[Kundi]

650 was my classical music headphones for about two years. Great with vocals. But I found the soundstage all wrong for orchestral music. They were also a tad dark/warm for my taste, and the sound was too smooth for its own good IMO. I found that they lacked texture and did not convey that energy and power that I like experiencing. Still, good headphones.

What headphones are you using now for classical music?

 

[Brahmsian]

What headphones are you using now for classical music?

HE 560, and ESP 950 when I want a warmer sound, A good cheap option for classical is the HE 400i. It colors the sound but in quite a pleasant way.

 

[Quinto]

My favorite Haydn symphony..Wanted to order Bruggen's Haydn Sturm und Drang box, but only found one for 750+ euro lol
so ordered the cd of this symphony for starters

 

[CanadianMaestro]

Mozart's own violin is used to record the concertos:
https://www.thestrad.com/lutherie/w...gang-amadeus-mozarts-own-violin/11309.article

 

[Christer]

Mozart's own violin is used to record the concertos:
https://www.thestrad.com/lutherie/w...gang-amadeus-mozarts-own-violin/11309.article

I wonder if it still has orginal gut strings and is tuned to 430 instead of modern tuning?
The most fascinating live concert of Mozart's music I've heard was the Academy of Ancient Music performing with gut strings and tuned to 430. Very warm and a bit darker than the usual and too often harder even steely sounding 440 on metal strings.
I also have cd with them playing Mozart's Clarinet Concerto and his lesser known Oboe Concerto also on orginal instruments.
If HIP approaches to older music are to be taken seriously I am of the opinion one has to go all the way, ie 430 tuning, gut strings throughout and first violins on the left and second on the right.
Unfortunately that is seldom the case.
Cheers CC

 

[Quinto]

 

[CanadianMaestro]

I wonder if it still has orginal gut strings and is tuned to 430 instead of modern tuning?
The most fascinating live concert of Mozart's music I've heard was the Academy of Ancient Music performing with gut strings and tuned to 430. Very warm and a bit darker than the usual and too often harder even steely sounding 440 on metal strings.
I also have cd with them playing Mozart's Clarinet Concerto and his lesser known Oboe Concerto also on orginal instruments.
If HIP approaches to older music are to be taken seriously I am of the opinion one has to go all the way, ie 430 tuning, gut strings throughout and first violins on the left and second on the right.
Unfortunately that is seldom the case.
Cheers CC

I believe he replaced the orig gut strings with new ones.
https://www.thestrad.com/lutherie/w...gang-amadeus-mozarts-own-violin/11309.article

No info in the booklet about tuning to 430. I would hope he did it that way. I asked him on his FB page just now, so wait and hear.


cheers
CM

 

[CanadianMaestro]

Nobody beats Gould for Haydn sonatas.

 

[Quinto]

I dunno, haven't heard them all yet Personally I love this particular Richter live recording more than any Haydn recording I've heard so far

 

[CAJames]

...If HIP approaches to older music are to be taken seriously I am of the opinion one has to go all the way, ie 430 tuning, gut strings throughout and first violins on the left and second on the right.

Nothing wrong with that, but for me I much prefer "historically informed" performances on modern instruments, e.g. what Charles Mackarris does. The old instruments certainly are different, and interesting in their own way, but I'm glad they evolved into their current form. But, especially for Haydn,I'm unrepentant old school. Give me Bernstein, Jochum or Beecham.

Of course there are exceptions. I'm a recovering clarinetist and the Mozart Clarinet Concerto always sounded like a hack on the modern instrument because it didn't play as low as the basset clarinet for which it was composed and certain runs had to jump up an octave in the middle. It sounds much better on a historically accurate instrument. But stuff like gut strings and A 430 aren't my favorite thing on the menu, although I will order them from time to time.

 

[Christer]

Nothing wrong with that, but for me I much prefer "historically informed" performances on modern instruments, e.g. what Charles Mackarris does. The old instruments certainly are different, and interesting in their own way, but I'm glad they evolved into their current form. But, especially for Haydn,I'm unrepentant old school. Give me Bernstein, Jochum or Beecham.

Of course there are exceptions. I'm a recovering clarinetist and the Mozart Clarinet Concerto always sounded like a hack on the modern instrument because it didn't play as low as the basset clarinet for which it was composed and certain runs had to jump up an octave in the middle. It sounds much better on a historically accurate instrument. But stuff like gut strings and A 430 aren't my favorite thing on the menu, although I will order them from time to time.

Oh yes, the recording with the Academy of Ancient Music used the orginal basset clarinet of course.
But I must admit I much prefer Mozart's Piano Concertos on a modern Grand over the fortepiano versions used on some recent recordings.
BIS has released some Mozart Fortepiano pc's as hi res downloads but I quickly tired of them and now listen to Mozart played on Steinways and other Grand pianos.
And I also prefer BIG orchestras over chamber orchestras in general even with classical works like Mozart symphonies.
I much rather listen to Bruno Walter, Böhm or even Karajan in the late Mozart symphonies than the Mackerras Linn Scottish Chamber Orchestra recordings which I find a bit thin and steely non vibrato style and a bit lacking in melodic beauty compared to the old greats.

Imho a good lesson in how to play/ perform and conduct, the heavenly beautiful second movement of his last symphony can be seen and heard in the conducting masterclasses recently given by Ivan Fisher and the Concertgebouw on YT.
And in spite of some current performing preferences I repeat again ,sorry to be a bit repetitive on this subject,according to letters to his father, Mozart really liked hearing his music played by big orchestras, big even by our modern standards in some confirmed cases, and had nothing against vibrato.
As CM quoted Mozart liked a "buttery" warm sound from the violin and a good way to achieve that is gut strings and a bit of vibrato.
"Historically informed" isn't always as informed as it claims to be.

Compromises for economic reasons and simply lack of more musicians ruled more than actual musical preferences I suspect.

Another not much known fact is that to make the period keyboard instruments sound a bit grander then they normally did, Mozart sometimes had special bigger wooden extension boards added to the fortepiano pedals.

He was apparently very interested in the bigger and more sonorous instruments appearing on the market in the 1780s and even used an "incognito" name when trying out new instruments at shops, sometimes using the name "Trazom" instead of Mozart, according to Robbins Landon in his book "Mozart the Golden Years" which I am currently reading.
Cheers CC

 

[CanadianMaestro]

^ That's hilarious, Mozart using (Gnagflow) Trazom as a pseudonym. He always was a creative mischief!
Here's an article on this:
https://www.academia.edu/24134673/G..._Mozarts_script_pastimes_and_nonsense_letters

 

[CanadianMaestro]

Just listened to Bohm's The Seasons, as I got enticed by Quinto's current Haydn orgy.
A really sweet recording, with the magisterial Gundy Janowitz singing soprano. Definitely gives the Karajan recording a run imho.

 

[CAJames]

I'll see your Bohm, and raise you a Bernstein. I just listened to his Creation, his second recording on DG. Talk about magisterial.

 

[CanadianMaestro]

I'll see your Bohm, and raise you a Bernstein. I just listened to his Creation, his second recording on DG. Talk about magisterial.

Pretty good.
Also: McCreesh (English lyrics), Haitink (BavRad, like Bernstein's DG).

Between the two, I still like The Seasons more -- it's secular, and has lots of glorious choral/solo/combo singing.