Great to know about this set. Thanks . . . . It's strange how things vanish for decades; then they just suddenly reappear with no announcement or fanfare. It's good that you caught this.
I suspect that the harpsichord as continuo in something like a Haydn symphony, if and when it was used, was meant to be heard *by the players* (as a way to help keep them together, in lieu of visible conducting gestures), whereas the audience was hardly meant to notice its presence. This is just a hunch, I could be wrong; but it's what I suspect
So glad these wonderful performances are back. I wasted no time to order them and have been listening nonstop since the box arrived a few days ago. This was the series that first introduced me, way back in the 1980's, to the virtues of Haydn on period instruments. They're still among the best of their type, as you pointed out, Dave. Thanks for the review.
I have these recordings in the original LP box sets. The first ones were released in 1981 on the small English Saga label in two 3 LP boxes containing 14 of the Morzin symphonies. These were late analog recordings and the boxes were numbered Haydn 1 & 2, a clear indicator that more volumes were planned. More volumes did appear, but the label changed to CBS Masterworks. CBS issued five more 3 LP boxes from 1982 to 1986 labeled Sturm und Drang. Each box contained 6 symphonies, one per side, and were numbered Volumes 7 - 11. The CBS recordings were all digital and at least a couple of them got a CD issue, but I've never seen the Saga recordings on CD until now. The new set contains the Saga recordings issued on LP, and on disc 14 five more Morzin symphonies that were apparently recorded for Saga but never saw the light of day until now. The original LP sets were handsome affairs with notes by H. C. Robbins Landon condensed from his voluminous notes in the Dorati recordings. We shall see if the same standards are maintained in the new set. I doubt it.
Thank you for the heads up Dave, and from the way you describe the performances, they sound like just my cup of tea. I just bought the box, here in Italy it's 50 euros, which I think is a very decent price for 18 cds
I am thrilled to learn that the complete Solomons Haydn recordings are available! I discovered them back in grad school when Tower Records had a sale on some of the remaindered boxes of the LP recordings (which really looked good back in those days--CBS was trying to get some of that design cachet that DG had). I really liked them and picked up three of those boxes. But then came CDs and a couple of the boxes were issued on CD, and there was a good single CD with 45 and 48. But I was driven crazy that No. 44 (my favorite recorded performance by a wide margin) never appeared. Some years ago, I stumbled across Haydn House (now gone) and was able to get pirated copies of several CDs. So think I have most of the Solomons recordings on CDs now, but I instantly ordered the box as soon as I saw the title of Dave's video. Not all of Solomons' performances appealed to me equally, but quite a few of the Sturm und Drang symphonies are absolutely fantastic. Friends of mine who are more musically literate have pointed out issues with intonation, etc., but what distinguished Solomons at his best is virtually unrivaled intensity. His No. 44 is the peak of that, I think, and you have to hear it (it's available on RUclips). Other versions sound pallid (Hogwood), excellent but not quite as good (Pinnock) or overdone (Fey). I can't wait for the set!
Dave, I became impatient and didn't want to miss out on the re-release. I managed to secure the last available box from a store in Berlin and I'm eagerly looking forward to hearing it. Based on the fantastic recommendation on your website, I just finished listening to Mackerras' outing with the Orchestra of St. Luke's (Syms. 31, 45, 100, 101, 103 & 104), and they were absolutely thrilling. I guess I'm setting the bar very high for the Solomons set, but if his approach, although the symphonies are different, is anything like Mackerras' on Telarc, I'm really in for a treat. Thanks for heads up Dave and please keep those Haydn recommendations coming at us full blast!
Dave was (of course) right what he said that he didn't think that in the original release thay did so many symphonies. Indeed, in the booklet it's stated that cd 14 ( 5 "Morzin" symphonies) is "previously unreleased". They don't say "on CD" so I take it as unreleased altogether. Also, the remastering credits are very substantial (with names and all) so they "actually" worked a lot on these early digitals. I have to say they sound woonderful. Brava Sony!
