Franz Joseph Haydn Georg Solti London Philharmonic Orchestra - Haydn The London Symphonies Nos 93104 +Album Reviews

Romantic Haydn

M. Seeley | Charlotte, NC | 02/15/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I am delighted to see these Solti recordings of The London Symphonies reissued. The London Symphonies have been interpreted in various ways by several different conductors. No one has a definitive interpretation. Each has their own strength and weaknesses. Solti's are big, imposing readings in the Romantic mode yet they catch the spirit of Haydn's wit and joy. While these performances have a firm, weighty tone, they are extemely fleet and nimble. They are never ponderous or heavy-footed. Rather, they are sparkling, vivid; naturally supple interpretations. Sometimes Solti's tempos can be too fast, especially in the 97th. One wishes for a larger bassoon belch in the 93rd. Solti's 95th is unsmiling for the most part. But now I am quibbling. I heartily commend these recordings for your Haydn collection."

The most enjoyable Haydn I own

Timothy Dougal | Madison, Wi United States | 07/29/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I bought this set with some trepidation, because I had a hard time conceptualizing what Solti's Haydn might be. The fullness, sheer size and gloss of the sound at first struck me as stylistically incorrect, but that impression rapidly faded, and now Solti's Haydn easily eclipses the competing sets I've owned. The overrated Davis set is positively lackluster by comparison, (and contains annoying noises from the musicians). Solti's outer movements are a little faster than Davis', the inner movements a little slower. But this scarcely matters, as every note on these recordings is played with such warm-hearted exhuberance and recorded so brilliantly, each symphony seduces the listener on its own. The recordings are remarkably consistent despite multiple producers and venues over a large span of time. Every recording is very clean and contains no distracting noises even on my in-th-ear headphones. I've got other Haydn by Goodman, Muller-Bruhl, Marriner, Mackerras, La Petite band and others, but this set is the one I listen to the most."

Clean performances in lovely sound, but that's not enough

Santa Fe Listener | Santa Fe, NM USA | 04/27/2007

(3 out of 5 stars)

"No one would expect the fire-eating Solti to shine when it comes to Haydn. But Solti's driven style becomes quite tame in the classical repertoire--the same thing happens in his Beethoven. Everything here is cleanly played, and the sound provided by the Decca engineers falls gracefully on the ear. The London Phil. has the distinction of appearing on two "London" symphony cycles, this one and another on DG with Eugen Jochum. They play better for Solti, and his direct, unfussy approach, though semi-anonymous, is preferable to Jochum's plodding dullness and heavy hand.

That said, I never smiled while listening to these readings. There's no humor to be had here, or depth, unlike in the classic recordings by Beecham and equally impressive Bernstein. Tempos are moderate throughout, with no surprises in either the fast or slow movements; happily, the Minuets are light-footed. I won't run through each symphony because they all follow the same model---each is precise, respectful, and unexceptionable. For me, that's not enough to make great music come alive."

Haydn: The Uncarved Block

Joe Anthony (a.k.a. JAG 1) | Massachusetts, USA | 01/22/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I would say that this is a good buy. You get four CDs, for a total of the ten finest symphonies composed by Franz Josef Haydn. This music is free of neurotic anxiety, and is utterly clean, calm and happy. The symphonies are rather short, but they serve as the template for all the world's great symphonies from Mozart through the mighty Beethoven and Brahms; on into the garganchuan symphonies of Bruckner, Mahler, and Shostakovich; the bombastic symphonies of Nielsen; and the austure, icy symphonies of Sibelius.

But there is nothing mighty, garganchuan, bambastic, austure, or icy about Haydn's "London" symphonies. They are truly "Clasical" in the sense that they belong to the "Classical" era: not sweepingly Romantic, nor stubbornly Modern. Haydn does not struggle with life's questions as would Beethoven, nor does he brood in the least like Tchaikovsky or Rachmaninoff. Haydn does not build his symphonies into cathedrals like Bruckner, nor does he strive to pull the stars from the sky like Mahler. Indeed, of all the great composers of symphonies, Haydn comes closest to being, as the Taoists sages might say: the "uncarved block". Haydn simply IS. His symphonies exist as symphonies and nothing more. It is that economy of thought that is so appealing in a complicated world.

Haydn's symphonies are lovely little gems to simply enjoy. They are light, humorous, clean and uncomplicated.

Maestro George Solti does an excellent job with these symphonies and who better but the London Symphony Orchestra to play the "London" symphonies. Although, Solti takes the modern orchestra approach (as opposed to using "period" instruments), he retains Haydn's warmth, humor, balance and clarity. I still maintain that nobody was as good with Haydn as Leonard Bernstein; however, there is certainly nothing wrong with this collection, especially at the reasonable price of about 15-17 bucks."

Big-Band Haydn at Its Best

Johannes Climacus | Beverly, Massachusetts | 04/04/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Solti gave us some extraordinary recordings of 18th Century music during the last phase of his career. His live performances of Haydn's two oratorios, taken down at live concerts in Chicago in the early Nineties, are among the finest available versions of those works. His integral cycle of the London Symphonies, which occupied him off and on for over a decade, ranks just below his achievement in the oratorios, but is still outstanding.

Solti's approach combines the rigor and exhilaration of Szell with the warmth and winsomeness of Beecham. There is perhaps more of Szell than Beecham in those symphonies recorded earlier on in this project (94, 96, 101 and 104), but even when he is inclined toward a certain ferocity (think Toscanini), Solti manages to convey the requisite sparkle. He is at his best in 93, 95, 97, 99 and 102. He manages to articulate the full stature of these works--all of which prefigure Beethoven--more consistently than many of today's "historically-informed" practitioners. Not that Solti lacks the full measure of classical style; his achievement in Mozart opera, if nothing else, has fully prepared him to tackle late Haydn. If "tackle" suggests a certain aggressiveness, that connotation is intentional. No mincing gallantries or senile benevolence of a "Papa Haydn" for Sir Georg. If you prefer your Haydn laid-back or prissy, then there are other interpreters you should consider. If you favor a combination of earthy good humor and intellectual vigor, then Solti may be for you. From my vantage, Solti's boldness in Haydn is a tonic for the soul in an age of benighted academicism. If there is one point on which I would be inclined to criticize Solti, that would be his interpretation of the minuets, which tend to be on the slow side (as with Dorati and Bernstein). The early music movement has taught us to hear most of these movments as one-to-a-bar proto-scherzi, and if one's expectations incline in that direction, one may become impatient with Solti's more measured tread.

But this set is not Solti's triumph alone; the LPO deserves at least as much credit for their crisply articulate and finely honed playing. They are almost as collectively virtuosic as Szell's Clevelanders, and no praise could be higher. The remastered recordings are uniformly excllent. A formidable bargain."

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	Franz Joseph Haydn, Georg Solti, London Philharmonic Orchestra Haydn: The London Symphonies Nos. 93-104 Genre: Classical
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