I’ll be reviewing the Haydn piano trios here, and the following two reviews will go over the Schubert and Shostakovich trios by the same group. All of the performances are superbly done,with a delicacy and interpretive style that conveys a richness to the pieces that are hard to not notice. The Haydn piano trios are a “must hear” set. This is a lengthy set as one would expect with Haydn, but gives an opportunity to see the progression of composition style of Haydn. The first trios of a young Haydn are attractive but slightly pedantic, with a sense of predictability, but the later trios truly reflect the genius of Haydn. It is possible that the interaction with Mozart, especially with the novel compositional style of the Mozart Haydn quartets, triggered the most delightful and mature Haydn to compose as he did. With the superlative performances of the Beaux Arts trio, this is a set that should be in every classical collection.

Die Schöpfung, Conducted by von Karajan ?????

This review is in conjunction with the review of the same piece conducted by Bernstein. While Bernstein offers a rather operatic approach to this Oratorio, Karajan offers a gentler, more pastoral rendering. The performance and recording is impeccable, the sound coming across with clarity and vibrancy in both pieces. Karajan manages to arrive at the soul of this piece in a better manner than Bernstein. This is a strange comment, since Karajan is usually accused as performing too much to the camera. Yet, I see Bernstein as the more flamboyant conductor, when viewed on video. This flamboyancy comes through in the sound of the performance. This is my preferred performance of Die Schöpfung, even though I would give both pieces 5 stars. This piece is a perfect example as to why it is important to listen to the same piece by differing conductors, as the performance is distinctly different in each case.

Die Schöpfung, by Franz Haydn, performed by Leonard Bernstein and Bayerischen Rundfunks ?????

I review this recording in conjunction with Herbert von Karajan,s version of the same oratorio. Both are excellent, though both are completeley different. Both command the best of the best soloists, this version using Judith Blegen, Thomas Moser, Kurt Moll, Lucia Pop, etc. In both, the sound is superb. Bernstein’s performance has a more aggressive, forward feel to it. It is conducted as though he were conducting an opera. It is always lively, with a sense of sprint to the pieces including the various solists pieces. This is a performance of Haydn’s oratorio that is much worth having. See critic above…