Schubert and Haydn as played by Helene Boschi

A great find here. Schubert and Haydn sonatas played by the virtually unknown Swiss-French pianist Helene Boschi.  Released on the Artia label in monaural sound, I would guess these records were made about the time of Mademoiselle Boschi's frequent appearances in Prague during the mid 50's.

I was introduced to Boschi via a transfer made of the 22nd piano concerto of Mozart by Rolf Otterhouse. Otterhouse is one of the masterminds behind the European Archive, a superb collection of records from a bygone time. His transfer of the Mozart can be found on his  blog. It is an excellent performance, well balanced with tempos immaculately judged and orchestral support just about perfect. A true collaboration this record.

Here, Boschi works her magic in a solo setting. The results are impressive indeed. Not only does she have the "chops' but her musical judgement rates as pure and genuine. I don't know what to say other then she seems to be able to get under the skin of the music and produce results that are true to Schubert and Haydn respectively. You will wonder and ask, "why don't I know this woman?"

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Trumpet, Flute and Horn Concerti of Haydn conducted by Fritz Lehan

Posting again from a very warm Bulgaria, here's a nice mono Mace lp of Haydn wind concerti featuring the Consortium Musicum with Fritz Lehan leading soloists Helmut Schneidewind on trumpet, Valerie Noack on flute and Erich Penzel playing horn. These recordings date from the early 60's.

I enjoy this simple and honest way with Haydn. In particular, I've heard a lot of recordings of the trumpet concerto and enjoy very few of them, usually because of excessive brightness in tone and technical displays that jar the overall ebb and flow of the writing. I'm happy to say that Schneidewind plays warmly and collaborates with the members of the Consortium Musicum in a concertante style which I attribute to Lehan's firm leadership and a partnership of intrepretive ideas.

On my vacation: Here in Bulgaria, we spent several days in Sandanski, a spa town of sorts close to the Greek border and the reputed home of Spartacus, the "Thracian barbarian" who led a great slave revolt in the last days of the Roman Republic. In the days of Communist Bulgaria, the leaders played up the Spartacus connection as one of the first great "proletarian" uprisings. From Sandanski, the important and impressive historical sites of Rila Monastery, Melnik, and Rozhen Monastery are within easy distance. While in Sandanski, we took a brief trip to Rupite, the final resting place of Baba Vanga, a mystic who combined prophetic insights with Orthodox Christian teachings. Some consider her a saint and on her grave was an icon of her with a saint's halo. In Melnik, the famed caves hold barrels of rich red wine that is definitely the drink of the gods. We will be traveling for a few nights to Hisar, which is an ancient spa town with waters possessing curing powers  for a whole host of diseases and ailments....not that I have any ailments at this time..or that I know of! Bulgaria is an amazing country, with great beauty, variety and a rich history. Also, I will mention that the fruits and vegetables here are the best, simply delicious, a treat for the eyes and the tongue!

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Karl Haas dishes up music of Boccherini and the Haydn Brothers

Last year, I offered Scherchen's recording of Bach's "A Musical Offering" in the Vuataz edition. I tacked on, as a filler, the Brandenburg Concerto No 5 conducted by Karl Haas. Here's some more Karl Haas leading short works of the Haydn Brothers and Boccherini.

A lot of people confuse the conductor/musicologist Karl Haas with the longtime American radio personality Karl Haas. Both, of course were German immigrants to the UK and USA respectively, and both received similiar musical training in their native German. Importantly, both left their native Germany as a result of war and the racial policies of the Nazi regime. However, the "British" Haas, having already established himself as a conductor and musical director in Germany, chose to do the same in the UK while the "American" Haas developed his abilities in mass communications to become the most listened to, and revered, classical music radio host in the United States, for well over a quarter century.

Karl Haas the conductor upon arriving on British shores, founded his London Baroque Ensemble, an orchestra that was dedicated to presenting, reviving, and disseminating works from the 17th and 18th centuries, to the wide general public. Haas led this ensemble until shortly before his death - very much a personal creation, it dissolved after his activity with it ended. He was an innovator whose influence on a whole generation of British musicians cannot be underestimated. After all, the UK is really the epicenter of period performance as we know it today.

Haas's recording here, along with others, display a fidelity to the score and an attempt to be faithful to practices that would have been common to the time in which the music was written. We have then, music that is presented as it was written, with almost a total absence of emotion and personal indulgence. In other words, very refreshing and quite astonishing for the early 50's when the tendency was to offer this music with fuller orchestra and modifications suited for the 20th century palette.

I hope to offer more Haas in the future.I especially want to acquire the full Brandenburg set and transfer that since the 5th left me with a strong opinion of the correctness of the Haas approach.

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