Customer Reviews

Haydn: Symphonies Nos. 88 - 92

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

 

 

If you are looking for two of the most beautiful late Haydn symphonies in one set, this is it! No. 88 (no name) and no. 92 (Oxford) do not belong to the "Paris" or "London" groups of Haydn's symphonies, they are in between. While every movement of no. 88 is a gem, the slow movement is one of the most beautiful compositions in all of classical music. (Remember Brahms' saying, I wish the slow movement of my ninth will sound like this.) The better known no. 92 is perhaps the most dramatic and energetic of all of Haydn's symphonies. Nos. 89 - 91 are beautiful works too, but perhaps not as truly great in every movement as nos. 88 and 92. The performances are dynamic and warm at the same time, i.e. really exciting. The sound is first-rate. A bargain. I have no doubt this should be given a rating of five stars.

These late Haydn symphonies, written just prior to Haydn's epochal voyage to England and the even more epochal death of Mozart, are some of his freshest and wittiest creations. Still under the influence of Paris' Concert de la Loge Olympique, the virtuoso band for whom Haydn had created his Symphonies 82-87 on commission from Count d'Ogny, there is a wonderful frothy lightness and melodic charm to these symphonies: typically 18th Century Gallic qualities that the cosmopolitan Haydn transmutes into sonic gold. Sigiswald Kuijken (despite the Wagnerian name, he is a splendid conductor of Haydn) and his period orchestra La Petite Bande play these symphonies beautifully. And because they are historically informed performances, we are treated to the gutsy, rough-cut sound of period strings when the dynamics reach forte or beyond, to the succulent, burnished tone of those lovely period winds, to the way dynamic stresses bloom but never break and to the grainy, rough-hewn warmth of the overall orchestral sonority.

If you are unused to period performances, what some uninitiated reviewers here describe as 'flatness' and a 'lack of drama' is precisely what makes these performances so good. La Petite Bande adopt the playing conventions of Haydn's time, eschewing the Romantic era accretions that can make for a certain blandness or smugness when playing these symphonies. These performances have bite. They have soul. They are superlative. Given the price of the two disc sets, and the fact that EMI does not always keep them in print, I strongly urge you to consider these wonderfully evergreen Haydn symphonies. They will brighten your day as they do mine. The sound of the discs has a clarity and transparency that is typical of their 1990 recorded provenance. Because of their slight high-end brightness, the sound of the strings and woodwinds are especially emphasized, serving to highlight Haydn's brilliant contrapuntal writing.

Mike Birman

This is an excellent value for the nine dollars or whatever it is, and I'd highly encourage everyone to get it. Granted, there are points where the playing sounds restrained and almost flat, such as the last movement of the 89th symphony. It's also true that Kuijken doesn't have the flair for the dramatic that Solti or Bernstein et al. would have; the music isn't necessarily given any special interpretation. But it is interpreted solidly and with a surprising amount of energy; as well, the skill level of the orchestra is outstanding. What really drew me to these recordings, however, was their earthy, "gutsy" tone; the harpsichord and drum parts to these symphonies, parts which are so integral to Haydn's work, are more prominent than usual, and this takes the music from being something refined and snobbish in a concert hall to being something everyone can identify with. Buy this CD! Now!

These 5 symphonies were composed between the perennially popular 'Paris' and 'London' cycles in the late 1780's. Only the 92nd is named - 'Oxford', after Haydn received an honary doctorate from that university. It is a justly famous work, fully comparable with Mozart's late symphonies

The others are an absolute delight displaying the wit and brilliance of orchestration that had made Haydn famous throughout Europe. The largo of the 88th is surely one of Haydn's most beautiful!

There are a number of very commendable performances of the works available, though few offer the intuitive grasp that Kuijken and his players display, and at super bargain price.

Collectors of Kuijken's survey of Haydn's music need not hesitate, while others are strongly urge to.

