Your essential ten Haydn symphonies

[Don Petter]

No 57 yet?

[Chris Newman]

Sorry, salymap, I am still making up my mind.......

[MickyD]

Thanks Fhg. I find his symphonies essential when in pain or depressed. I love Mozart but must admit Haydn really hits the spot with his humour, key changes, often ahead of his time and sheer optimism.

I do so agree, salymap, but I'm sorry to say that as a Haydn fan I find it absolutely impossible to nominate just ten! I sometimes go through the cycle of symphonies from start to finish over a few weeks and never fail to feel uplifted.

[Auferstehen2]

Hi MickyD!

What you say is interesting. I had thought about doing precisely that, but was warned against it (can't quite remember why) so didn't. Would you simply start at number 1 and work through them numerically, or would you jump around under some cunningly devised plan, as it were?

Thanks,

Mario

[John Skelton]

Hi MickyD! simply start at number 1 and work through them numerically, or would you jump around under some cunningly devised plan, as it were?

If you follow them 1 - 104 you'll be jumping around somewhat, because Hoboken's chronology isn't exact. If you want to follow them by date see the second column http://www.haydn107.com/index.php?id=22&lng=2

(It's an interesting thing to do. The pre-Esterházy symphonies, like the divertimentos & 'scherzos', have a very particular character, with some strange, wandering, slow movements. Certainly not to be characterised as "immature").

[Auferstehen2]

Thanks for this JS!

(BTW, between you and me as no one is listening - for years, I've known that K in Mozart stands for Köchel, but I never bothered to find out what H in Haydn's (opus) numbers stood for - you've put that right now, so thanks!)

I'm going to go to that link you've provided.

Thanks again,

Mario

[MickyD]

Hi MickyD!

What you say is interesting. I had thought about doing precisely that, but was warned against it (can't quite remember why) so didn't. Would you simply start at number 1 and work through them numerically, or would you jump around under some cunningly devised plan, as it were?

Thanks,

Mario

Hi Mario, thankfully the lovely Hogwood series of ten boxes is arranged chronologically, so I don't have to do any of that leaping around myself - just start with box 1 and continue. But alas, with the series only two thirds complete, I have to then find other recordings of the later symphonies to continue the voyage to the end.

[Dave2002]

So many wonderful ideas, so much wit & pathos & intellectual life - ten of the best, at any rate

no. 22 ('Philosopher') because of the extraordinary sounds it makes & its curious gravity
no. 26 ('Lamentation') sort of ditto
no. 31 ('Hornsignal') funky horns
no. 39 because of its intensity
no. 44 ('Trauer') ditto
no. 46 for wit & ingenuity
no. 64 for pathos & strangeness & wit
no. 80 for the way it juxtaposes opposites rather than resolves them
no. 88 because it's lovely (& for Frans Brüggen )
no. 98 for that wonderful slow movement

You can listen to Haydn's symphonies online http://www.haydn107.com/index.php?id=1&lng=2

Seems a really good site this, though it might not work in all browsers. AFAIK it doesn't work on some mobile devices, such as iPads - might be browser dependent ... A very good place to dip into. Works fine in Chrome on MacOS X.

I even like the very early ones - Le Matin, Midi, Soir (6-8), but also 48,49,88, and those from 98 up.

A recent, very cheap, CD purchase was this one - http://www.selections.com/AJ395/hayd...rchtext=Ermler which I've yet to play. I'm not really sure what Hob 107 and 108, listed as A and B are, and where they fit in. Maybe I'll report back when I've heard it.

According to the CD booklet Hob 1.107 was published in the last quarter of the 20th Century (!!) and named as Symphony A, written between 1757 and 1761, and earlier published as a string quartet (Hob III.No 5) - does this mean it wasn't intended to be a symphony, or was, but was lost in the symphony version?

Hob 1.108 was first published in 1768, but the full score was only issued in 1934, and it has been called Symphony B.

One more for my list of "faves" (now getting to be more than 10 - tough!) is 82, The Bear. As I recall, the rustic flavour and the drone is entertaining.

[BBMmk2]

Although not HIPP, I do rather enjoy Sir Colin Davis's accounts of the 'last ten'!!

