Classical Period (1750–1820)
Clarity, balance, and form. Haydn, Mozart, and early Beethoven.
1753 products
Beethoven, L. Van: Piano Concertos Nos. 4 and 5
Mozart: The Hanover Band
Haydn: Grosse Orgelsolomesse - Heiligmesse
Haydn: Masses Vol 8 / Glover, Burdick, Trinity Choir, Rebel
This eighth and final volume of Naxos’s acclaimed survey of Haydn’s Masses contrasts the intimately scaled Little Organ Mass with the symphonically conceived Mass in B flat major, nicknamed Theresienmesse after Marie Therese (wife of Emperor Francis II and soprano soloist in the first performances of The Creation (8.557380–81) and The Seasons (8.557600–01)). The Great Organ Mass is available on 8.572125 as well as in the 8-CD boxed set of the Complete Haydn Masses (8.508009): ‘Bravo!’ (Early Music America); ‘…monumental recording…the first-ever collection of the complete Haydn Masses performed on period instruments.’ (Baker & Taylor CD Hotlist)
Haydn: Missa Cellensis, Paukenmesse / Burdick, Trinity Hoir, Rebel
As Haydn scholar H.C. Landon explains, ‘it is clear that with this Missa Cellensis…he reached, and reached with panache and astonishing vigour, the popular style for which he had been so long and so diligently searching.’ For this reason, the Mariazellermesse ‘is both the precursor to Haydn’s late Masses as well as the culmination of his early efforts in the genre.’ Fourteen years elapsed before Haydn’s setting of the Mass in Time of War, also known as the Paukenmesse because of his evocative use of the timpani; the work demonstrates Haydn’s new approach to the Mass, including dramatic extremes and more frequent integration of solo and chorus.
Mozart: Don Giovanni / Solti, Royal Philharmonic
Solti conducted Don Giovanni in nine performances during the 1954 Glyndebourne season : on July 7, 9, 11, 14, 17, 21, 23, 25, 27. These performances of Don Giovanni were Georg Solti’s only Glyndebourne appearances. This complete performance was broadcast live from the opera house on 17 July 1954. The source recording is part of the ‘Itter Broadcast Collection’ held by Lyrita Recorded Edition Trust. This is the first release on Prima Voce for more than five years and we hope that it will once again stimulate interest in this critically acclaimed series. A new printed catalogue for Prima Voce is also available and our next release will be Berlioz, ‘The Damnation of Faust’ in a live performance from the Royal Festival Hall, with Joan Hammond conducted by Sir Malcolm Sargent in 1953.
C.P.E. Bach: Works for Flute & Piano / Pagnini, Rebaudengo
Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach was born in Weimar in 1714 where he grew up under the severe leadership of his father Johann Sebastian receiving a complete musical forming. In 1738 when he was 24 he introduced himself to the Prussian court arousing the admiration of the Crown Prince. In 1740 Federico II succeeded the throne and the new King wanted Carl Philipp Emanuel at his service. For the following 28 years he accompanied the king, who was a flautist, every evening on the harpsichord. According to the musical historian Charles Burney, Carl Philipp Emanuel was not sufficiently appreciated by the King that in terms of composition seemed to prefer Quantz and Graun. Even Carl Philipp composed for the Prussian King a certain number of solo sonatas, trio sonatas and concerts that increased his already vast repertoire whose manuscripts are nowadays preserved in the Berlin State Library. Many of these compositions are known in their “modern“ version- i.e. performed with a metal flute and with the piano instead of harpsichord - and it in is this version that Francesca Pagnini and Annibale Rebaudengo present these works to the audience, giving particular attention to the expressive and interpretative values the extremely modern Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach’s musical writing puts in continued evidence.
