HAYDN SEEK

posted by James Reel

I have managed, Sgt. Bilko-like, to work out a scheme that will enable me to target specific CDs for addition to the KUAT-FM library, despite the statewide Legislature-induced budgetary disaster. We have 6248 active items in the classical library already, so you’d think all the standard repertory would be well represented by now, but not so. Recently, I’ve been filling a lot of Haydn gaps.

Somehow, we’ve limped along for 20 years with only one set of Haydn’s “Paris” symphonies, which are among his most popular works. Appallingly, that single set was not Leonard Bernstein’s New York Philharmonic series, the best place for anybody to start exploring Haydn’s symphonies. So one of the first things I did was acquire Sony’s boxed collection of all of Bernstein’s New York Haydn recordings: the “Paris” symphonies, the “London” symphonies, a few major Masses and “The Creation.” Most of these stand among the finest recordings by anyone of anything by Haydn, and now you’ll be able to hear them on the air from time to time.

The biggest gap in our Haydn collection for many years has been the piano trios. Until a couple of years ago, we didn’t even have a single version of the popular “Gypsy Rondo” trio. Right now, I’m taking care of that by cataloguing the splendid 1970s nine-CD traversal of all Haydn’s trios by the Beaux Arts Trio. By no means are these all significant works, but they are all at the very least pleasant, and about half a dozen of them are essential listening for anybody who wants to learn the basics of chamber music and be highly entertained at the same time. These will start slipping into the schedule next month.

I’ve also acquired the Angeles Quartet’s survey of all Haydn’s string quartets—which are already fairly well represented in our library, but not completely—and Antal Dorati’s classic traversal of all 104-plus Haydn symphonies. But I won’t have time to get those into the database in time for March scheduling.

But it isn’t all Haydn all the time; I’m also trying to establish better representation of significant artists who for some reason are largely absent from our library, starting with two colorful and controversial conductors: Constantin Silvestri and Leopold Stokowski. Brace yourselves.