This series by Solomons was my "gateway drug" to Haydn. I could find a few cds in the series and a few cassette tapes, but that was all, and they were numbered in such a way that made it obvious that others should be out there but no way to find them, grrr -- so Wonderful News that the series + unreleased symphonies are now out!
The art on this box and the Goberman clearly harks back to the old Legendary Performances series on Columbia’s Odyssey reissue label. The design and typeface are identical. All those recordings are now owned by Sony.
Thanks for holding up both boxes, Dave. Looks like it's turning into a Haydn month for me! Presto sez the Solomons box is already out of stock at the UK distributor, but Amazon will release it (at a higher price, alas) in about 10 days...and I just snagged the Goberman box on ebay. 😀
nostalgia always trumps the present.....and when I started, I bought the Haydn by Goberman and also by Solomons which I really liked without forgetting of course the first Dorati...... but what I preferred were these nonesuch discs, economical, which made us hear the Haydn by Leslie Jones and the Little Orchestra of London, well recorded, and always cheerful and lively in the interpretation...then I see again... .? a box set of all his haydn (leslie jones) would be welcome for my part, who will publish it....? I think back to his Paris symphonies which have always pleased me, and these Leslie Jones-Haydn records, ...how many times they have toured...!!!!, and they are still touring...!
Jones' recordings of Haydn's "London" symphonies was one of the first multi-LP sets that I ever bought, back in the early 70s, and I'd love to hear those performances again; they and vol. 1 of Dorati made me a Haydn enthusiast for life.
This box set is on the Sony Classical site and listed as released on March 25th of this year but I can't find it online anywhere so far. I recently purchased, on your recommendation, the Burchberger String Quartet's Complete Hayden String Quartets. Thanks as always. PS I just noticed that the Sony Classical site features a German flag on the Haydn page. Available only for Germany? Is that possible?
Have you heard any of the CDs which appears to be a Haydn Symphony cycle being released in stages (now at Vol. 23 or so) in Japan on Exton with Norichika Iimori and the Japan Century Symphony Orchestra? The CDs are hybrid SACD and I’ve enjoyed the sound quality. However, I (and I suspect at least some of your other listeners) would like to know what you think of the quality of the performances - not in terms of being the “best” - but in terms of are they reasonably good performances, performances that may have good sound quality but are otherwise mediocre, etc. Thanks.
The two Haydn projects you discuss do seem to be particularly ill fated even in terms of the history of Haydn symphony projects. I know Max Goberman dropped dead from a heart attack and while I heard that Derek Solomons also died I have been unable to find anything other than the fact he lived on the internet. Does anyone know what happened to him?
I have to confess that until today I have never heard of either Derek Solomons or L'Estro Armonico (except Vivaldi's - why must every period instrument ensemble call itself after a piece of Baroque music?). There is indeed remarkably little to be found online, not even a Wikipedia article.
I have found a reference to Derek Solomons in an unexpected place: a medical paper titled "Bertha and assisted dying" published in 2010 in the British Journal of General Practice about a case of assisted suicide in 1935. It can be found on PubMedCentral with id PMC2913751. Solomons is the author's brother in law.
Are there any Haydn symphony performances - or any baroque or classical performances, I guess - that use a modern piano in place of a harpsichord for the continuo?
Also, I heard the Solomons box and the Hans Rosbaud Haydn symphonies box at the same time. Big-band Haydn from the '50s in glorious mono vs. small-band Haydn in glorious stereo.
Great to know about this set. Thanks . . . . It's strange how things vanish for decades; then they just suddenly reappear with no announcement or fanfare. It's good that you caught this.
I'll wager it will have a shelf life shorter than the average lettuce. Grab it while you can, folks 😊
I suspect that the harpsichord as continuo in something like a Haydn symphony, if and when it was used, was meant to be heard *by the players* (as a way to help keep them together, in lieu of visible conducting gestures), whereas the audience was hardly meant to notice its presence. This is just a hunch, I could be wrong; but it's what I suspect
So glad these wonderful performances are back. I wasted no time to order them and have been listening nonstop since the box arrived a few days ago. This was the series that first introduced me, way back in the 1980's, to the virtues of Haydn on period instruments. They're still among the best of their type, as you pointed out, Dave. Thanks for the review.
