What are you listening two?

[fergus]

Liszt: Tone Poems [van Immerseel]

These are wonderful works given very fine performances here.

I do like their Beethoven cycle. There is a box set available on JPC.de for €19.99 and it strikes me as odd to have these works played by an orchestra using (older) 'period' instruments, perhaps it's me that's odd

Perhaps I am not understanding you correctly but, if not Seán, I hate to be the one to inform you that if you do not listen to Beethoven in HIP then you definitely are odd!!
First off, I do believe that you know the Gardiner cycle.
The van Immerseel cycle is, in my humble opinion, also a very good one indeed.
Then there are also wonderful LvB cycles by Bruggen [X 2], Goodman, Hogwood and Norrington that I personally know of.

One has always to remember the context of the time and the instruments that a composer of his time was writing with and for. He was writing with specific sonorities and timbres in mind. He had a certain sound in his mind as he composed the music. Modern instruments are very different to those of Beethoven’s time. This must always be borne in mind with "older" music.

This is by no means a lecture but a suggestion that you may be limiting your sonic and interpretative experience by merely listening to this music played on Modern Instruments.

[fergus]

There is nothing odd about this:



Joseph Haydn
Symphony No. 92
Freiburger Barockorchester
René Jacobs conducting

I first heard the Bavarians on a RTÉ Lyric live broadcast of excerpts of Bach's BWV 62 and Zelenka's Missa Dei Filli and they blew me away. The energy, drive and musicality is magnificent. Fortunately, I still have the recording of the broadcast.

Their performance of the Oxford Symphony (mentioned above) was the first choice on Building A Library. I won't argue with that.

The Freiburger Barockorchester are definitely an ensemble that are in the top tier.

[Seán]

Liszt: Tone Poems [van Immerseel]

These are wonderful works given very fine performances here.

I do like their Beethoven cycle. There is a box set available on JPC.de for €19.99 and it strikes me as odd to have these works played by an orchestra using (older) 'period' instruments, perhaps it's me that's odd

Perhaps I am not understanding you correctly but, if not Seán, I hate to be the one to inform you that if you do not listen to Beethoven in HIP then you definitely are odd!!
First off, I do believe that you know the Gardiner cycle.
The van Immerseel cycle is, in my humble opinion, also a very good one indeed.
Then there are also wonderful LvB cycles by Bruggen [X 2], Goodman, Hogwood and Norrington that I personally know of.

One has always to remember the context of the time and the instruments that a composer of his time was writing with and for. He was writing with specific sonorities and timbres in mind. He had a certain sound in his mind as he composed the music. Modern instruments are very different to those of Beethoven’s time. This must always be borne in mind with "older" music.

This is by no means a lecture but a suggestion that you may be limiting your sonic and interpretative experience by merely listening to this music played on Modern Instruments.

Oh Fergus I do really like their performances of the Beethoven symphonies and overtures and this is a cycle that I have successfully encouraged others to acquire:


Their Mozart is marvellous too:


My apologies for the confusion but my doubts were raised about the wisdom of HIP performances of the Rimsky-Korsakov, Borodin, Dvořák and Tchaikovsky and like I say perhaps I am odd! I should try and listen to them first before speculating on the wisdom of my buying them I suppose.

[Seán]

Haydn's early Symphonies played under the baton of Goodman

I do like Goodman and the Handover Band's treatment of Haydn's symphonies, that said I don't have very many of them. Dave loved them.

I have everything that Goodman recorded in the Haydn Symphonies. They are my go to in the Haydan Symphonies.

I love very many performances most especially the Harnoncourt/Concentus Musicus Wien; Brügen/Orchestra of the 18th Century; Antonini with Il Giardino Armonico and Basel Chamber Orchestra; Thomas Fey; Weil/Tafelmusik and more besides. Thankfully, there is a huge amount to choose from and I never get tired of listening to them.

[Seán]

Joseph Haydn,
Symphony No. 92
Heidelberg Symphony Orchestra,
Thomas Fey conducting.

I love this performance, it too, received a special mention on BAL. It’s a fabulously arousing performance of the Oxford Symphony.
Poor Thomas Fey he had so much to offer.

[Seán]

I’m on a roll here



Joseph Haydn
Symphony no. 92
Austro-Hungarian Haydn Orchestra
Adam Fischer conducting

Great stuff

[fergus]

Saxophone Concertos





A terrific CD!

[fergus]

My apologies for the confusion but my doubts were raised about the wisdom of HIP performances of the Rimsky-Korsakov, Borodin, Dvořák and Tchaikovsky...

OK. Sorry Seán but I did not pick up on that part of your argument. In the case of those mentioned above I would agree that HIP would not be appropriate.

[fergus]

I’m on a roll here



Joseph Haydn
Symphony no. 92
Austro-Hungarian Haydn Orchestra
Adam Fischer conducting

Great stuff

Yes, that is a great set!

[Seán]

Family permitting I could listen to Haydn morning, noon and night.

This morning I listened to:





Joseph Haydn
Symphony No. 6 La Matin
Symphony No. 7 Le Midi
Il Giardino Armonico
Giovanni Antonini - conducting.

I love these performances.