Search - Bruno Walter :: Haydn: Symphonies Nos.88, 100 "Military" & 102

Walter's best Haydn recordings

Santa Fe Listener | Santa Fe, NM USA | 03/14/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Two of these Haydn symphonies, #88 and #100, are in stereo with the Columbia Sym. from March sessions in 1961. By that date quite a few of Walter's efforts in the studio were showing a marked lack of vigor and alertness. We can compare these two readings with the Sym. #102, a mono recording made with the NY Phil. in 1953, a time when Walter was producing some of his most vigorous Mozart recordings. The expected contrast is clear in the minuets, where the earlier reading, though weighty by contemporary standards, doesn't become heavy-footed. The minuet of Sym. #100 suffers from that defect, and to a lesser extent so does Sym. #88.



However, in the allegro first movments and finales the later recordings are buoyant and energetic. By themselves they would stand as classic Haydn performances, more alive and humane than George Szell's from the same period. But turning to the NY Phil. performance of Sym. 102, one hears truly great Haydn. This is far more alive than Furtwangler's rather ponderous readings and preferable to Klemperer's inflexibility. The mono sound is a bit edgy in loud passages but overall quite excellent for its era, making this performance sound as expansive as it is joyous. In all, this CD is one of the highlights of the Walter Edition."