I have these recordings in the original LP box sets. The first ones were released in 1981 on the small English Saga label in two 3 LP boxes containing 14 of the Morzin symphonies. These were late analog recordings and the boxes were numbered Haydn 1 & 2, a clear indicator that more volumes were planned. More volumes did appear, but the label changed to CBS Masterworks. CBS issued five more 3 LP boxes from 1982 to 1986 labeled Sturm und Drang. Each box contained 6 symphonies, one per side, and were numbered Volumes 7 - 11. The CBS recordings were all digital and at least a couple of them got a CD issue, but I've never seen the Saga recordings on CD until now. The new set contains the Saga recordings issued on LP, and on disc 14 five more Morzin symphonies that were apparently recorded for Saga but never saw the light of day until now. The original LP sets were handsome affairs with notes by H. C. Robbins Landon condensed from his voluminous notes in the Dorati recordings. We shall see if the same standards are maintained in the new set. I doubt it.
Thank you for the heads up Dave, and from the way you describe the performances, they sound like just my cup of tea. I just bought the box, here in Italy it's 50 euros, which I think is a very decent price for 18 cds
I am thrilled to learn that the complete Solomons Haydn recordings are available! I discovered them back in grad school when Tower Records had a sale on some of the remaindered boxes of the LP recordings (which really looked good back in those days--CBS was trying to get some of that design cachet that DG had). I really liked them and picked up three of those boxes. But then came CDs and a couple of the boxes were issued on CD, and there was a good single CD with 45 and 48. But I was driven crazy that No. 44 (my favorite recorded performance by a wide margin) never appeared. Some years ago, I stumbled across Haydn House (now gone) and was able to get pirated copies of several CDs. So think I have most of the Solomons recordings on CDs now, but I instantly ordered the box as soon as I saw the title of Dave's video. Not all of Solomons' performances appealed to me equally, but quite a few of the Sturm und Drang symphonies are absolutely fantastic. Friends of mine who are more musically literate have pointed out issues with intonation, etc., but what distinguished Solomons at his best is virtually unrivaled intensity. His No. 44 is the peak of that, I think, and you have to hear it (it's available on RUclips). Other versions sound pallid (Hogwood), excellent but not quite as good (Pinnock) or overdone (Fey). I can't wait for the set!
Dave, I became impatient and didn't want to miss out on the re-release. I managed to secure the last available box from a store in Berlin and I'm eagerly looking forward to hearing it. Based on the fantastic recommendation on your website, I just finished listening to Mackerras' outing with the Orchestra of St. Luke's (Syms. 31, 45, 100, 101, 103 & 104), and they were absolutely thrilling. I guess I'm setting the bar very high for the Solomons set, but if his approach, although the symphonies are different, is anything like Mackerras' on Telarc, I'm really in for a treat. Thanks for heads up Dave and please keep those Haydn recommendations coming at us full blast!
Dave was (of course) right what he said that he didn't think that in the original release thay did so many symphonies. Indeed, in the booklet it's stated that cd 14 ( 5 "Morzin" symphonies) is "previously unreleased". They don't say "on CD" so I take it as unreleased altogether. Also, the remastering credits are very substantial (with names and all) so they "actually" worked a lot on these early digitals. I have to say they sound woonderful. Brava Sony!
Lovely review David, thank you.
I will get the box set
This series by Solomons was my "gateway drug" to Haydn. I could find a few cds in the series and a few cassette tapes, but that was all, and they were numbered in such a way that made it obvious that others should be out there but no way to find them, grrr -- so Wonderful News that the series + unreleased symphonies are now out!
But if I have just bought the Dorati complete symphonies box, do I really need this?
That's your call.
Dorati's, fine as they are, are not HIP.
You need both. They're so different...
