Vienna Philharmonic in 7 Symphonies Spanning Haydn's Long Ca
J Scott Morrison | Middlebury VT, USA | 04/20/2010
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This is a mid-priced release from the Vienna Philharmonic on their own label of the orchestra playing seven symphonies by Joseph Haydn that span his career as a symphonist. The orchestra is conducted by five different conductors in recordings that are mostly recent but reach back to 1972. Unfortunately, as of the date of this review, Amazon has not listed the box-set's detailed contents; they show the back of the box but it is so tiny I can't make anything out.
Disc 1:
Symphony No. 12 in E Major, Hob. I:12 - Christoph von Dohynányi (rec. 1991)
Symphony No. 22 in E-flat Major, Hob I:22 'The Philosopher' - Zubin Mehta (rec. 1972)
Symphony No. 26 in D Minor, Hob. I:26 'Lamentatione' - Franz Welser-Möst (rec. 1998)
Disc 2:
Symphony No. 93 in D Major, Hob. I:93 - Nikolaus Harnoncourt (rec. 2009)
Symphony No. 103 in E-flat Major, Hob. I:103 'Drumroll' - Nikolaus Harnoncourt (rec. 2009)
plus a 3-minute introduction (in German, no translation) by Harnoncourt
Disc 3:
Symphony No. 98 in B-flat Major, Hob. I:98 - Franz Welser-Möst (rec. 2009)
Symphony No. 104 in D Major, Hob. I:104 'London' - Pierre Boulez (rec. 1996)
As you can see, the set includes three early symphonies (Nos. 12, 22, 26) from 1763-68, and four (Nos. 93, 98, 103, 104) of the twelve symphonies, the so-called 'London symphonies' that Haydn wrote (1791-94) for London impresario Johann Peter Salomon. The three earlier symphonies, although they retain some baroque features, are definitely an advance on the older baroque sinfonia; Haydn was in the process of inventing the form that we know as the 'symphony.' They are filled with lovely melodies, charm, and humor. I was particularly impressed by Dohnányi's No. 12, a work I'd scarcely known before.
Nothing need be said about the London symphonies, they are so well-known. It is interesting that one can detect distinct differences among the three conductors represented in the four late symphonies in this set. I would characterize Welser-Möst's approach as 'classic', Harnoncourt's period-practice influenced (no surprise - modest vibrato, somewhat thinner textures), and Boulez's 'modern', with crisp rhythmic outlines, transparent sound and, a little oddly for Boulez, tenderly shaped slow passages.
The Vienna Philharmonic is, of course, one of the world's premier ensembles and that is amply borne out by these live performances recorded for broadcast by several different networks and in several different venues (Musikverein Vienna; Konzerthaus Vienna; Lucerne Festival). The rather luxurious booklet has exhaustive notes by the director of the archives of the Gesellschaft Musikfreunde Wien (Society of Friends of Music in Vienna), Prof. Dr. Otto Biba.
Scott Morrison
"
Track Listings (10) - Disc #1