Search - Bernstein, Haydn :: Leonard Bernstein Conducts Haydn (Box)

A Welcome Retrospective of a Great Haydn Interpreter

Johannes Climacus | Beverly, Massachusetts | 07/28/2009

(4 out of 5 stars)

"A few years ago DG-Universal reissued all of Bernstein's Haydn recordings for that label as part of their Bernstein Edition. Those were digital recordings from the 1980's edited together from live concerts (Bernstein's preferred modus operandi at that point in his career) and from an interpretive point of view they were inconsistent at best--sometimes insightful, but more often heavy and listless. Bernstein aged badly as a conductor and, regrettably, his decline extended to a composer with whom he always had a strong affinity. His earlier Haydn recordings for CBS/Sony, however, were renowned in their day for their vigor, rough humor, and boundless enthusiasm.



Sony has done Haydn and Bernstein aficionados a tremendous favor by reissuing these now-classic recordings of the *Paris* and *London* Symphonies (plus no. 88), *Creation* and four out of the six late Masses, housed in a fairly sturdy space-saving box. Sony's asking price is relatively high for such boxes these days (compare with recent offerings from EMI, such as their "Complete Oistrakh Edition"), especially since the skimpy booklet contains no annotations beyond the usual work-and-track listing. Moreover, within the box the CDs are gathered into laminated and hinged cardboard pockets that make the task of retrieving one more trouble than it should be. The recordings have apparently not been remastered; that fact may account for the mediocre sonics throughout this collection. The *London* Symphonies, in particular, suffer from thin, acidic-sounding strings, unduly recessed woodwinds, blaring brass (not Bernstein's fault), and a fair amount of distortion in the louder tutti passages. Moreover, the latest recording included here (a London-based *Theresienmesse* from 1979), though smoother-sounding, lacks bite and focus, largely due to a distant, mushy-sounding chorus.



With those caveats out of the way (and they are sufficiently serious to cost my evaluation one star), I must affirm the legendary status of these recordings. Bernstein brings enormous gusto to Haydn, and the result is an altogether winsome marriage of intellectual and physical vigor. This is Haydn without the wig. In the Symphonies, Bernstein favors bold, incisive sonata allegros; deeply meditative and just as often bewitchingly mischievous slow movements; steady and stately minuets, with some delightfully humorous touches; and dashing finales. Bernstein's earlier, and finer, account of *Creation* is truly a celebration of Nature in all its rough-and-tumble splendor; and the Masses are just as notable for their operatic as for their religious fervor. The playing of the NYPO in the Symphonies, as well as the singing in the choral works, is quite variable--greater polish would have been welcome. But Lenny's elemental vigor and warm-hearted embrace of Haydn's always-stunning originality carry the day.



Despite qualifications, strongly recommended, particularly to listeners increasingly dissatisfied with current performance-practice orthodoxies. Those who require more up-to-date sonics and more polished orchestral playing (with no diminution of "elemental vigor") should check out Solti's set of the *London* Symphonies (a steal at budget price) and Dorati's equally fine set of the *Paris* Symphonies (in an inexpensive "twofer" from Decca). In the historical category there is, of course, Beecham (whose inimitable late mono/early stereo traversal of the twelve "London" Symphonies sounds newly minted on exceptionally fine EMI transfers, available at budget price)."

Haydn and Bernstein go well together

Mark Fleischmann | New York, NY -- an island off the coast of America | 08/27/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Haydn's greatness needs an interpreter. The greatness is on the page, but translating it into sound requires some judgment and inflection. Bernstein delivers in this set. I agree that some of the recordings are sub-par -- the string sound is at times too hot, the overall perspective too close-miked -- but Bernstein's vigorous and well-phrased reading overcomes those minor flaws. He was in his prime in these recordings from 1958-75."

Typically Bernstein - but also typically Haydn...

Ralph Moore | Bishop's Stortford, UK | 01/02/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I obtained this box set from Germany via Amazon Marketplace for a great deal less than the list price and after only a few samples tracks I knew I was going to love these performances. You will find collected here all Bernstein's recordings of Haydn with the New York Philharmonic, mostly recorded in (what is now called) the Avery Fisher Hall or the 30th Street Studio, plus a few other venues.



There is a lazy and mistaken assumption about Bernstein that he invariably imposed his own indulgent, hyper-Romantic personality upon all the music he conducted. While it is perhaps true that as a conductor he did not age as well as some and that certain mannerisms became too pronounced, these recordings made between 1958 and 1975 were at the time revelatory and caused no less a Haydn authority than H.C. Robbins-Landon to dub Bernstein a great Haydn conductor - and here you can hear why. Bernstein was a great instinctive musician and while he was not always sufficiently rigorous or disciplined with his orchestras and choirs, he made them love the music they were playing and it shows. I made some fairly broad and eclectic comparisons with other celebrated interpreters like Jeffrey Tate and the ECO, Adam Fischer and the Austro-Hungarian Haydn orchestra, and period bands like La Petite Bande directed by Kuijken; time and again it was Bernstein who showed that extra feeling for Haydn's wit, charm, vigour and dash. He is not distorting Haydn, he is constantly bringing his score to life. One example would do to illustrate his superiority: the tripping waltz-rhythm of the opening movement of "The Surprise" is here so much more delightfully and mischievously phrased than it is by any other interpreters; everyone else sounds almost four-square. OK; one more: the opening of "The Queen" sounds infinitely more grand and stately under Bernstein's hands than others. Nor is Bernstein in any sense indulgent when it comes to tempi: his "andante" in the second movement of "The Hen" is an enormous three minutes faster than Fischer's yet it lives and breathes by virtue of its phrasing.



Some contentious reviewing elsewhere engendered a lively debate regarding Bernsteins's supposed "intrusiveness" and also the ideal size of orchestra for Haydn. There is little doubt that the composer, like Mozart, liked a big band when he could get it and we should not assume that authenticity demands only a few valiant scrapers; Haydn would have loved to have had the NYP at his disposal. Their playing is not impeccable but their spirit and joie de vivre are. Making some small allowance for the age of these recordings, I do not find myself as critical of the sound as some others; un-remastered or not, these performances sound great on my Bose - but perhaps I was too delighted by the interpretations to care. Not everything brings unalloyed pleasure: I think it a great pity that the "Creation", featuring two such lovely interpreters in John Reardon's lean, sonorous baritone and Alexander Young's silvery, sensitive tenor, is compromised by Judith Blegen's shrill, acidic soprano; it would otherwise rank for me with Karajan's. There are many other excellent singers in the masses, however, and Bernstein's commitment is never in doubt. If you like your Haydn Masses done in the efficient style of that charmless old time-beater John Eliot Gardiner, then Bernstein's approach is not for you. Similarly, there is surely room for recordings which suit those who want "period" or "HIP" Haydn and there are recommendable recordings of this type from Mackerras and Hogwood. Perhaps a sensible compromise between the two styles is Dorati's famous, pioneering set, but it is to Lenny that I shall turn when I want to experience the full gamut of emotions contained in Haydn's work."