Esterhazy Recordings - Haydn: Symphonies Vol 2 / A. Fischer
Adám Fischer and the AustroHungarian Haydn Orchestra go from strength to strength. This culminating volume of their Haydn symphony cycle – built up over 14 years – is in many ways the most enjoyable of all‚ not just because it covers a fascinating range of works written in the 1760s‚ when the young Haydn was busy experimenting‚ but in the performances too. In most previous volumes the advantages of Fischer’s cycle as against those of Antál Dorati’s everfresh pioneering Decca cycle‚ have been relatively slight. Here the new performances‚ with lighter‚ more transparent textures and generally faster speeds‚ take far more note of period practice while staying faithful to modern instruments. More than ever one registers the individual virtuosity of the various soloists in the orchestra‚ often challenged to the limit by fast speeds. So a movement such as the variation finale of No 31‚ The Hornsignal‚ features a sequence of brilliant soloists such as Haydn himself might have been writing for in the Esterházy orchestra – violin‚ cello‚ horn and so on‚ even doublebass. That symphony‚ in Professor Robbins Landon’s description one of the most spectacular of the early works‚ is here presented with panache‚ with the four horns braying out superbly‚ and the fast opening Allegro adding to the intensity. The immediately preceding symphony‚ No 30‚ nicknamed Alleluia after the chant quoted‚ is hardly less striking‚ the more so here when Fischer has adopted‚ with brilliant results‚ the option for this C major work of having trumpets and drums as well as horns – a later addition as Robbins Landon suggests in Volume 1 of his monumental Chronicle and Works (Thames &Hudson: 197678). The horns are prominent throughout these performances‚ helped by the recording balance‚ bringing out the boldness of inspiration. Symphonies Nos 30 and 31 evidently date from 1765‚ but generally the regular numbered sequence from the old Breitkopf edition is even more misleading than usual. So No 26 in D minor‚ Lamentation‚ another work that quotes a chant‚ is in the darkly intense Sturm und Drang style of the middle symphonies‚ where No 37 in C is evidently one of the earliest works here‚ dating from the brief period from 1759 when Haydn was Kapellmeister to Count Morzin. Fischer in the Lamentation Symphony again makes the music more biting with his emphasis on sharp dynamic contrasts and his very fast Allegro – faster even than with Christopher Hogwood in his period performance on L’OiseauLyre (4/94). Even more strikingly‚ No 39 in G minor‚ the last of the numbered symphonies here‚ is a wonderful example of Sturm und Drang‚ enhanced by Fischer at the start by the way he exaggerates the pauses between the nervily tentative opening phrases‚ leading to the fierce and urgent Allegro. The finale too is vehemently Sturm und Drang‚ with its rushing strings and four horns‚ again brilliantly used as in the Hornsignal‚ No 31 – as Robbins Landon puts it‚ ‘a tightfisted work’. Throughout this set Fischer consistently relishes the originality of scoring‚ as in the Trio of the Minuet of No 29 in E‚ where suddenly in E minor the horns in octaves hold a sustained note‚ an effect made the more eerie here with the strings stilling their vibrato in period style‚ as they regularly do in these performances. The Symphonies ‘A’ and ‘B’‚ the one dating from the Morzin period‚ the other from the early 1760s‚ make an apt supplement as they come from the same period. These are both works which were only identified as symphonies rather than string quartets when in recent years wind parts were discovered. Whether or not Fischer and his orchestra of selected players from Vienna and Budapest will go on to record other supplementary works and alternative versions (for another record company following Nimbus’s demise)‚ as Dorati did‚ theirs is a superb achievement‚ with the cycle of numbered symphonies now most satisfyingly completed.
-- Gramophone 1/2002
M. Haydn: Symphonies, Vol. 1 / Gallois, Czech Chamber Philharmonic
For all that Michael lurks in the shadow cast by his brother, recent performances – and it is welcome to have so many more, especially on CD – have made it clear that he was no minor figure, but an accomplished composer in his own right. His contemporaries had little doubt of his stature. Although his relationship with Leopold Mozart was strained, he had a close friendship with Wolfgang, who appears to have been influenced by his music, and certainly promoted it in Vienna. A common feature between the two, heard to good effect in these symphonies, is a charming gift for writing effectively for the woodwinds.
Nor should these symphonies be considered less pleasurable than those by Josef. If there is a difference, it is not in musical facility nor in ingenious orchestration. If Michael does not quite plumb the same depths, there are similarities in construction and in the unusual effects. Listen for example, to the Rondeau of the C major work (track 8) as a splendid instance of confident, even exuberant, invention. There is an interesting study to be done on the extent to which Josef influenced his brother and vice-versa. They corresponded but rarely met during the forty years of Michael’s time in Salzburg, yet there are similarities in approach. I sometimes forget which brother I am hearing, though Michael was less of a pioneer. Also, he had a strong preference for major keys, as here (only Symphony No 20, not on this disc, is in a minor key), which slightly limited his emotional range. His gift is for the exciting.
This CD will give enormous pleasure, and perhaps encourage wider performance. Gallois has the music’s measure and the orchestra plays very well. It is interesting to make comparisons with Bohdan Warchal’s set of 20 symphonies on CPO (CPO 9995912), though the D major is not included there (but it is on a recording from the same label conducted by Johannes Goritzki – CPO 9991792) . The CPO set is a joy – so is this.
I look forward very much to the remainder of this series. It would be a wonderful if Naxos turned its attention to a complete set of the Masses. Josef thought Michael’s finer than his own, not without justice. From time to time a new recording appears (Hungaraton have shown commitment to the cause), but there is so much to explore.
