Haydn: 6 "Paris" Symphonies

Franz Joseph Haydn (Composer), Herbert von Karajan (Conductor), Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra (Orchestra) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Orchestra: Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra
• Conductor: Herbert von Karajan
• Composer: Franz Joseph Haydn
• Audio CD (July 18, 1995)
• Number of Discs: 2
• Label: Deutsche Grammophon
• ASIN: B000001GNT
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #241,195 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars All I am saying is give Herbie a chance, January 11, 2011

By 

Bernard Michael O'Hanlon (Wilsons Prom, Australia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Haydn: 6 "Paris" Symphonies (Audio CD)

Let's get the obvious stuff out of the way: were the Minuets always going to be on the slow side? Yes. Does that make them unmusical? Not in the least.

Karajan and the Berlin Philharmonic are clearing enjoying themselves - just listen to the finale of 86 which is one of the wittiest things that Haydn ever wrote: it is irresistible. I know of no finer 87 on the market: for once, it is clamours to be regarded as one of the stars of the set. This performance of the Hen is so much more vibrant and subtle than the heavy-handed account that the same forces recorded in September 1971 (Symphonies 83 101 & 104). The other symphonies are likewise superlative.

The digital recording has been remastered to good effect and the woodwind, so important in the Paris Symphonies, shines through.

Ignore the nay-sayers: this is great fun. You won't regret it.

1 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars master performance of music with historic value as well!!, November 15, 2006

By 

G. Booth (santa barbara) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Haydn: 6 "Paris" Symphonies (Audio CD)

First, note that i am a relative beginner in classical music, so as a result, my interpretation of this music is based on this recording alone.

Second, that being said, i am eagerly awaiting haydn's complete symphonies conducted by Dorati to arrive. this is how much of an impression these works have made on me! i look forward to comparing the two interpretations.

Third, symphony #85 "la reine" was one of Queen Marie-Antoinette's favorites. I mention this for a few reasons. One, I am a bit of a history buff and enjoy learning about history, thus this gives me a point of reference for the composer's contempories and a sense of what is happening on the streets of Paris while this wonderful music is being performed. Furthermore, at the time of writing this review, the movie, "Marie-Antoinette" was in theatres, and yes i did see this one; although, at the time of purchase, I did not know about the connection. This has given me a fresh desire to revisit some history.

Fourth, frankly, the only good review is the one written in spanish which may be an obsticle to some, however he does mention that the Bernstein recording with the NYP is good, so that may be one to compare as well. The snob and the french reviews require no explanation.

Now, to the music. In a word: glorious. the music is full, rich, and played with fervent emotion that stirs my soul. Being a novice, I must say that most of my preferences for various works result from what moves me and where my mind goes with the music. This 2 CD set is a gem and I highly recommend it.

I have given the piece 5 stars for three reasons: a) my personal response to the music itself, b) the paucity of reviews for this recording and c) the quality of the conductor and orchestra.

4 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars a full-tilt, 110% artistic disaster, July 6, 2009

By 

anonymous (Los Angeles) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Haydn: 6 "Paris" Symphonies (Audio CD)

About the only thing this set of performances is good for is for a laugh. And I regard Karajan as one of the greatest conductors who has ever lived. But listening to this set of recordings it is truly baffling to try to figure out what he was thinking, or hearing, when he committed this stuff to tape.

It's so bad, in so many ways, it enters the realm of parody: these performances are a parody of a certain kind of old-fashioned, big orchestra Haydn, made especially piquant by Karajan's penchant for a driving, humorless sound in the tuttis, and glacially slow minuets that together is so ridiculous in this music one hardly knows what to think or say about it. Not to mention the homogenized sheen of the orchestra and the constant, often inappropriate legato phrasing that is completely antithetical to Haydn's distinctly rhetorical style. All the lovely details of Haydn's orchestrations are completely buried in Karajan's famously mannered orchestral sound.

Karajan made a similar disasterously mis-calculated set of recordings of Verdi Overtures at about the same time, with most of the same problems. The late 70s were not a good time for the Maestro, it seems.

Karajan's Haydn is far more stylish, and more convincing, in recordings he made earlier in his career. If you must have Karajan in this repertoire, try some of those. Seems to me he's not really the guy for Haydn, though. Harnoncourt's Paris symphonies are very fine, if idiosyncratic in ways that might not bear repeated hearings--although I've had no problem there so far. The ASMF outings are serviceable and even enjoyable, if rather on the conventional side. Kuijken's Haydn is extremely good, but I agree with a poster elsewhere who pointed out that too many period bands make Haydn sound like Baroque music. It's a valid criticism. I still like the Kuijken though, if not as much as Harnoncourt.

If you like big-orchestra Haydn Bernstein is an interesting choice, but I find most big orchestra Haydn, including Bernstein, nearly unlistenable now. It's very far from Haydn had in mind.