[salymap]

I've enjoyed all your wonderful suggestions,keep them coming.

As I started this I will make a scrappy list, back is not up to proper typing out, sorry,
22 Philosopher
26 Lamentatione [ with vintage sturm und drang] it says on my recording.lovely
67
80
88
90 [with alternative finale]
92 oxford
100 Drum Roll
103
104 London

[Auferstehen2]

After salymap’s own contribution as the OP (message 25), here are the voting results so far:

001		1
006	Morning	2
007	Midday	1
008	Evening	1
022	Philosopher	2
026	Sturm und Drang - Lament	3
031	Hornsignal	1
039		2
043	Sturm und Drang - Mercury	1
044	Sturm und Drang - Mourning	3
045	Strum und Drang - Farewell	1
046	Sturm und Drang	2
048	Strum und Drang - Maria Theresia	2
049	Sturm und Drang - Passion	3
053	Imperial	1
057		1
059	Sturm und Drang - Fire	1
064	Tempora mutantur	1
067		1
080		2
082	Paris - Bear	1
083	Paris - Hen	1
085	Paris - Queen	2
086		1
088	London	7
089	London	2
090	London	5
091	London	2
092	London - Oxford	3
093	London	3
094	London - Surprise	3
095	London	3
096	London - Miracle	3
097	London	2
098	London	4
099	London	3
100	London - Military	5
101	London - Clock	4
102	London	6
103	London- Drum Roll	6
104	London - Salomon	7

I hope my exercise is accurate.

Mario

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

Interesting reading, Mario; many thanks.

Pedantic point: the Paris Symphonies are Nos 82-87
the London Symphonies are Nos 93-104
Nos 88-92 are "freelance" (90-92 are sometimes called the "d'Ogny Symphonies" after the French nobleman who commissioned them.

All of them splendid!

Best Wishes.

[Chris Newman]

This is very difficult:

No 26 in D minor, (Lamentatione)

No 31 in D Major, (Hornsignal)

No 49 in F minor, (La Passione")

No 58 in F major

No 73 in D Major (La Chasse)

No 85 in B-flat major (La Reine)

No 91 in E-flat major

No 94 in G major (Surprise)

No 100 in G major (Military)

No 101 in D major (Clock)

How do I add the last three as well?

[Auferstehen2]

Not pedantic at all fhg, in fact thanks for the correction. I pleaded guilty to my ignorance of Haydn’s symphonic output in message no 3 - apologies for my mistake.

I have a complete set of these by Dennis Russel Davies with the Stuttgarter Kammerorchester. The booklet confirms that a total of 104 symphonies were written, but the set also includes performances of three further works:

Symphony No 105 in Bb Maj (Sinfonia Concertante) (Hob. I:105)
Symphony No 107 in Bb Maj (Hob. I:107)
Symphony No 108 in Bb Maj (Hob. I:108)

Apparently, Symphony No 106 (Hob. I:106) not included here, is an overture.

Mario

[LeMartinPecheur]

My fairly random 10 would be:
22 Philosopher (love those english horns!)
31 Hornsignal (I love horns!)
45 Farewell (love that storyline!)
72 (4 horns in D, much used - try the Goodman recording) - hurrah, nobody's had THIS one before!
73 La Chasse Another 'cop'! Just love the finale: great tune for horns again, albeit with lots of oboe. And I have a good excuse to play it on its own as often as I want, because it started life as an opera overture No R3-style bleeding chunks in the LMP music-room!
88 Definitely not a 'cop'. Previn and Furtwangler sold this one to me.
92 Oxford. Because I love the music nearly as much as I love the city, and that's a lot!
95 Because it was the first Haydn symph I got to know. My dad had a mono LP (Vittoro Gui) c/w Mozart 39, now in my rack for the usual reason.
Plus just about any random choices from the Paris or London sets for the last two. If pushed to choose I might just go for 94 & 101 because I loved the VPO/Monteux recording even before I bought all the Londons in the Dorati LP box.

But tomorrow I'll probably tear up this list and start again. More fruitfully I could try plugging a few gaps on the shelves where there are still 21 Haydn symphonies (inc A & B) missing