Customer Reviews

Haydn: The Paris Symphonies Nos. 82-87

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

 

 

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.

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.

"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

Harnoncourt and his period instrument band Concentus Musicus Wien have garnered a reputation bordering on radical when it comes to interpreting the Baroque and Classical repertoire. I suppose "radical" is in the ear of the beholder, but I can certainly identify qualities in these performances which any Haydn buff would find to be at least "idiosyncratic", especially in the slow movements and in the many abrupt tempo changes and original ornamentations. One also hears many details either lost or nonexistent in other recordings. In any case, I find the performances to be not quite as entertaining and enlivening as Bernstein's famous traversal of the Paris Symphonies with the New York Philharmonic from the '60s. One reviewer here on Amazon writes: "I found this set too loud, too brash, and utterly lacking in charm, grace, subtlety, and beauty of tone." Well, I said, that sounds right up my alley! LOL The same things were said of Bernstein's set forty years ago.

Among more recent period instrument recordings, Harnoncourt's is definitely heftier than Sigiswald Kuijken's lighter, more refined renditions with the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment on the Virgin label and better recorded than Frans Brüggen's otherwise fine set with the Orchestra of the 18th Century on Philips. What Harnoncourt also does differently is observe all repeats, thus the necessity of spreading his set over three discs as opposed to the usual two.

This set has received many glowing reviews. Here is the other side, from someone who likes many, but not nearly all, HIP (historically informed performance) approaches to music. I found this set too loud, too brash, and utterly lacking in charm, grace, subtlety, and beauty of tone. Yes, Haydn has often been over-refined in other performances, robbing the music of Haydn's joyous wit and interesting textures. However, to my ears, this set goes way overboard in the other direction. I could recommend this only to those who are firmly in the HIP camp and who value excitement and verve above all else and who therefore don't think Haydn should be at all subtle, dry, or easy on the ears.

Some of the reviews of this set are utterly rediculous. This is a marvelous set of Hadyn symphonies, every bit as good as Lenny and the over rated Jochum in my view, and far better played and recorded than both. But, to each his own. My only criticism - and this is a small one - is that I don't need all the repeats. But this set and the Fisher set of Paris symphonies are my preference. The reviewers who trashed this set perhaps don't like Haydn's music very much. David Hurwitz from ClassicsToday was right on target. Bah hum-bug the rest of you!