Search - Franz Joseph Haydn, Sigiswald Kuijken, Elizabeth Wallfisch :: Haydn: Symphonies 26, 52, 53; Sinfonia Concertante; Violin Concertos

Two winners for one small price

Leslie Richford | Selsingen, Lower Saxony | 12/11/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"On the Wallfisch/OAE disc: For fans of ?classical? music played in the style of ?period performance?, this is a CD with some highly praiseworthy qualities. Recorded in 1990 at London?s prestigious Abbey Road studios, it offers a sound which is delightfully full and clear, with an excellent stereo panorama. But above and beyond the engineering brilliance, there is some superb musicianship to be heard, both from the soloists Elizabeth Wallfisch (baroque violin), David Watkin (cello), Anthony Robson (oboe) and Felix Warnock (bassoon) and from the Orchestra of the Age of the Enlightenment to whose ranks belong some of today?s leading period performers. On this recording the orchestra was directed by Elizabeth Wallfisch from the violin, which would seem to me to be an ideal solution both from the standpoint of historicity and that of musical expression. Since hearing Ms. Wallfisch perform at a festival in the baroque church of the little North Swedish town of Nordmaling, I have been quite enamoured of her playing, and on this recording she seems to me to capture perfectly the spirit of Haydn?s music: the two violin concertos were (probably) written before about 1766 and remind one more of Vivaldi than of Mozart. Although the experts tell us that they are not too difficult to play (and are, for that reason, loved by students), there are some charming passages with plenty of opportunities for the soloist to delight the ear, and Ms. Wallfisch seizes these opportunities with a lightness and gusto that, despite certain strictures on her style made by German-language critics, seem to me to be an ideal expression of the spirit of the age in which these compositions first saw the light of day.



The ?Sinfonia concertante? is rather different, having been written in London in 1792 for Salomon as part of Haydn?s concert series and as a reply to a similar work by Ignaz Pleyel, one of Haydn?s former pupils. The work is designed to entertain rather than to induce musing, and it manages to keep the four soloists very busy without making over-the-top demands on the listener, the final result being a very pleasant piece that somehow seems to lack real depth. It is, however, excellently performed here, and personally I feel no need for any other interpretation. All three works on this recording (each lasting approximately 20 minutes) belong to the category of Haydn?s ?minor? works, standing, probably rightly, in the shadow of his symphonies and string quartets, but it is good to hear them in such superb performances and thus to follow the development from ?baroque? to ?classical? which took place during Haydn?s lifetime.



On the Kuijken/La Petite Band disc: As Franz-Joseph Haydn wrote well over 100 symphonies, most classical music fans will prefer to listen to a selection rather than attempting to master them all. The choice usually falls on Haydn?s later symphonies, in particular those he wrote for Paris or London, and conductor-violinist Sigiswald Kuijken has produced some excellent recordings of these late symphonies with the British Orchestra of the Age of the Enlightenment. On this 1988 production for Virgin Classics, however, he goes back to Haydn?s Esterhaza period and chooses three of the ?storm and stress? works from the composer?s middle period, performing them, on period instruments of course, with his ensemble La Petite Bande, consisting mainly of musicians who live and/work in the Low Countries and of a size that approximates to the forces available to Haydn in his days in Hungary (5 each of first and second violins, 3 violas, 2 cellos, 2 double basses, a transverse flute, 2 oboes, a bassoon, 2 horns, timpani and a harpsichord). Each of the three symphonies played here has its own very clear characteristics: No. 26 (?Lamentatione?) is based obviously on a well-known Gregorian melody which weaves its way through the whole symphony and makes for a comparatively serious tone. No. 52 is described by H. C. Robbins-Landon in the notes as ?stern?, ?uncompromising? and ?unsettling? and does indeed sound very different from the usually joyous pieces that Haydn produced before and after this. The excruciatingly difficult horn parts are particularly worth the listening to. No. 53 is completely different, containing some of Haydn?s catchiest melodies; it became something of a pop song in its day with transcriptions being made and lyrics being added for drawing-room purposes. (Listen for the timpani right at the end!)



Kuijken?s recording, made at the Doopsgezinde Gemeentekerk in Haarlem (Netherlands), is transparent, often pulsating and always fascinating. The volume of the strings is, of course, less than one is used to with a larger orchestra, but this enables one to hear all the other good things that are going on. I found that listening on good speakers was even better than over headphones because speakers were able to unfold a more plastic panorama. The engineering quality is of a very sound standard. Recommended.

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Buy it for the Symphonies, but buy it!