Franz Joseph Haydn (1732 - 1809): Symphonies Nos. 88 (G Major), 89 (F Major), 92 "Oxford" (G Major), 90 (C Major) und 91 (E flat major). Performed by: La Petite Bande, dir. Sigiswald Kuijken. Recorded in the "Doopsgezinde Gemeentekerk", Haarlem, the Netherlands in October 1989 (Symphonies 90 and 91) und February 1991 (Symphonies 88, 89, 92). First published in 1990/1992. Re-issued as a budget-priced 2-CD box in 1999. Total playing time: 129'34".

Sigiswald Kuijken's recordings of the great later symphonies by Joseph Haydn were made with two different orchestras (La Petite Bande and the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment) and for two different labels (Virgin Classics and Deutsche Harmonia Mundi), and some of the symphonies were, moreover, recorded in a church, others in London's Abbey Road studios. All this makes a unified evaluation difficult, and although I really appreciate the 2 CD box with Symphonies 88 thru 92, I feel I can only award it four stars for the following reasons:

1. The recordings of the "Paris symphonies" (Nos. 82 thru 87) with the OAE (which, I assume, was a rather larger body of musicians than La Petite Bande), made in the Abbey Road studios, pleased me somewhat better. The reason for this may be the glorious melodies of the Paris symphonies which Haydn did not quite achieve again in his Tost and D'Ogny symphonies. But the reason may also be the superior musicianship of the OAE or perhaps even the sound engineering.

2. These recordings of symphonies 88 thru 92 are sonically more than adequate, are not, however, able to bear comparison with some newer CDs with similar repertoire. I am thinking here in particular of Nikolaus Harnoncourt's new recording of the Paris symphonies for Deutsche Harmonia Mundi (Haydn: The Paris Symphonies Nos. 82-87), where the fullness of sound and the clarity - despite the use of period instruments - put the efforts of La Petite Bande somewhat in perspective.

3. The documentation provided by Virgin Classics is skimpy, to say the least. The notes by Adélaide de Place, if read in French or German, may just about be acceptable, but the English version certainly is not. And all further information concerning the strength of the orchestra, the names of the players or the instruments used is held back - to my mind, this is making a saving in the wrong quarter (especially considering that large portions of the 8 page booklet are almost empty).

All this should not, of course, mislead anyone into discarding these two CDs. Sigiswald Kuijken is a Haydn connaisseur of the first quality and was here very carefully at work, if you listen exactly to what is going on. The symphonies "live" on dynamic contrasts and on the interplay between the tutti-strings and the concertant winds, and while listening I was more than once astounded at how well Kuijken, himself a violinist, was leading his wind instruments. Above and beyond this, the constantly rapid tempi and Kuijken's obvious penchant for Haydn's wit and humor are beneficial to the whole. Of the five symphonies recorded here, only one - No. 92 - has acquired a nickname ("London"), but the other symphonies, too, are well worth a listen, even if they are, today, seldom heard in the concert hall - Haydn was bristling with ideas all the time.

This is a lively and utterly professional rendering of "Papa" Haydn's brilliance. The sequencing of the the selections make it easy to see where the Master was and where he intended to take us.

These are tenderly played and executed symphonies; but perhaps a little too tenderly and too strict an adherence to original practice technique. Take the magisterial symphony no. 92 as an example: well played, but lacking the excitement and incredible lush (and I may add, old fashioned) sound of Karl Böhm with the Vienna (nla). The introduction is stately, but lacks drive and passion and when the Allegro begins it is understated and under- whelming. I am no opponent of original instruments; I rather think Adam Fischer with the Austro Hungarian Haydn Orchestra maintains the drama and excitement of Haydn better though I have not heard him do these particular symphonies. For the bargain price I may be getting petty, after all they are played well and these are thoughtful performances but it may be a good idea to look elsewhere.

I'm rather surprised at all the glowing reviews for this set, because the set itself doesn't glow, except with polish. One reviewer calls it "tender," which I can see, sort of, but really it's all too elegant and well mannered and unexciting. In fact, I'm currently on line looking for some recordings with which to replace it.

This is a great recording! Lots of energy. I find music hard to describe so give it a listen on your Real Player.