What are you listening to?

[Jose Echenique]

It has been a long time since I have played this one....





It is a wonderful, powerful performance and the line up is as follows....

Just listen to the glorious voice of Leontyne Price on that Requiem and it´s immediately obvious that there´s no one like her today. Jussi Björling on the other hand recorded the work a little bit past his best, in fact he only had months to live after that recording was made, he died too young because of serious alcoholism. The mezzo and the bass are nowhere as good.

[markof]

[Seán]

Franz Haydn
Symphony No. 1
Philharmonia Hungarica
Antal Doráti - conducting.

I have decided to familiarise myself with all of Haydn's Symphonies in 2013 (that's what happens when I listen to Mr Butcher). I am grateful to Antal Doráti, Philharmonia Hungarica and to Decca to have had the foresight to record them for us. I know that not all will agree with me here when I say that it is a very good set, I have to say that I am very fond of it.

[Jared]

^^ I'm just jeallous that you own it!! I'm struggling to justify the expense at the moment and indeed find the listening time in what is already becoming a new recording packed 2013 for me... I think it's popular opinion Sean that at any rate, that box set is the finest Complete set on the market, however for the time being, I'll have to make do with:

Pinnock: Sturm & Drang Symphs
Kuijken: Sypmhs 82-92
Harnoncourt: London Symphs

[Seán]

^^ I'm just jeallous that you own it!! I'm struggling to justify the expense at the moment and indeed find the listening time in what is already becoming a new recording packed 2013 for me... I think it's popular opinion Sean that at any rate, that box set is the finest Complete set on the market, however for the time being, I'll have to make do with:

Pinnock: Sturm & Drang Symphs
Kuijken: Sypmhs 82-92
Harnoncourt: London Symphs

and Abbado's London Symphonies with the COE are wonderful too

[Jared]

anyway:

Britten: The Prodigal Son
City of Bham Touring Opera & Contemp Music Group
Simon Halsey

followed by:

Britten: War Requiem
BBC SSO, Paragon Ensemble, Edinburgh Festival Chrous
Nat Youth Choir of Scotland
Ilan Volkov & Garry Walker

[Jose Echenique]

Franz Haydn
Symphony No. 1
Philharmonia Hungarica
Antal Doráti - conducting.

I have decided to familiarise myself with all of Haydn's Symphonies in 2013 (that's what happens when I listen to Mr Butcher). I am grateful to Antal Doráti, Philharmonia Hungarica and to Decca to have had the foresight to record them for us. I know that not all will agree with me here when I say that it is a very good set, I have to say that I am very fond of it.

Even if a large modern orchestra wouldn´t be my personal choice to hear the Haydn symphonies, I could never say that Dorati´s Haydn is bad. In fact he was the most dedicated Haydn conductor of his generation, having recorded all the symphonies, oratorios and most of his operas.
It is a pity that he didn´t use period instruments, because surprisingly he was a fan of the period movement. He even recorded Messiah with one of the largest period instrument groups ever assembled, some 200 musicians for a performance in the Washington Cathedral. This curious recording appeared briefly in the now extinct Pro Arte label.

[Jared]

and Abbado's London Symphonies with the COE are wonderful too

yes, I imagine that for a more robust style with larger forces, he'd be very good...

[Jose Echenique]

^^ I'm just jeallous that you own it!! I'm struggling to justify the expense at the moment and indeed find the listening time in what is already becoming a new recording packed 2013 for me... I think it's popular opinion Sean that at any rate, that box set is the finest Complete set on the market, however for the time being, I'll have to make do with:

Pinnock: Sturm & Drang Symphs
Kuijken: Sypmhs 82-92
Harnoncourt: London Symphs

Good as all these recordings are, I beg you guys to consider the Frans Brüggen recordings both with the Orchestra of the XVIII Century and the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment. His Haydn is something very special.

[Jared]

Good as all these recordings are, I beg you guys to consider the Frans Brüggen recordings both with the Orchestra of the XVIII Century and the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment. His Haydn is something very special.

I have and enjoy his boxsets of Beethoven & Schubert Symphs, so this wouldn't at all surprise me... I've seen you say this before and will certainly bear this in mind...

the problem we have with FB over here Pepe, is principally one of price...

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sturm-Drang-Lon ... 728&sr=1-4

sadly, I think we might have to wait for (another) reissue....