Search - Franz Joseph Haydn, Karl Münchinger, Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra :: Haydn: Symphonies Nos. 88 & 101

Haydn's "Heritage"

Michael B. Richman | Portland, Maine USA | 05/25/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Now that Universal owns Decca, Deutsche Grammophon and Philips, many of those labels' offerings are being coordinated together in various series like "Trio" and "Original Masters" (see my reviews). In a similar vein, the "Decca Heritage" series is basically Decca's version of DG's "Musik...Sprache der Welt" series -- historical albums in digi-paks sold at mid-price. One such title features Haydn's 88th and 101st Symphonies as performed by Karl Munchinger conducting the Vienna Philharmonic. My only previous experience with Munchinger was via his Bach recordings, and his 1955 mono Haydn accounts are just as satisfying. My only complaint, and reason for withholding a fifth star, is this disc is only 40 minutes long. Surely another performance could have been included to make this Haydn "Heritage" a little richer."