Mark Amorose | Concord, CA United States | 12/21/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"These two discs are an odd match. The three symphonies on the first disc are among the best of Haydn's middle-period, and Kuijken's interpretation of each is perhaps the best ever recorded. Both "Sturm und Drang" works (nos. 26 & 52) are taughter and stormier than the leading rival versions - Bruno Weil's 52 (Sony) and Nicholas Ward's 26 (Naxos). Kuijken's 52 is a masterpiece: the very slow (for period perfomance) minuet is truly haunting; the outer movements move quickly, at appropriate period tempi, but possess a drama that Weil's interpretation lacks. The juxtaposition of this dark c-minor work and the triumphantly sunny no. 53 which immediately follows is striking. The latter work - during Haydn's lifetime the most popular of his pre-Paris symphonies - is, at the present time, nowhere else available outside of Dorati's complete cycle of the symphonies: one more good reason to buy this disc. The second disc, containing the Sinfonia Concertante - a late but not a great work - and the pedestrian early violin concerti, is of less interest. Still, it makes a nice bonus when the first disc alone is worth more than the price of both. Those seeking detailed liner notes, however, will be disappointed: H.C. Robbins-Landon's original notes to the three symphonies have been mercilessly (and inaccurately) edited for this re-release. But with works this good at a price this cheap, who cares about liner notes!"

Haydn's "L'impereale" Symphony -- and More

Robin Friedman | Washington, D.C. United States | 05/18/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I am a great admirer of the symphonies of Haydn and purchased this two-volume CD primarily to hear the symphony no. 53 in D major, "L'impereale", which I hadn't known before. I wasn't disappointed. This budget-priced CD is a true find and includes two additional Haydn symphonies in the minor key (from what is sometimes called his sturm und drang period) and three concerted works, including a little-known masterpiece, the sinfonia concertante. Sigiswald Kukijen conducts La Petite Band for the symphonies and Elizabeth Walfish conducts the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment for the concertos, all on period instruments. My fellow Amazon reviews are properly enthusiastic about this release. If you want to explore Haydn, you can't go wrong here.



Haydn's four-movement "L'impereale" symphony dates from 1775 -- 1776, when the composer was primarily employed with operas. It uses materials Haydn recyled from other works, and exists in at least four different versions, all of which makes the fresh, strong character of the work remarkable. The work here opens with a maestoso slow introduction featuring the tympani, as does the symphony as a whole. The introduction is followed by a lively, energetic opening movement. The second movement is an endearing folksong-like melody which would not be out of place in "The Magic Flute" followed by a series of simple variations. The minuet, well-defined, and rhythmic is memorable for the large, unexpected ritard at the conclusion of the primary theme. The finale is flowing and bumptious. It seems a predecessor of Beethoven's finales to his fourth or eighth symphonies. This is a delightful work.



The other symphonies on the CD, the symphony no. 26 in D minor, "Lamentation", and the symphony no. 52 in C minor are of a much more tragic character. They were composed slightly earlier than no. 53 (the number of the "Lamentation" is misleadingly low) and are passionate and severe. The three-movement "Lamentation" is passion-music with the first two movements initially performed in church. The opening movement includes well-defined sections marking the stages of the passion narrative. The highlight of the adagio second movement is the appearance of the horns as the climax of the chorale-like theme. The finale is a tragically intense rondo. The symphony no. 52 in c minor is also of a tragic cast but somewhat less well-known than the its companion works: the "Lamentation", "Farewell" and "Trauer" symphonies. It receives a compelling reading here.



For the most part, Haydn's concertos lack the power and appeal of his symphonic writing. Yet the sinfonia concertante, composed during the first of Haydn's trips to London, (the trips that produced his 12 "London" symphonies) is a work that impresses me more with each hearing. (I was familiar with this work from the recording by Levy-Bruhl on Naxos.) This unusual concertante work for violin, cello, basssoon, and oboe soloists and orchestra may lack dramatic power, but it compensates by its leisurely, elevated flow, juxtaposition of solo and ensemble passages, and in the sheer gumutlicheit pleasure of its music-making. Beethoven's triple concerto offers an inevitable comparision, a work I enjoy and believe undervalued.



The violin concerto in C major is an early work of Haydn, composed around 1763, at the time he entered the employment of the Esterhazy family. It features virtuosic writing for the soloist in the outer movement and a poignant slow middle movement. The remaining work on this CD, the violin concerto in G major, is pleasant but bland. The authenticity of this work has been questioned.



Robin Friedman"