Customer Reviews

Joseph Haydn: The "Paris" Symphonies

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Antal Dorati's legendary traversal of the Haydn symphonies was for many years the only complete set (by one conductor and orchestra) of the symphonies. Today, although there are some other complete sets, most notably Adam Fischer's wonderful, is somewhat uneven traversal, as well as many great period performances, Harnoncourt and Bruggen come immediately to mind, Dorati's cycle still has staying power.

What makes Dorati's performances so appealing is his sense of wonder and youthful energy that pervade these six fantastic symphonies. The performances sound spontaneous and lively, never dull or plodding. Just listen to the spirited finale to the Eighty Sixth symphony, which bubbles over with vigor. Or listen to how the opening of Eighty Seven just smiles from the speakers. The performance of the famous "Hen" Symphony manages to balance Haydn's wit with a minor key, while the comic slow movement of the "Bear" has a fabulously comic feel.

These performances, recorded in the 1970s, certainly are showing their age. The strings can tend towards steeliness and there are, here and throughout the set as a whole, ensemble problems. The opening of the "Bear" symphony sounds somewhat bumbling while the "stately" minuets may sound dated to modern ears. Still, you won't find more energy than here, in Dorati's fabulous Paris set.

Listeners that want more than one Paris set, and really, any fan of Haydn should have several, will find many wonderful moments with Harnoncourt (82, 83), Bruggen (86), Bernstein (85), Fisher (82, 87), Fey (84), and (surprisingly) Marriner (87).

One of the great feats in all recorded music is Antal Dorati's complete set of Haydn's Symphonies with the Philharmonia Hungarica made during the 1970s, and currently available as a 33-CD set. But if you are like me and can't quite bring yourself to spend that kind of money on a box set (one of these days though!), why not settle on this Double Decker title in the meantime. This two-for-the-price-of-one CD set, along with the Penguin Classics disc with three of the London Symphonies (see my review), are the only Haydn-Dorati Symphony performances currently available domestically. And if you could care less about Dorati and the legendary value of these recordings, and are just looking for a good Haydn CD, then this is for you too. The "Paris Symphonies" are among the most famous of all 104 numbered Haydn Symphonies, and these particular performances are equal to others I own by Bernstein, Ansermet and Karajan among others. In all, this is a great title to buy, or at the very least, to keep a space warm for that box set!

Extraordinary reading of the composition, an individual insight of the score, a Sturm und Drand interpretation as I never seen before. This Dorati interpretation of the first six Paris symphonies puts to shame most of my other recordings. The technical side of the recording is also a big plus. A must have, in my opinion.