Notes and Editorial Reviews
HAYDN
Cello Concertos in C and in D. Trumpet Concerto. Harpsichord Concerto in D
, Hob. XVII:11.
Organ Concerto in C
, Hob. XVIII:1.
Horn Concertos Nos. 1 and 2
•
Neville Marriner, cond; Heinrich Schiff (vc); Alan Stringer (tpt); George Malcolm (hpd); Simon Preston (org); Barry Tuckwell (hn); Academy of St. Martin in the Fields
•
DECCA ELOQUENCE 480 4481 (2 CDs: 154:08)
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Overture in D
, Hob. Ia:7.
Acide e Galatea:
Overture.
6
German Dances,
Hob. IX:9.
6 Allemandes
, from Hob. IX
These two well-filled CDs include all of Haydn’s best-known concertos, adding the “doubtful” Second Horn Concerto. Neville Marriner is a fine Haydn conductor; his Stuttgart
Creation
remains my favorite modern-instrument recording. He is joined here by a roster of top-notch soloists. He and Heinrich Schiff choose rapid tempos for the C-Major Concerto, with an especially exhilarating finale—marked
Allegro molto
, it is played at least
Vivace
and is all the more enjoyable for it. The Academy, long Marriner’s home ensemble, is on top of every note. Its string sound was often sleek and sweet, at least as heard on Decca/London recordings, ideal for many Mozart works but a bit lacking the guts and gristle needed for Haydn. The performance of the D-Major Concerto is stronger in that respect; again the tempos are fast. These 1988 recordings are very nice performances that do not quite reach the level of later ones with smaller ensembles, be they period (Ivan Monighetti) or modern (Truls Mørk).
Alan Stringer is a superb trumpeter, with the fastest trill in the West. His playing is a cross between the crisp, jaunty style of Helmut Wobisch and the cool elegance of Gerard Schwarz—two of my favorite recordings; I’m not fond of Stringer’s overly florid cadenza. This time the Academy has plenty of punch. George Malcolm’s harpsichord has a bright ring that enables it to sound over aggressive playing of the Academy. The combination of harpsichord and modern strings seems odd today but was more common in 1968, when this recording was made. I’m partial to Ronald Brautigam’s fortepiano, and to his lively, imaginative playing, but Malcolm impresses, not least with his fascinating cadenza.
Disc 2 begins with the overtures, each vivacious and charming. The dances are something of a comedown. Why? Dances have to maintain a consistent rhythm for the dancers, and Haydn without syncopations and surprises is just not Haydn. There is some confusion about the identification of these pieces, but all are included in Hob. IX, which includes nearly a thousand Haydn dances. Simon Preston plays the early (1756) organ concerto brilliantly, on a bright-toned instrument that has stops resembling a hurdy-gurdy, and Marriner keeps up with the fun. This is very much a modern performance, with not even a nod to the 1750s, but I prefer its friendly high spirits to a fine period performance by Ton Koopman and the Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra. Marriner’s Adagio sings so sweetly as to forestall criticism, and the Allegro molto finale bubbles with joy.
Barry Tuckwell’s Haydn horn concertos once seemed the cat’s meow (they were the only well-played versions in 1966); today they sound unimaginative, merely a demonstration of spectacular horn playing—which will be enough for many listeners The “Second” Concerto is a succession of horn tricks, with little music and no Haydn in evidence, at least to these ears.
Eloquence has produced perfect, cleaned-up copies of all this Decca/London vinyl, and
Fanfare
’s Raymond Tuttle contributes informative, charming, humorous program notes. The seasoned Haydn collector may want to stick with her/his favorite recordings, but everyone else should love this set. I’ll keep it for the organ concerto.
FANFARE: James H. North
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Works on This Recording
1.
Concerto for Cello no 1 in C major, H 7b no 1 by Franz Joseph Haydn
Performer:
Heinrich Schiff (Cello)
Conductor:
Sir Neville Marriner
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Academy of St. Martin in the Fields
Period: Classical
Written: circa 1761-1765; Eszterhazá, Hungary
3.
Concerto for Keyboard in D major, H 18 no 11 by Franz Joseph Haydn
Performer:
George Malcolm (Harpsichord)
Conductor:
Sir Neville Marriner
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Academy of St. Martin in the Fields
Period: Classical
Written: by 1784; Eszterhazá, Hungary
4.
Concerto for Trumpet in E flat major, H 7e no 1 by Franz Joseph Haydn
Performer:
Alan Stringer (Trumpet)
Conductor:
Sir Neville Marriner
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Academy of St. Martin in the Fields
Period: Classical
Written: 1796; Vienna, Austria
5.
Sinfonia in D major, H 1a no 7 by Franz Joseph Haydn
Performer:
George Malcolm (Harpsichord)
Conductor:
Sir Neville Marriner
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Academy of St. Martin in the Fields
Period: Classical
Written: 1777; Eszterhazá, Hungary
6.
Acide, H 28 no 1: Overture by Franz Joseph Haydn
Conductor:
Sir Neville Marriner
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Academy of St. Martin in the Fields
Period: Classical
Written: 1762; Vienna, Austria
7.
Allemandes (6), H 9 no 9 by Franz Joseph Haydn
Conductor:
Sir Neville Marriner
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Academy of St. Martin in the Fields
Period: Classical
Written: 1786
9.
Concerto for Organ no 1 in C major, H 18 no 1 by Franz Joseph Haydn
Performer:
Simon Preston (Organ)
Conductor:
Sir Neville Marriner
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Academy of St. Martin in the Fields
Period: Classical
Written: ?1756; Vienna, Austria
10.
Concerto for Horn no 1 in D major, H 7d no 3 by Franz Joseph Haydn
Performer:
Barry Tuckwell (French Horn)
Conductor:
Sir Neville Marriner
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Academy of St. Martin in the Fields
Period: Classical
Written: 1762; Eszterhazá, Hungary
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