# Favourite London symphony sets?



## HaydnBearstheClock

Hello all,

just wondering which set/s of Haydn's London symphonies do you like the most?

I own this set:









I generally find it very good in terms of the instrumental clarity and the quality of the orchestral playing. Herbig does tend to pick pretty quick tempos for the movements, which I find doesn't let the melodies 'breathe' sometimes and 'drowns' out some of the details. This doesn't hold for all movements though and I'm generally happy with the set. I'd give it an 8/10 if I had to rate it. 
I'm also familiar with the Jochum, (some of the) Harnoncourt and the Fischer readings.


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## realdealblues

I usually just listen to Antal Dorati because I always keep his complete Haydn Symphonies set right by my CD player  but I still think Leonard Bernstein was a damn fine Haydn conductor and still like to throw on his Paris and London symphonies quite frequently. I also have Fischer, Jochum, Harnoncourt, Colin Davis, Beecham, Karajan and a few others laying around. If I come across one of those sometimes I throw it on but it's usually Dorati or Bernstein.


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## Ukko

Jochum's is the set I have, it's good enough. What's a good HIP set?


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## Vesteralen

Szell - though, unfortunately, he seems to have recorded only the first six. It's amazing to me that a man generally acknowledged to be a martinet could somehow convey the humor of Haydn better than any other conductor I ever heard.


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## HaydnBearstheClock

Vesteralen said:


> Szell - though, unfortunately, he seems to have recorded only the first six. It's amazing to me that a man generally acknowledged to be a martinet could somehow convey the humor of Haydn better than any other conductor I ever heard.


Wait, you didn't mean Szell was HIP, right? As far as I know, these are the symphonies he recorded:









What about Harnoncourt's set? I think his is something of a HIP one.


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## Vesteralen

HaydnBearstheClock said:


> Wait, you didn't mean Szell was HIP, right? As far as I know, these are the symphonies he recorded:
> 
> View attachment 21799
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> 
> QUOTE]
> 
> I think first of my old LP set (which I still have), that included just 93-98. I forgot that this boxed CD set gave us 99 and 104 as well (plus 88, which is not in the "London" set).


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## Ukko

HaydnBearstheClock said:


> [...]
> What about Harnoncourt's set? I think his is something of a HIP one.


I'll see if I can sample that without laying out the big bucks. My experience with Harnoncourt is that he may have dug into the 'Informed' part so intently that he forgot to bring the life of the music with him when he resurfaced.

I have somehow arrived at a condition that requires me to 'look for Savall' when considering HIP. Which is annoying, because his recent recordings are premium-priced.


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## HaydnBearstheClock

I don't think Savall recorded the London symphonies though, but correct me if I'm wrong.


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## anshuman

Try the Adam Fischer set on Brilliant


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## HaydnBearstheClock

anshuman said:


> Try the Adam Fischer set on Brilliant


Strangely, I've heard many negative things about that set - I think Fischer himself said that he wouldn't listen to his own versions, hehe. I've heard the 1st movement from symphony 98 from this set - sounded good, but how can this symphony not? But I'd have to listen more carefully to really compare.


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## Ondine

For the 'London' I got Neville Marriner and Berenstein. I enjoy more Marriner's conduction.


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## StlukesguildOhio

Colin Davis was my introduction to the London Symphonies... and to Haydn... and for years they remained my sole interpretations. Hickox began a promising series of recordings before his untimely death... The same is true of Mackerras' single disc.










Recently I picked up Sir Thomas Beecham's set which I quite love:










I need to look into Szell's recordings as well... considering how good the majority of his recordings are... and how many I have found to be something of a revelation (I immediately think of his Schumann symphonies).

For HIP recordings you might look into Minkowski:


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## StlukesguildOhio

For the 'London' I got Neville Marriner and Berenstein. I enjoy more Marriner's conduction.

Does Marriner conduct the whole London set? I see that there is a collection of name symphonies which include a number from the London symphonies... but not all. I do have his Paris Symphonies.


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## Ukko

HaydnBearstheClock said:


> Strangely, I've heard many negative things about that set - I think Fischer himself said that he wouldn't listen to his own versions, hehe. I've heard the 1st movement from symphony 98 from this set - sounded good, but how can this symphony not? But I'd have to listen more carefully to really compare.


The problem, if there is one, is with the recording sequence; he recorded the late symphonies first. He and his orchestra seemed to get 'into the swing of things' after that.


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## KenOC

I have the Fischer, Davies, and Dorati complete sets of the symphonies. Of the three, Fischer places last per my tastes (but by no means bad).

For the London set, another one to consider is Kuijken, which is quite good. As somebody else mentioned, Bernstein surprised me by how well he does in Haydn. I have 82-88 and the complete Londons with the NYPO.


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## Cheyenne

Beecham, Jochum, Bernstein, Davis, Dorati, Harnoncourt, Kiujken Scherchen and Szell are the best, though the latter two didn't conduct all 12. Walter, Rosbaud, Fricsay, Mackerras and Klemperer have some great ones too. Fischer's last bunch (which indeed he recorded first) are not very good, but as far as the early ones go, he certainly isn't bad; compared to what the Freiburg Barockorkester, Hogwood and Dorati have done in I think he is even one of the finest in those. If you had to choose one, go with Szell (though you would miss three of the greatest, 100, 101, 102 and 103, as well as not having the best performance of 104); if you want them all go with Jochum, if you want period instruments go Kiujken, if you want a period approach with modern instruments go Harnoncourt. The best compromise to me would be Szell or Beecham for the early ones and Jochum or Bernstein for the late ones.. Or treat yourself to Dorati's complete set: a good start for beginning a further exploration. And don't forget to check out Scherchen's Haydn.. You'll be pleasantly surprised (skip 104 though).

Many people like Tate too, but he's not among my favorites.


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## Ondine

StlukesguildOhio said:


> Does Marriner conduct the whole London set? I see that there is a collection of name symphonies which include a number from the London symphonies... but not all. I do have his Paris Symphonies.


I got the 'name' collection. Of the London's set he conducts the ones that are 'named' -six out of twelve- but I feel they sound better than the same conducted by Bernstein.


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## TrevBus

The only one I have is Jochum's on DG. So I guess, that one. It works for me just fine.


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## annie

My two favorites are Davis RCO & Jochum LPO


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## Alydon

I find Davis consistent but love the old Beecham recordings. The most recent recordings which have stuck are Marc Minkowski's (excepting the howler in the 'Surprise's slow movement). I think no set is definitive as you have 12 works which some individual orchestras and conductors are better at than others. As for Bernstein's recordings, I was not impressed at all and sold them on - but it is all down to personal taste.


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## Bill H.

Beecham has a wonderful way with these works, but he used the old bowdlerized editions, which actually leave out some of the nice touches that Haydn put in them. 

I too am a fan of Jochum's set, then perhaps Davis, and the ones that Mackerras did. Dorati has some good ones, if you don't mind the slower tempi than is now fashionable for the menuets. But some of the other ones he did were truly clueless in conveying what Haydn had written. 

For the HIP style I prefer Brueggen, then perhaps Minkowski, but Hogwood did a few of the Londons which are quite energetic. 
HIP orchestras also tend to have timpani that sound like real drums, rather than woolly-sounding muffled bass thumps that sometimes come from the modern orchestras.


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## Vaneyes

I have *ACO/Harnoncourt* now, supplemented with Szell. Past collecting experiences have included Beecham, C. Davis, Tate, Bohm, Fischer.


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