orchestra in light, delicate performances which are truly revelatory, leading the orchestra as if Haydn himself was conducting. It's truly hard for me to select a single favorite, though I agree with another reviewer that Jochum's interpretation of the 101st "Clock" symphony is truly special. For these reasons alone, I can't say that Jochum's cycle is "better" than those I've heard from Bernstein and Sir Colin Davis; however, I will say that his cycle is one I recommend as highly as those from these two superb Haydn interpreters. I do know that I greatly enjoyed my original LP versions of Jochum's cycle, and for this reason alone, I strongly recommend this CD version to potential purchasers.

Contrary to almost all the reviewers I don't care nearly so much for this set. I'm especially surprised someone would give up the Davis set for this one. Late Jochum seems to produce some divided opinions, his style later in his career generally running to less dramatic, suaver performances.

Haydn is a very challenging composer - most conductors only discover after a recording session how extremely difficult it is to completely capture a satisfactory reading of any his mature works. The works seem to play themselves, and then you look back and realize how much didn't come out. You might have gone any number of ways at this, that or another point in the score. As one noted podium hustler quipped to me, after his up-beat sunny reading of Haydn's Drum Roll, "Yeah, but I could also have done it tragic - it's more bloody complicated than Mahler."

I find it interesting so many reviewers were so ecstatic about these very pleasant and essentially genteel performances. Certainly even the earliest and to my taste the most powerful recordings in this set, such as 88, do not rise to the level of a Furtwangler or a Scherchen. Nor do I hear the invigorating readings others do, certainly not in direct comparison to those conductors who I do find invigorating in these works. Jochum never achieves the sort of electric energy and crispness found in the Cleveland Orchestra under Szell, the searching imagination of Scherchen, which despite a plethora of orchestra issues remains a benchmark, or even the easy knowing informality of Beecham.

Frankly I prefer listening to the rarely discussed von Karajan set, which has it perversities, but also sports some new and provocative ways of looking at Haydn.

Readers should understand in referring them instead to the Davis Philips set of Haydn's London Symphonies over this one I am decidely NOT a Colin Davis fan. I panned his most recent Beethoven set. However, for the moment I still think his Philips set remains the best overall of the large orchestra versions available. Haydn: The London Symphonies, Vol. 1Haydn: The London Symphonies, Vol. 2

For quite simply the best in Haydn performances Szell's with Cleveland remain exceptional with superb orchestra playing, superior to the London Philharmonic and riveting attention to those tiny details so beloved and fundamental in these incredibly tightly contructed works. Haydn: Symphonies Nos. 92, 94, & 96Haydn: Symphonies Nos. 93, 95 & 97

If you remain a fan of this Jochum set despite my critical perorations then if by chance you happen to see the equally middle of the road approach of the Mogens Woldike set of the last six symphonies don't hesitate to grab it if the price is not too dear. The Woldike set, reissued on Vanguard Classics, remains one of the handsomest all around interpretations with superb woodwinds, excellent grand overall pacing, a full bracing momentum, and lovely early stereo. It's only shortcoming is a tendency to downplay the wit and humor, vital features in Haydn, even in his grandest symphonies. Amazon won't let me highlight the listing - currently unavailable - but you can still find it by looking under "Woldike Haydn". You can still hear samples of Woldike's impressive way in these ultimate works of Classicism and I urge you to try them and keep your eyes peeled!

For a set of this size to receive five stars it has to be the very best available. Right now that laurel goes to the Colin Davis set. However, it can be bettered, and I look forward to the competition among the younger set when they grow tired of playing around with Mahler and Bruckner and move up to Haydn.

I have heard bits and pieces of quite a few versions of the London Symphonies. While they are all good, most seem to have flaws, although this is admittedly subjective.

Take Scherchen for example - while the fast movements are vivid and bursting with energy, the slower movements are dismally slow. When you find yourself skipping past some movements because they sound dull, that can't be a good sign.
Even the much acclaimed Fischer, while producing a smooth and beautiful sound and quite quick on the faster movements, lacks the energetic feel so essential to Haydn.
Szell, who is usually intense and precise in his interpretations, seems not to have recorded the entire set of 12.

Then we come to Jochum, and I can find nothing wrong here. He is brisk but unhurried. The slower movements are beautifully done, rather than boringly slow. There is energy, passion, and commitment to the spirit of the music and the sheer beauty of Haydn's work, all without losing precision and going off into excessive interpretive realms. Very good work, thoroughly enjoyable, and true to the spirit of what one imagines Haydn had in mind when he wrote these symphonies.