Haydn - Symphonies 92 & 93, 97-99 - Sir Colin Davis - LSO Live 2SACD LSO0702 (2014) 2x SACD rip via PS3 to 2x iso (7.47GB) | 24bit/88.2kHz flac | Mch (5.18GB) (+6dB gain) | 2ch (2.27GB) DR14 (+6dB gain) | Classical As previous Davis at LSO have been recorded in DSD, then I imagine this is also a DSD recording. ------------------------------------------------------------------ SA-CD.net review by Castor July 15, 2014: This 2-disc set of Haydn Symphonies is a fitting memorial to the late Sir Colin Davis & his championship of a composer most dear to his heart. During his long career he recorded all 5 of the works presented here in the 1970s & 80s with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, & his distinguished complete set of the 12 'London' Symphonies (Nos. 93-104) has been justifiably celebrated for over 40 years as 1 of the great glories of the gramophone. Tantalisingly though, only 1 of those marvellous Concertgebouw performances, that of Symphony 99 in E flat, was recorded quadraphonically & has since appeared on the PENTATONE RQR series /showreviews/2899#2629 in excellent 4.0 Mch sound. Sir Colin's accounts of Symphonies 92 'Oxford', 93 & 97-99 with the LSO were recorded live in concerts given in the Barbican between May 2010 & June 2011 (the same series of concerts, incidentally, at which Davis's powerful Nielsen Symphony cycle was also recorded). These are big-boned performances that reflect both Davis's life-long experience conducting these pieces & his uncompromising & well-documented views on period performance. The latter he has described as “unspeakable”; full of theoretical dogma & lacking in emotional content. Those with no vestige of sympathy for Sir Colin's views need read no further. Though none of these LSO performances can be considered as a clear replacement for Davis's earlier recordings of these works, they do at times reveal an even greater sense of drama & a gravitas that often moves them closer to the world of Beethoven & Mozart's final symphonic outpourings. In general minuets are robust & muscular whilst the outer movements are leisurely & delivered with affection & grace, though sometimes with a lack of sparkle & urgency. It is perhaps in the slow movements that Davis is at his finest where he brings a noble breadth of utterance to some of Haydn's most sublime creations. The LSO respond throughout with their usual commitment to their Principal Conductor, & fortunately, on this occasion, the often unsympathetic Barbican acoustic does allow the wind solos, trumpets & timpani to register clearly in addition to a few of Sir Colin's vocalisations. It would be all too easy for some to dismiss these performances as overblown & hopelessly old-fashioned, but to do so would be to ignore the magisterial grandeur, elegance, & humanity that Davis brings to these life-enhancing works. As an adjunct to Davis's earlier Haydn recordings these characterful performances are certainly worth considering. AllMusic: The London Symphonies of Franz Joseph Haydn were composed for impresario Johann Peter Salomon, who introduced the composer to London over 2 visits between 1791 & 1795. Except for the Symphony #92 in G major, "Oxford," which Haydn took with him when he received an honorary doctorate at Oxford University in 1791, & the Symphony #99 in E flat major, which was composed on a return to Vienna in 1793, the symphonies between them were written for Salomon's 1st series of concerts at Hanover Square, which brought Haydn great recognition & remuneration. They mark a change of direction in Haydn's method of composition, because he was no longer writing for the small court orchestra of Prince Nikolaus Esterházy, but for Salomon's much larger orchestra, which called for robust & innovative music. This double-SACD set from LSO Live presents Colin Davis with the London Symphony Orchestra in bold & vigorous concert performances that offer extraordinary sonorities in the spacious Mch recording. The orchestra's playing is vibrant & energetic, & the radiant acoustics of the Barbican give the symphonies the warmth & richness that they need. For mainstream interpretations on modern instruments, this package is sure to satisfy all but the most adamant period-style purists. However, note that this set does not include the Symphony #94 in G major, "Surprise"; the Symphony #95 in C minor; or the Symphony #96 in D major, "Miracle," which may be a drawback for some collectors. Tracks: Disc 1 01-Symphony No 92: i. Adagio - Allegro spiritoso 02-Symphony No 92: ii. Adagio cantabile 03-Symphony No 92: iii. Menuetto: Allegretto 04-Symphony No 92: iv. Presto 05-Symphony No 93: i. Adagio - Allegro assai 06-Symphony No 93: ii. Largo cantabile 07-Symphony No 93: iii. Menuetto: Allegro 08-Symphony No 93: iv. Finale: Presto ma non troppo 09-Symphony No 97: i. Adagio - Allegro assai 10-Symphony No 97: ii. Adagio ma non troppo 11-Symphony No 97: iii. Menuetto e Trio: Allegretto 12-Symphony No 97: iv. Finale: Presto assai Disc 2 01-Symphony No 98: i. Adagio - Allegro 02-Symphony No 98: ii. Adagio 03-Symphony No 98: iii. Menuetto: Presto 04-Symphony No 98: iv. Finale: Presto 05-Symphony No 99: i. Adagio - Vivace assai 06-Symphony No 99: ii. Adagio 07-Symphony No 99: iii. Menuetto e Trio: Allegretto 08-Symphony No 99: iv. Finale: Vivace Time: 132:54 Musicians: Sir Colin Davis, Conductor London Symphony Orchestra Recorded May 2010, May, June, October & December 2011 at the Barbican, London. ** zebedee ** http://www.filefactory.com/folder/f74c801521b771ac ------------------------------------------------------------------ Checksums for 2x iso: 1ea9d1d36711e74a35de0088c7b47fa3 *Disc_1.iso 4cbd69be24d1f043779f47a6bc484c9d *Sir Colin Davis, LSO - HAYDN Symphonies Nos 92 & 93, 97-99.iso