Haydn: The Paris Symphonies Nos. 82-87

Franz Joseph Haydn (Composer), Nikolaus Harnoncourt (Conductor), Concentus Musicus Wien (Orchestra) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Orchestra: Concentus Musicus Wien
• Conductor: Nikolaus Harnoncourt
• Composer: Franz Joseph Haydn
• Audio CD (April 5, 2005)
• SPARS Code: DDD
• Number of Discs: 3
• Label: RCA
• ASIN: B0007OP69E
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #192,901 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

33 of 39 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Move Over, Lenny!, July 27, 2005

By 

M. Seeley (Charlotte, NC) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Haydn: The Paris Symphonies Nos. 82-87 (Audio CD)

This is an extraordinary set of "Paris" symphonies by Haydn performed by Nick Harnoncourt and his Concentus Musicus Wein. The only recordng in my collection up until this point was the old NYPO with Lenny. It is comprised of three CDs with two symphonies on each. Why? Nick honors ALL the repeats. The result is more than three hours of music. But Nick manages to make it interesting. None of the performances feel long-drawn-out. And I heard things I never heard before, so for me there was a new sense of discovery. I took a gamble in getting this set because Nick can be an erratic interpreter when it comes to Haydn or Mozart. But this set is a homerun. Concentus Musicus Wein plays with polish, clarity and precision. The woodwinds are especially luscious.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Harnoncourt shines despite some Baroque irritations, December 25, 2008

By 

Santa Fe Listener (Santa Fe, NM USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Haydn: The Paris Symphonies Nos. 82-87 (Audio CD)

I would find a period-style version of Haydn more convincing if the usual suspects didn't make him sound exactly like a Baroque composer -- surely Bach and Haydn shouldn't sound the same with the passage of generations and their different cultural settings. Leaving that aside, Harnoncourt's approach is fresh and engaging. I agree with all the positive points made by the Amazon reviewer (inclduing the agreeable surprise that the once raw-sounding Concentus Musicus Wien now sounds very polished -- they have almost erased the zing of vibratoless strings).

The chief detraction, for those who dislike this set, is that Harnoncourt is too brash and punchy. That holds true here and there, but in general these "Paris" Symphonies sound much less brash than Harnoncourt's Mozart -- he's at times even relaxed, and there's no lack of nuance in the slow movements despite the fast tempos. Only occasionally did I feel that he was impatiently running through a movement. I will never give up Bernstein's famous set on Sony, wich excels at high spirits and infectious humor (not the scowling Harnoncourt's strengths), but among the other versions I've heard, this engaging, original one stands out.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Madness in Paris, June 28, 2011

By 

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

This review is from: Haydn: Paris Symphonies (MP3 Download)

"Father, I've done . . . . questionable things," so says Roy in Bladerunner when he meets Eldon Tyrell. I wonder whether Harnoncourt will make the same comment when he meets his Maker. Exhibit number one: this recording.

Three hours of Paris symphonies is too much of a good thing. Repeat after repeat after repeat after repeat. Looks ominous, doesn't it? It is a licence to go mad. Nor is the journey made any easier by the usual Harnoncourt-isms: the repudiation of charm; the gruff accents and the wilful pacing.

Much like Karajan towards the end of his career, Harnoncourt is by now such a known quantity, it would be feasible to create a virtual Harnoncourt to make recordings of this mettle until the end of time. It's the Karajan Soup v the Harnoncourt Muesli Bar.

On the credit side, the orchestra plays with panache. There is plenty of adrenalin on offer but it is insufficient to avert the onset of torpor as one repeat follows another, endlessly, ad infinitum, unceasingly - terminating in a zen-like state of nullification.

I am a Metternich in music. Defiantly, I advocate Herbie Haydn: 6 "Paris" Symphonies or Lenny if you must Haydn: Paris Symphonies, Nos. 82-87 (The Royal Edition No. 33). If period-practice is an imperative, the Kuijken recordings lay strong claim - and nor will steam be pouring out of your ears as you listen on Haydn: Paris Symphonies 82-87