Haydn

[Bella Kemp]

Haydn is the most joyous of composers who can always lift one's spirits. Taking up your challenge teamsaint of naming a favourite symphony, mine would be number 39. It grabs you straightaway and takes you for a cheerful ride. Many a time I've wanted to give Haydn a hug for the pleasure he has brought me - and I think he might be one of the very few (the only?) composer who wouldn't recoil in horror from such a friendly gesture.

[cloughie]

Haydn is the most joyous of composers who can always lift one's spirits. Taking up your challenge teamsaint of naming a favourite symphony, mine would be number 39. It grabs you straightaway and takes you for a cheerful ride. Many a time I've wanted to give Haydn a hug for the pleasure he has brought me - and I think he might be one of the very few (the only?) composer who wouldn't recoil in horror from such a friendly gesture.

I remember listening to the Haydn Salomon Symphonies (93 - 104) in my teens - bright, cheerful, joyous listening - the joybringer was Sir Thomas Beecham - no doubt his readings are frowned upon by the hipp crowd - I can accept them alongside but not replace those 50s’ gems!

[richardfinegold]

Playing through the latest Ormandy box I came to a disc of the Miracle and The Clock Symphonies. His Philadelphia Orchestra is not the first choice of Haydn Orchestras that comes to mind but there is a palpable sense of fun being had on this disc, particularly in the solos

[teamsaint]

Haydn is the most joyous of composers who can always lift one's spirits. Taking up your challenge teamsaint of naming a favourite symphony, mine would be number 39. It grabs you straightaway and takes you for a cheerful ride. Many a time I've wanted to give Haydn a hug for the pleasure he has brought me - and I think he might be one of the very few (the only?) composer who wouldn't recoil in horror from such a friendly gesture.

Thanks. I’ll give 39 a listen.
I was prompted to post yesterday after (re) hearing # 12, with its beautiful slow movement.

Haydn is certainly a great subject for “ listening projects”, but there is a daunting amount of material in just the symphonies. .
mind you, on reflection, not much more than double the total length of Mahlers 9+1 symphonies, so no excuses really.

[smittims]

I was sorry to see BBC Music Magazine mentioned the Beecham 'London' set as 'one to avoid' as I had always thought it essential. They also said this of Karajan's Bruckner 7. I never took that magazine seriously, and bought it only when there was something I wanted on the 'free' CD (usually a Boult broadcast 'you can't hear anywhere else' as they say).

[teamsaint]

Just popping this popularity poll here without comment, by way of adding to the conversation.

https://www.talkclassical.com/threads/haydns-symphonies-ranked-in-order-of-greatness-by-ardent-haydn-listeners-all-106-symphonies.87080/

Listening to #39, I'm certainly familiar with it, but the ones in minor keys have a tendency to be better known I think , as do the "named" ones of course.

[Pulcinella]

Just popping this popularity poll here without comment, by way of adding to the conversation.

Listening to #39, I'm certainly familiar with it, but the ones in minor keys have a tendency to be better known I think , as do the "named" ones of course.

I don't know #39 (soon to be remedied) but I see it's classed as one of four 4-horn symphonies, of which I particularly like #31, The Hornsignal.
There was a horn player at college who roped his fellow-players in to give a college orchestra performance, which went down a treat.
I have this rather splendid recording of it:

https://www.prestomusic.com/classical/products/7924890--haydn-symphony-no-31-in-d-major-horn-signal-etc

[LMcD]

Haydn is the most joyous of composers who can always lift one's spirits. Taking up your challenge teamsaint of naming a favourite symphony, mine would be number 39. It grabs you straightaway and takes you for a cheerful ride. Many a time I've wanted to give Haydn a hug for the pleasure he has brought me - and I think he might be one of the very few (the only?) composer who wouldn't recoil in horror from such a friendly gesture.

My favourite is probably No. 88.

[oliver sudden]

Rob Cowan played them in ( I think ) chronological order some years ago on his R3 morning show.
I was wondering about reviving a Haydn thread by asking about forum members favourite symphonies, but maybe I should just knuckle down and do the lot !

Having heard them all over the last few months I couldn’t possibly name just one. (Although the old principle of ‘the last one I heard’ would give a pretty strong answer in the shape of 104.)

You could do a lot worse than starting at the beginning! The current scholarly chronology starts with 1, 37, 18, 2, 4. Not a dull moment in that lot and it will barely take you an hour. The slow movement of 4 is to die for. On no account miss that.

I very strongly recommend investing in the Solomons set on Sony while it’s still available. (As long as you like that kind of performance style, of course.) He makes a great case for these early ones and you really get a sense of a journey starting. You can sample them on YouTube very easily.

[smittims]

Yes, I love 88, and 99 and102 are also favourites. As toiterpreters, I think Leslie Jones and Hans Rosbaud should not be forgotten alongside pre-Dorati pioneers of the Haydn revival such as Max Goberman and David Blum, who recorded a few with the Esterhazy orchestra for Vanguard.

[rauschwerk]

Sadly for me, Beecham, Dorati and Davis were adherents of the 'stately minuet' school which is fine if you like stately minuets. Of course, there's a great deal to be said for their interpretations in other respects. I like Rattle's approach and wish he had recorded more Haydn symphonies. His reading of No 102 with the CBSO is top notch IMHO. I also very much like the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra and Pinnock's set of the 'Sturm und Drang' symphonies.

[richardfinegold]

. I also very much like the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra and Pinnock's set of the 'Sturm und Drang' symphonies.[/QUOTE]

Those 2 sets have comprised most of my Haydn listening over the past few years

[gurnemanz]

The Hen, Symphony 83, comes to mind for me. I still remember playing it one time when I was a bit down during my student years decades ago. It starts off with a big earnest G Minor theme but soon counters that with a dainty light-hearted second subject which relieves any gloom. Marked Allegro spiritoso, it did that job.

Recordings I have are Bernstein, Karajan, Adam Fischer but my definite favourite is a sprightly version from Ernst Märzendorfer with the Vienna Chamber Orchestra, only quite recently acquired as part of a download of the first ever complete recorded cycle of all the Symphonies - available for a snip at Presto.

[oliver sudden]

available for a snip at Presto.

Oh good lord that really is a snip isn't it. Like that hypercomplete Bruckner cycle from a little while back.

May I bring the glorious slow movement from 68 to the honourable members' collective attention? Starts out like a pre-echo of the slow movement of 101. Goes places no other music I know goes in its, I think ultimately futile, effort to piece itself together. (I keep thinking of Berlioz.) And yes, the symphony as a whole is a proper rip-snorter.

[oliver sudden]

The first movement of 10 is another winner. Has a splendid swing to it.