Haydn: London Symphonies, Vol. 2

Franz Joseph Haydn (Composer), Richard Hickox (Conductor), Collegium Musicum 90 (Orchestra) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Orchestra: Collegium Musicum 90
• Conductor: Richard Hickox
• Composer: Franz Joseph Haydn
• Audio CD (January 23, 2001)
• SPARS Code: DDD
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Chandos
• ASIN: B000050432
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #281,418 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fine Performances of Great Music, February 2, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Haydn: London Symphonies, Vol. 2 (Audio CD)

First of all, the amazon.com reviewer really should try to avoid using terms like "not drawing undue attention to themselves" as terms of praise! Music doesn't really exist until it's performed, and performers who don't draw attention to themselves are usually performers who aren't doing anything at all--and that's no good.

Luckily, Hickox is not that kind of musician, though he's clearly more conservative, less flamboyant than Frans Bruggen or Nikolaus Harnoncourt. His performances of Haydn are graceful and generally lighthearted, though unlike some conductors he doesn't underplay Haydn's dynamic contrasts or the drama in movements like the minuet of symphony no. 102. His tempi are sensibly chosen, a bit faster than usual in opening movements and a bit slower than usual in finales, and with the help of his excellent period orchestra and the superb Chandos sound, brings out all sorts of wonderful details of harmony and orchestration, though some might wish that the drums were more prominently recorded.

Other conductors, like Bruggen in his live recordings on Philips, may be more attuned to Haydn's angry side, but Hickox's, while lighter and brighter, are not bland. This is not the only valid approach to Haydn's music, but by all means get this disc, look forward to the rest of Hickox's Haydn cycle, and be thankful that these performers *do* call attention to themselves and their splendid interpretive skills.