The recordings of Haydn 's Max Goberman had boasted by the former discographies, but alas they were stranded since the 60s and have access was despaired under normal conditions.
The instructions in this kit gives some reasons. Max Goberman founded his own record label, the Library of Recorded Masterpieces, particularly to engage in the project of a complete symphonies of Joseph Haydn, who would be available by subscription in pouches that include orchestral scores, very bold project for the times. He entrepreneurship, business sense and should be an excellent organizer: very young, he had founded an orchestra, the New York Sinfonietta, especially to defend the Baroque repertoire at the time too often played by disproportionately large orchestras; not this orchestra he had chosen for his integral, but the Orchestra of the Vienna State Opera in reduced formation, whose members come, as we know, the Vienna Philharmonic; this choice is probably due in part because the dollar exchange rate resulted in lower business costs.
The project was obviously not profitable, but Max Goberman, who had chosen a lucrative career in 1944 to direct on Broadway musicals and other easy music (which explains in particular that has hardly recorded classical music) made his fortune the most generous use which is, by bridging the gap for the integral can continue. Alas, death, heart attack occurred December 31, 1962, did not allow him to complete his task. After three years, 45 symphonies and 3 openings were recorded. The majority of early symphonies are there (on the first 27, only 18 and 25 are not), but high maturity of Haydn, there is the 92 "Oxford", the 96 "Miracle" and 98.
But the story does not end there. The symphonies were recorded on three tracks. Columbia, which had bought the catalog, has reissued some of the symphonies of 2 channels by blowing up the center track, and sound imbalance had not contributed to the success. To understand this, we must not be content with the instructions of Sony, excellent (and translated) but drowns the fish on the responsibility of its predecessors, and go see the The Haydn House site. Due to various losses, Sony had to use either the master tapes at three tracks, those two tracks (so truncated) of LPs CBS or microgrooves in good condition at the Library of Recorded Masterpieces. In short, if the orchestra is excellent, the sound quality is variable, despite the original recording was to be without defects. For example, 27 symphonies and 34, which are part of the 5 works as The Haydn House has not released, heard a sound quality inferior to that of neighboring symphonies, as if there were grains of dust.
Sony has placed the symphonies in numerical order, so that the box ends with the symphonies No. 107 and 108, which now known as "A" and "B", which are youth symphonies; the openings are placed in no particular order. A fault is that the symphonies 6-8, Le Matin, Le Midi, Le Soir, which form a ring, are on two different drives, 2 and 3, when it would have been enough to replace the opening Symphony No. 5 of the CD 1, which was possible in order to have these three symphonies assembly (and there was enough minutes to complete the CD through the opening 2).
Remains essentially the quality of the interpretation, still very high level, with excellent qualities of construction and control of transitions; the resulting sound does not sacrifice the winds to strings, accompaniments to the melody line. Compared to most known integrals, Goberman generally seems higher than the median in Doráti symphonies, but this is not the case in youth symphonies, numerous here, where air and invigorating lightness Doráti wonders; Goberman often refuses to surrender to the mood of many movements, it processes a bit in the second degree, conjuring mystery and questioning, as if to compensate; to his credit, faster minuets in general, even if the other movements seem slower, still in the set. In the case of Adam Fischer, the symphonies that he has registered at the beginning of his recording of the complete, around 1990, are probably less than those led by Goberman; but for those registered later, around 2000, they liveliness, lightness and speed, acquired by listening to baroque musicians, which can make them prefer the more traditional Goberman (which however had a will of authenticity and used editing HC Robbins Landon). I have not compared with interpreters too far from the aesthetics of a conductor of the early 60s, even ahead of its time and I could not make systematic comparison.
I'll take a few examples. First, the first two movements of the 48 "Maria Theresa". After the initial passage marked by the horns, there is a feeling of acceleration, march forward, something that gives the impression of making and a robust virility, although haydnienne quality. The atmosphere of the slow movement is involved. There is a lot of clarity, also favored by the continuo harpsichord, an admirable development of contrasts.
The comparison with David Blum for 60 "It Distratto" might seem perilous. Yet Goberman is full of warmth, grace and poetry in the dolce passages and slow movements. And what fire Allegro di molto in! The Andante plays most of the picturesque with the delicate Blum. For humor, we do not always find at the same time. The passage of Finale where the instruments agree lack of comic, but in the previous movement, Goberman excels to gradually feel that the speech tends to get lost. And these bands that lead nowhere, ideally processed (same movement)!
There is also an excellent 55 "Der Schulmeister," marked by clarity, decisiveness, elegance and finesse Allegro di molto in. The Adagio is slow, but has a poetic and mysterious character (something often found, and complete clarity, authority, virility in many passages).
In Tageszeiten die (6, 7 and 8), intermediate Goberman appears in temperament between the rugged robustness Herbig and fine elegance, somewhat androgynous to Boettcher. It does not reach quite the success of these two absolute references (at least, for the versions on modern instruments), especially because a certain slowness removes a lot of vivacity and fire speech. The minuet is of 8 to hear the winds (it is a quality of the semi-integral); the trio is full of tenderness, but perhaps the sentimental approach that can avoid the aristocratic Boettcher.
For the three symphonies of maturity, 92, 96 and 98, the most successful is the 92, marked by the variety, the absence of routine; Adagio is slow, as often, but full of generosity, warmth, interiority. As often, the Finale, for its speed and power from the beginning, his walking aspects forward, of joyful anticipation, although announces conclusive character (we find this trend in the final of many symphonies).
For 98 Goberman does not choose the size and almost austere voltage Szell and Jochum-Berlin (version in full as a supplement), he plays on flexibility, contrasts, perhaps in excess; Adagio, associated with the death of Mozart, is taken very slowly, which helps grieving his character, while Jochum gives it greater objectivity; after listening to the entire symphony, we keep printing the domination of details and moments on the set. The variety, which complements the authority is one of the characters in this box, but in other works, it probably works better. The harpsichord solo is placed too close up the mix.