– MusicWeb International (Michael Wilkinson)
Sinfonia in G major (Perger 16) (Symphony No. 25)
Sinfonia in D major (Perger 21) (Symphony No. 30)
Sinfonia in C major (Perger 19) (Symphony No. 28)
Sinfonia in A major (Perger 15) (Symphony No. 24)
Haydn: Piano Trios / Vienna Piano Trio
The Gipsy Trio may have been written in and for London, but this ensemble’s short, snappy bowing, stomping piano accents and, above all, uniquely instinctive fluctuations of tempo and pulse in the finale, locate the work unmistakably in the grape-treading, Romany heart of the Burgenland. The steps of the dance shape and pervade the ETrio, too, in the jauntily sprung rhythms of the opening Allegretto, and the splendidly boisterous and cross-accented Allemande of its finale.
Among countless other delights in these bold and addictive performances is the sensitivity to the power of silence, and the short, hushed half-tones within the long-breathed lines of the Andante of the A major Trio. And, not least, the perceptive understanding and judgement of the shifting qualities of an Allegro which so well supports the structure of the outer movements of the D major, as well as enabling many a clearly articulated yet fanciful variation in the Gipsy Trio.
-- Hilary Finch, Gramophone [12/1997]
Beethoven: Missa Solemnis, Choral Fantasy & Symphony No. 5 (
Ries: Romantic Variations, Fantasies and a Rondo
Mayr: Il sogno di Partenope
BOCCHERINI: 3 Cello Sonatas / FACCO: Balletto in C major / P
The Ultimate Mozart Opera Album
Cherubini & Cambini: String Trios
Salieri: Gesù al Limbo, Il Giudizio Finale & Te Deum
Mozart: Sinfonia Concertante - Bella mia fiamma - Cor sincer
Classical Piano
Paisiello: Petit concert Italien, Tirsi a Fille, La scusa &
Mozart: Don Giovanni, K. 527 - Schubert: Lachen und Weinen,
Beethoven: The Solo Concertos / Vladar, Van Kuelen, Speckel, Wiener Kammerorchester
– Gramophone
100 Masterpieces of Sacred Choral Music
Andres Segova Plays Fernando Sor
During the Fifties Andres Segovia strengthened his fame as the best classical guitarist in the world with a series of wonderful recordings containing the most significant parts of his repertoire. Segovia’s 19th century music repertoire was focused almost exclusively on the Spanish composers, composers the he liked best. He did not often consider Italian composers. Among the Spanish composers Fernando Sor (Barcellona, 1778 – Paris, 1839) had been his favorite; he was a talented composer and performer who wrote Studies for Guitar which featured a great melodic originality that is even now still used in the education of classical guitarists. This album collects, for the first time, all the recordings that Segovia made of Sor works during the 1950s, which were the best moments of his musical career .
Haydn: Cello Concertos Nos. 1 & 2 / deMaine, Suben, Moravian Philharmonic
Robert deMaine is an American virtuoso cellist who has been hailed by The New York Times as "an artist who makes one hang on every note.” He has distinguished himself as one of the finest and most versatile instrumentalists of his generation, performing to critical acclaim as soloist, recitalist, orchestral principal, recording artist and chamber musician. He is currently Principal Cellist of the Los Angeles Philharmonic and is in demand around the world as a soloist, chamber musician and clinician. This recording is a collaboration with New York conductor Joel Eric Suben and the Moravian Philharmonic Orchestra recorded at Reduta Conceret Hall in Olomuc, Czech Republic. It was in this spirit of personalized composition that Haydn wrote his Cello Concerto in C major, Hob. VIIb:1, for the Esterházy family. The piece was unknown to modern audiences until 1961, when a copy of the score was uncovered. Since that time, it has become a staple of the cello repertoire, championed by many of the world’s greatest cellists. Robert deMaine adds his name to that list with this lush recording. Haydn’s Cello Concerto in D major, Hob. VIIb:2 was written for the Esterházy orchestra’s principal cellist Antonín Kraft, who is said to have had a beautiful singing tone, expressive phrasing, and an explosive technique, especially in the cello’s upper register. All of this is realized once again in this fresh performance from Robert deMaine.
C.P.E. Bach: Quartettes for Keyboard, Flute & Viola
Mozart, W.A.: Opera Arias
Schumann, Beethoven & Wolf: Vocal Works
Soler: Sonatas For Harpsichord Vol 10 / Gilbert Rowland
Mozart: Serenade K 203, Divertimento K 251 / Janiczek , Scottish Chamber Orchestra
Violinist/director Alexander Janiczek asks for tempos that neither blaze nor plod nor obscure the happy spirit of these primarily youthful works. As a soloist in the two Rondos and the lovely Adagio K. 261 Janiczek also provides tasteful cadenzas that highlight his expertly executed, personable, open-hearted style. And who can fail to be impressed with the Divertimento K. 113, a remarkably "mature" piece of orchestral writing that shows a 15-year-old composer already in control of techniques and thematic devices that would reappear in later, more famous, more extensively developed forms. This is a very well-played, thoughtfully programmed recording of works that are all too often ruined by casual, matter-of-fact treatment; if its primary purpose is entertainment, which it should be, then it succeeds admirably.
– ClassicsToday
