I don't believe the Colin Davis set on Philips can be beat. 

db

Sent from my iPhone

> On May 9, 2014, at 12:03 AM, Roger Kulp <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> 
> My favorite Haydn recordings are mostly from the 40s-70s Josef Krips,Hermann Scherchen,Serge Kossevitzky,Eugen Jochum,George Szell,and all those old guys,but as a whole Paavo Jarvi is my favorite modern conductor.Here he is in the Haydn #84 
> 
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qUhvKbbJ0OM
> 
>> Date: Thu, 8 May 2014 22:27:00 -0400
>> From: [log in to unmask]
>> Subject: [ARSCLIST] Haydn
>> To: [log in to unmask]
>> 
>> Thanks Alex. I don't listen to enough Classical period music to know what I
>> like necessarily, but I know I don't like portentous. That's what came to
>> mind from LB's #88 on DG, until the finale, which seems more engaged than
>> the rest of the performance. On the flipside, #92 fairs better, but not
>> anything to treasure, IMO. Inner movements don't go anywhere; they're played
>> the same at the end as at the beginning. I first encountered his Haydn
>> records in the mid-80s and thought: great, hopefully they play him like they
>> play Gershwin. But I was disappointed. Three are in a give-away pile, along
>> with the DG.
>> 
>> LB wasn't generally a stickler for textual fidelity and he wasn't always
>> well prepared. Orchestra's know this when they see it. According to one
>> biographer, he could be quite casual about some of his recordings. Sessions
>> for short, war-horse pieces were sometimes noted on his calendar as "shit."
>> They were said to be quick, barely-rehearsed sessions. When it worked, the
>> spontaneity could be delightful. When it didn't, ...
>> 
>> They shouldn't have had any technical problems with Haydn, but the NYP could
>> also be rather inconsistent. [<-Understatement.]
>> 
>> Who would you say does nail FJH in recent years?
>> 
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: Association for Recorded Sound Discussion List
>> [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Alex McGehee
>> Sent: Thursday, May 08, 2014 7:37 AM
>> To: [log in to unmask]
>> Subject: Re: [ARSCLIST] Mitrop[olous was Dora Labbette, Soprano with string
>> quartette:
>> 
>> Sorry for the delay, was working on deadline for another project. The
>> Bernstein performances have been widely praised, held up as models, etc.,
>> but I can't board that train. The string playing is sloppy, intonation
>> questionable at times, especially in the "Paris" cycle. Now please don't ask
>> me for specifics because I gave my sets away years ago. Unable to make the
>> connection many others have made with the late Haydn symphonies conducted by
>> Bernstein, I jotted down a few notes and was glad to have the empty shelf
>> space open up. Sections in the outer movements were on occasion especially
>> egregious for poor ensemble.
>> 
>> My favorite Bernstein/Haydn performance is on YouTube (don't have the link
>> but it's easy to find) where Bernstein uses only his facial gestures to
>> conduct the VPO in the final movement of no. 88 in G major. It's a "look Ma
>> no hands" moment of priceless peacock-ary, and of course the orchestra can
>> play the piece superbly even with blindfolds on. Bernstein was truly a great
>> man and he would have been the first to tell you so. I apologize in advance
>> to his many fans for being a little harsh here, and on checking see that I
>> still have his DG performances of 88 and 92.
>> 
>>> On May 6, 2014, at 5:33 PM, Carl Pultz <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>>> 
>>> Alex, I'm curious how you feel about Bernstein's Haydn performances.
>>> 
>>> -----Original Message-----
>>> From: Association for Recorded Sound Discussion List 
>>> [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Alex McGehee
>>> Sent: Tuesday, May 06, 2014 9:45 AM
>>> To: [log in to unmask]
>>> Subject: Re: [ARSCLIST] Mitrop[olous was Dora Labbette, Soprano with 
>>> string
>>> quartette:
>>> 
>>> Hi guys,
>>> 
>>> The Haydn literature is replete with spurious timpani parts and over 
>>> the years they've gained a large group of devotees, never mind that 
>>> Haydn never wrote them and had the resources available to do so. Maybe 
>>> Haydn played the drums and that would cool off this simmering musical 
>>> brew of yes-he-did, no-he-didn't continuo crowd led by James Webster of
>> Cornell.
>>> 
>>> The German authorities (who must be obeyed): at the Joseph Haydn 
>>> Institute in Köln, responsible for the complete edition of Haydn's 
>>> work that got underway in the late 1950's. Why it's taken so long I 
>>> can't go into detail here, but it's almost done, give or take another 
>>> seven years. A scholar there has laid down a serious argument for 
>>> several symphonies that don't really have high alt horns. I kind of 
>>> like the symphonies that way and so did H. C. Robbins Landon (he had a
>> passion about them).
>>> 
>>> The credo (within reason) must alway aim at the composer's original 
>>> intentions which do include later revisions and authorized 
>>> arrangements (like the flute and string instruments Johann Peter 
>>> Solomon wrote out from Haydn's symphony scores). I enjoy the playing 
>>> of the BPO with Karajan at times, but it's not Haydn. (And Landon 
>>> thought it the gold standard)The wind and string parts are all out of 
>>> balance and the timpani part (so important to Haydn when he actually 
>>> wrote one) has trouble getting through. I'm not a cat gut wing-nut, 
>>> just someone who likes these works served up with true balance and not 
>>> overly controlled with spot mics. And don't get me started on Harnoncourt.
>> Yikes!
>>> 
>>> Alex McGehee
>