BaL 26.04.14 - Haydn Symphony no. 101 "Clock"

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

9.30am Building a Library

Misha Donat surveys a vast range of recordings, spanning 90 years of recording history, of Haydn's Symphony No.101, and makes a personal recommendation.

Available versions:-
Chamber Orchestra of Europe, Claudio Abbado
Concilium Musicum Wien, Paul Angerer
L'Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, Ernest Ansermet
Philharmonia Classica, Andreas von Aubel
Moscow Chamber Orchestra, Rudolf Barshai
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Sir Thomas Beecham
New York Philharmonic Orchestra, Leonard Bernstein
SW German Radio Symphony Orchestra, Ernest Bour (download)
Orchestra of the 18th Century, Frans Bruggen
Vienna Symphony Orchestra, Fritz Busch
Nova Filharmonia Portugesa, Alvaro Cassuto
Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra, Dennis Russell Davies
Concertgebouw Orchestra, Sir Colin Davis
Philharmonia Hungarica, Antal Dorati
Camerata Romana, Eugen Duvier (download)
Austro-Hungarian Haydn Orchestra, Adam Fischer
Florilegium Ensemble
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Jane Glover
The Hanover Band, Roy Goodman
Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Nikolaus Harnoncourt
Dresdner Philharmonic, Gunther Herbig
Collegium Musicum 90, Richard Hickox
London Philharmonic Orchestra, Eugen Jochum
Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, Herbert von Karajan (EMI & DG versions)
Philharmonia Orchestra, Otto Klemperer
RAI Torino, Otto Klemperer (download)
La Petite Bande, Kuijken
Munich Chamber Orchestra, Alberto Lizzio
Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra, Nicholas McGegan
Orchestra of St Luke’s, Sir Charles Mackerras
Academy of St Martin-in-the-Fields, Sir Neville Marriner (download)
Les Musiciens du Louvre, Marc Minkowski
Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, Pierre Monteux
Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, Karl Munchinger (download)
Cambridge University Chamber Orchestra, Sir Roger Norrington (download)
London Classical Players, Sir Roger Norrington
Radio-Sinfonieorchester Stuttgart des SWR, Sir Roger Norrington (DVD)
London Festival Orchestra, Ross Pople
Fritz Reiner Symphony Orchestra, Fritz Reiner
Vienna State Opera Orchestra, Hermann Scherchen
Bamberg Symphony Orchestra, Alfred Scholz (download)
Orchestra della Svizzera Italiana, Howard Shelley
London Philharmonic Orchestra, Sir Georg Solti (download)
English Chamber Orchestra, Jeffrey Tate
NBC Symphony Orchestra, Arturo Toscanini
New York Philharmonic-Symphony Orchestra, Arturo Toscanini
Camaerata Academica Salzburg, Sander Vegh
Vienna Symphony Orchestra, Wolfgang Sawallisch
Cappella Coloniensis, Bruno Weil
Capella Istropolitana, Barry Wordsworth

[Petrushka]

[jayne lee wilson]

Some lovely off-the-beaten-path recordings of this... not least Sandor Vegh with the Salzburg Camerata Academica (Orfeo, live 25/08/94) and Hermann Scherchen with the VSOO in 1951 for Westminster (from the first ever complete recorded cycle of the London Symphonies).

[Petrushka]

When seeking out any of the 'London' Symphonies my first port of call is invariably Sir Colin Davis and the Concertgebouw in performances of charm and elegance that can't fail to please.

[visualnickmos]

When seeking out any of the 'London' Symphonies my first port of call is invariably Sir Colin Davis and the Concertgebouw in performances of charm and elegance that can't fail to please.

Exactly.

[Bryn]

So difficult to chose. Cambridge University Chamber Orchestra, Stuttgart RSO on CD or DVD, or LCP? Think I'll go with the Stuttgarters on DVD.

[Tony Halstead]

So difficult to chose. Cambridge University Chamber Orchestra, Stuttgart RSO on CD or DVD, or LCP? Think I'll go with the Stuttgarters on DVD.

Are / were their various conductors so very inconsequential that they don't qualify for a mention?

Come to think of it, I once conducted the Cambridge University Chamber Orchestra as a last-minute replacement for Vernon / 'Tod' Handley but I'm fairly sure that the programme didn't include Haydn's 'Clock' symphony.

[Bryn]

Are / were their various conductors so very inconsequential that they don't qualify for a mention?

Come to think of it, I once conducted the Cambridge University Chamber Orchestra as a last-minute replacement for Vernon / 'Tod' Handley but I'm fairly sure that the programme didn't include Haydn's 'Clock' symphony.

Oh, not "conductors". A very singular conductor.

[richardfinegold]

My first recording was Monteux and the VPO, paired with the Suprise. I still love it.

[Tony Halstead]

So difficult to chose. Cambridge University Chamber Orchestra, Stuttgart RSO on CD or DVD, or LCP? Think I'll go with the Stuttgarters on DVD.

Apologies for not 'clocking' your various clues that were pointing to the UK's greatest living conductor ( although 'in my book' sharing that place with Sir Mark Elder).
I'm just a bit surprised that you didn't settle for the LCP recording...

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

Apologies for not 'clocking' your various clues that were pointing to the UK's greatest living conductor

Have all the others suddenly died or something? This is indeed dreadful.

[verismissimo]

Didn't he say that Mr Donat would be covering 90 years of recordings? I can see 80 in the BBC Toscanini - but 90?

Maybe I mis-heard (not for the first time).

[HighlandDougie]

One more for the list, which I think is still available (and which I rather like), is Marc Minkowski and Les Musiciens du Louvre, although you have to buy all 12 London Symphonies if you want the CD, rather than a download.

I was going to post a link to the British Library's sound archive of pre-1957 Haydn symphony recordings (if anyone is interested in such things) but the relevant BL server appears to be down at the moment.

[aeolium]

Didn't he say that Mr Donat would be covering 90 years of recordings? I can see 80 in the BBC Toscanini - but 90?

Maybe I mis-heard (not for the first time).

There is I think a Hamilton Harty recording from 1927, so nearly 90, but I'm not sure if that one will be included in the review.

There is IIRC a van Beinum recording from the 1950s with the Concertgebouw (possibly a live performance). The other London symphonies I've heard of his have been excellent.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

One more for the list, which I think is still available (and which I rather like), is Marc Minkowski and Les Musiciens du Louvre, although you have to buy all 12 London Symphonies if you want the CD, rather than a download.

How stupid of me to omit this one. I had it on my draft list.

I was going to post a link to the British Library's sound archive of pre-1957 Haydn symphony recordings (if anyone is interested in such things) but the relevant BL server appears to be down at the moment.

I'm interested.