The art on this box and the Goberman clearly harks back to the old Legendary Performances series on Columbia’s Odyssey reissue label. The design and typeface are identical. All those recordings are now owned by Sony.
Thanks Dave, how do these interpretations compare to the ones of Pinnock and the English Concert?
Both excellent.
Thanks for holding up both boxes, Dave. Looks like it's turning into a Haydn month for me!
Presto sez the Solomons box is already out of stock at the UK distributor, but Amazon will release it (at a higher price, alas) in about 10 days...and I just snagged the Goberman box on ebay. 😀
Whoops...sorry, I got it wrong. Amazon won't have the Solomons box 'till the end of May. 😢 Whatever shallI listen to 'till then?
@@richardfrankel6102 I ordered mine three days ago from Amazon Germany for 63.96€ delivered to the UK. Should arrive in two days.
@richardfrankel6102 and they're charging twice the price.
nostalgia always trumps the present.....and when I started, I bought the Haydn by Goberman and also by Solomons which I really liked without forgetting of course the first Dorati...... but what I preferred were these nonesuch discs, economical, which made us hear the Haydn by Leslie Jones and the Little Orchestra of London, well recorded, and always cheerful and lively in the interpretation...then I see again... .? a box set of all his haydn (leslie jones) would be welcome for my part, who will publish it....? I think back to his Paris symphonies which have always pleased me, and these Leslie Jones-Haydn records, ...how many times they have toured...!!!!, and they are still touring...!
Jones' recordings of Haydn's "London" symphonies was one of the first multi-LP sets that I ever bought, back in the early 70s, and I'd love to hear those performances again; they and vol. 1 of Dorati made me a Haydn enthusiast for life.
Your priorities regarding cats and music are spot on
I see Amazon has it on preorder. I also see parts available on Apple Music
This box set is on the Sony Classical site and listed as released on March 25th of this year but I can't find it online anywhere so far. I recently purchased, on your recommendation, the Burchberger String Quartet's Complete Hayden String Quartets. Thanks as always. PS I just noticed that the Sony Classical site features a German flag on the Haydn page. Available only for Germany? Is that possible?
It is not being released in the U.S. until May 29. If you're able to order from Amazon U.S., they have it available pre-release for $79.98.
Have you heard any of the CDs which appears to be a Haydn Symphony cycle being released in stages (now at Vol. 23 or so) in Japan on Exton with Norichika Iimori and the Japan Century Symphony Orchestra?
The CDs are hybrid SACD and I’ve enjoyed the sound quality. However, I (and I suspect at least some of your other listeners) would like to know what you think of the quality of the performances - not in terms of being the “best” - but in terms of are they reasonably good performances, performances that may have good sound quality but are otherwise mediocre, etc.
Thanks.
I know nothing about it, but thanks for mentioning it.
The two Haydn projects you discuss do seem to be particularly ill fated even in terms of the history of Haydn symphony projects. I know Max Goberman dropped dead from a heart attack and while I heard that Derek Solomons also died I have been unable to find anything other than the fact he lived on the internet. Does anyone know what happened to him?
I have to confess that until today I have never heard of either Derek Solomons or L'Estro Armonico (except Vivaldi's - why must every period instrument ensemble call itself after a piece of Baroque music?). There is indeed remarkably little to be found online, not even a Wikipedia article.
I believe I read years ago that Derek Solomons was born in 1937. I can find no indication of his still being alive. I fear that isn't the case.
I have found a reference to Derek Solomons in an unexpected place: a medical paper titled "Bertha and assisted dying" published in 2010 in the British Journal of General Practice about a case of assisted suicide in 1935. It can be found on PubMedCentral with id PMC2913751. Solomons is the author's brother in law.
Are there any Haydn symphony performances - or any baroque or classical performances, I guess - that use a modern piano in place of a harpsichord for the continuo?
The Goberman box has disappeared - again. Sigh.
Also, I heard the Solomons box and the Hans Rosbaud Haydn symphonies box at the same time. Big-band Haydn from the '50s in glorious mono vs. small-band Haydn in glorious stereo.