# Bela Drahos and Haydn



## Hermastersvoice (Oct 15, 2018)

Hello. Bela Drahos seems to me to be a completely underrated conductor, particularly of Haydn. Listen to the opening movement of symphony no 70, if you’re not already convinced. His recordings are not HIP but I have to revert to such giants as Vegh and Szell to encounter similar certainty of rhythm, flexibility etc. Any views? Also, while he has made many recordings for Naxos I can find no trace of concert activity. Does anybody know anything?


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## Manxfeeder (Oct 19, 2010)

Thanks for bringing this up. His Haydn has been mentioned here before and spoken well of, and it tends to get overlooked, at least by me. In fact, I had forgotten he is in this set. I'm dusting off my Naxos complete symphonies box.


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## Hermastersvoice (Oct 15, 2018)

Good luck. Naxos’ Haydn recordings are generally a mixed bag. Gramophone magazine always had a weakness for Helpme Müller-Brühl which I never understood. Check out 3rd may of Symphony no 57, an otherwise delightful Ländler-like minuet under skilled conductor such as Goberman. Müller-Brühl gets his band to play the notes. But has no idea about the music. Death by slowness.


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## mbhaub (Dec 2, 2016)

When he started recording the Haydn symphonies I was intrigued, but I already had the Dorati set - and that's enough Haydn for one lifetime. I did buy the Drahos Beethoven symphonies and it was excellent. Probably as close to something Beethoven would have heard (or not) in his day. Small orchestra, light and clean sound.


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## Mandryka (Feb 22, 2013)

One place he’s exceptional is in symphony 51.


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## Hermastersvoice (Oct 15, 2018)

Yes, Dorati’s Haydn is generally not very inspiring. Amazing though how Drahos can make you refocus on this music. Anybody know anything about the concert activity of Mr Drahos? Where can he be found?


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## Merl (Jul 28, 2016)

I like Drahos' Beethoven cycle quite a lot. The last I heard of him he was composing film music and recording it with the Budapest Symphony Orchestra (I think he 'borrows' them for this) . I believe he's still doing that.

https://m.imdb.com/name/nm1621506/


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## larold (Jul 20, 2017)

The Haydn symphony 70 is among my favorites and, having never heard Drahos, I listened to his version on YouTube.

Having done so I would say his reputation as a time beater and pedestrian conductor are proven. If you want to hear everything he leaves out listen to (preferably) David Blum and "his" Esterhazy Orchestra (a New York pickup group he selected for his Haydn recordings) or play Hogwood's, also available on YouTube.

To the credit of Naxos and to lesser extent Drahos I will say the recording allows the instruments to all be heard. But a foursquare leadership job cannot be erased by those qualities.


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## Mandryka (Feb 22, 2013)

He’s the 70 is poor, and I remember being unimpressed by the other symphonies on the disc with 51. I conclude that he’s no less variable than (eg) Dorati, Tatrai etc.


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## Hermastersvoice (Oct 15, 2018)

I understand that “time beater” - even though beat is important - is now a derogatory term to add to another honorable position, that of “Kapelmeister”, also fallen into much disrepute in the English speaking world. Thanks for the Hogwood suggestion. Regrettably i couldnt locate Mr Blum. What impressed me about Drahos is that he knows how it goes. I don’t have the knowledge to put down mr Hogwoods efforts - and that’s not the intention- but to me his rhythms are jumpy where Drahos (or Vegh) are dancing. Take the opening of No 70, yes Hogwood jumps up and down with joy from the outset - perhaps it’s the lack of legato that I’m missing. He lets the jokes tell themselves. To my ears Drahos is vastly superior in the following Andante, Hogwood is good at highlighting every argument but with Drahos we know where this is going. Critics used to talk about ‘Fernhör’ -,I don’t get much of that with Hogwood.


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## CnC Bartok (Jun 5, 2017)

Drahos dances, I like that analogy! I have the whole Naxos Haydn cycle, and while it is uneven, it is consistently well recorded, and to be honest I'd be hard pressed to name any dud performances. True Muller-Bruhl is perhaps the least memorable of the conductors used, but maybe he gets lumbered with a few of the less memorable symphonies? Or he was under contract to record all the Haydn symphonies (except the fun and famous ones conducted by Wordsworth or Ward or indeed Drahos!?). Then get this Mallon chap in to fill in the few remaining gaps.

I like the Drahos in this set, although for me the highlights tend to be Nicholas Ward's CDs. However, I'd also suggest tentatively that with Drahos his Beethoven cycle is even better. They are not my first choice by any stretch of the imagination, but they are consistent, fresh and lithe performances, which I have struggled to get bored with.


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## Hermastersvoice (Oct 15, 2018)

Thanks Mr Pickett. I wasn’t tuned into Mr Ward’s efforts, came by Mr Drahos by chance. Will give Ward an outing.


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## Heliogabo (Dec 29, 2014)

Recently bought Draho’s Beethoven cycle for a bargain price and is very enjoyable and well played to my taste. 
Want to hear his Haydn.


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