Haydn Cello Concertos

[Barbirollians]

What are your favourite recordings of these pieces - for me Isserlis , Tortelier and du Pre . The latter's recordings from the late 1960s are passionately and magnificently played and far from over hammed and miscalculated at every turn as suggested by a particularly venomous and spiteful critic in IRR this month.

[DoctorT]

I love the Isserlis recording, although. if I'm not mistaken, in a recent BBCMM interview he said that he would like to record them again

[vinteuil]

Ivan Monighetti with the Akademie für Alte Musik, Berlin on harmonia mundi - and they're coupled with an attractive cello concerto by Ignaz Joseph Pleyel.

[Gordon]

I've got two:

Channel Classics CCS 7395
Haydn: Cello Concerti in C and in D Wispelwey/Florilegium
Haydn: Trans. Symphony 104 for Flute, 2 Violins, Viola, Cello and Fortepiano
Recorded August 9-12th 1994, All Hallows, Gospel Oak, London

I got this really because of the Haydn S104 transcription but it is a good version of the concerti too. More HIP than:

Philips 438 797 2 Set Number

Haydn String Concertos. Accardo/Canino/Walevska/ECO/Accardo/DeWaart
438 798 2 Violin Concertos 1* in C, 2* in A and 3* in G
438 799 2 Violin and Harpsichord Concerto* in F
Cello Concerto 1& in C and 2& in D [Walevska cello]
Recorded Henry Wood Hall 22-28th May 1980* and Wembley Town Hall January 4/5th 1972&

Decent versions in good sound, a bit old now but perfectly acceptable. The VCs are finely done but not in HIP style!!

Whilst we're looking at Haydn concertos, anyone have a recent recommendation for the Horn Concertos? I have the Tuckwell pair from the mid 60s and although good perhaps there is need for a more recent set with perhaps contemporary horn??

[richardfinegold]

This thread comes at an interesting time for me, as I had just purchased a download of these works coupled with a Concerto by Myslivicek on the Cedille label, played by Cellist Wendy Warner. I already had a recording by Tim Hugh and the Isserlis recording. In truth, I haven't done comparitive listening; I've had a chance to listen to the Warner recording twice and haven't heard either of the others for a while. The Warner is more of a traditional, non HIP type performance, but I don't think the other two recordings that I have would be embraced by HIP fundamentalists either.

[Barbirollians]

What is it like ? It was Wendy Warner's recording that was abused in IRR as being nearly as bad as du Pre's .

I am tempted - normally doing the opposite of the IRR reviewer in question's recommendations leads to the acquisition of excellent CDs .

[Parry1912]

Rostropovich (with the ASMF) or Schiff (also with the ASMF).

[LaurieWatt]

What are your favourite recordings of these pieces - for me Isserlis , Tortelier and du Pre . The latter's recordings from the late 1960s are passionately and magnificently played and far from over hammed and miscalculated at every turn as suggested by a particularly venomous and spiteful critic in IRR this month.

I greatly enjoy Rostropovich in both concerti. He is definitely my favourite in the C major concerto (the recording on Decca with the ECO under Britten). However, my true favourite for the D major concerto is with Maurice Gendron with the Lamoureux Orchestra conducted by Pablo Casals a long deleted Philips recording.

[MickyD]

I still have a fondness for the version by Christophe Coin and the Academy of Ancient Music recorded back in the 80s.

[pastoralguy]

What are your favourite recordings of these pieces - for me Isserlis , Tortelier and du Pre . The latter's recordings from the late 1960s are passionately and magnificently played and far from over hammed and miscalculated at every turn as suggested by a particularly venomous and spiteful critic in IRR this month.

For me, the late, great Mr. Paul Tortelier. I bought the original Lp in 1984 when I was required to play principle second fiddle in a performance of the C Major by the 'cellist in the Edinburgh Quartet. Oddly, it was the first time I had ever played an orchestral work by Papa Haydn. My goodness, it was bl***y hard!

I thought Tortelier's recording was incandescent! And, (all these years later), still do.

[richardfinegold]

What is it like ? It was Wendy Warner's recording that was abused in IRR as being nearly as bad as du Pre's .

I am tempted - normally doing the opposite of the IRR reviewer in question's recommendations leads to the acquisition of excellent CDs .

I'm listening to it now, for the 3rd time. I particularly enjoy the Myslivicek, and I will admit that as i have a fondness for this composer and because recordings of his music are not thick on the ground, is the main reason that I bought the disc. I also think the Haydn recordings are lively, generally stylish, and enjoyable. As i said, i haven't compared them to the other recordings that I have. What was the focus of the ire of the IRR reviewer about the Warner recordings?

[richardfinegold]

I greatly enjoy Rostropovich in both concerti. He is definitely my favourite in the C major concerto (the recording on Decca with the ECO under Britten). However, my true favourite for the D major concerto is with Maurice Gendron with the Lamoureux Orchestra conducted by Pablo Casals a long deleted Philips recording.

That sounds tempting, as I have had a fondness for all Gendron recordings that I have ever heard.

[Stanfordian]

I love the Isserlis recording, although. if I'm not mistaken, in a recent BBCMM interview he said that he would like to record them again

Hello DrT,

Artistes are always saying that they would like to record works again. They mean that they would do it differently now. But it doesn't necessarily mean better. It means very little from my experience.

[Barbirollians]

I'm listening to it now, for the 3rd time. I particularly enjoy the Myslivicek, and I will admit that as i have a fondness for this composer and because recordings of his music are not thick on the ground, is the main reason that I bought the disc. I also think the Haydn recordings are lively, generally stylish, and enjoyable. As i said, i haven't compared them to the other recordings that I have. What was the focus of the ire of the IRR reviewer about the Warner recordings?

Lots of whinging about it not being HIPP enough and attacks on unrestrained vibrato glossing over textures and making for some of the most unidiomatic Haydn playing heard on disc . The reviewer does credit her technical ability but little else .

He then suggests the neat but rather dull Mork performances are " for modern instrument Haydn far and away the best recordings ever made " a sweeping statement quite acceptable on an internet forum but not IMO in a professional review when expressed as fact rather than opinion.

Self-evidently it seems that Isserlis,Tortelier, Gendron and Rostropovich also , unlike the reviewer, didn't know how to play Haydn .

[Gordon]

Self-evidently it seems that Isserlis,Tortelier, Gendron and Rostropovich also , unlike the reviewer, didn't know how to play Haydn .

Any fool can be a "critic" in these days of the internet etc. There used to be an old disparaging thing about teaching: "If you can't Do it Teach it!". Could be equally well said about critics. If they are so marvellous why aren't they the ones performing and recording?

I think we all value critics who know their stuff technically and are balanced in their understanding the approach and execution of a given performance. We avoid those that base judgements on dogma [ except of course when theya gree with us!! .