Back before the war, far less of Haydn's orchestral music was known than what is known now. Back in the '30s and '40s, only a handful of his 104 symphonies were regularly programmed or recorded. But while we knew less of Haydn's orchestral music, thankfully what was known was performed by the best possible conductors and orchestras. And, even more thankfully, most of those conductors and orchestras appear on this four-disc set from Andante: Bruno Walter and the Vienna Philharmonic, Arturo Toscanini and the New York ...
Read More
Back before the war, far less of Haydn's orchestral music was known than what is known now. Back in the '30s and '40s, only a handful of his 104 symphonies were regularly programmed or recorded. But while we knew less of Haydn's orchestral music, thankfully what was known was performed by the best possible conductors and orchestras. And, even more thankfully, most of those conductors and orchestras appear on this four-disc set from Andante: Bruno Walter and the Vienna Philharmonic, Arturo Toscanini and the New York Philharmonic, Sergey Koussevitzky and the Boston Symphony, and Thomas Beecham and his own London Philharmonic. Each performance is highly individualistic, totally convincing, and absolutely thrilling. Walter's 1938 Military Symphony is noble, lyrical, and, recorded ten days before the Anschluss, touched with fear at the trumpet fanfare and percussion explosion in the Allegretto. Toscanini's 1929 Clock Symphony is poised, powerful, and touched with magnificence in the Adagio introduction....
Read Less