Thomas Fey and Papa Joe step out

April 27, 10:18 AMSF Classical Music ExaminerScott Foglesong

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It would seem that most attempts to record the complete Haydn symphonies have been doomed to failure. Only a chosen few have made it to the finish line; the remainder grace the catalogs but stand sadly incomplete -- Goodman/Hanover Band, Hogwood/Academy of Ancient Music, Solomons/L'estro harmonico. I've never been clear whether Bruno Weil and Tafelmusik intended a complete set, but at any rate, theirs is a partial offering. On the completist side of the scale, Adam Fisher pulled it off, as did Antal Dorati, as did Naxos by employing a mix of conductors and orchestras.

A worthy contender has stepped up to the plate in the form of Thomas Fey leading the Heidelberg Sinfoniker. Fey, originally a student of Harnoncourt, began a complete Haydn symphonies cycle in 1999, put it on hold, then recently resumed it. At this point the set has reached Volume 11, encompassing 31 symphonies. (Two of the symphonies -- Nos. 45 and 64 -- feature the Schlierbacher Kammerorchester rather than the Heidelberg; I'm not altogether clear whether or not these should be included, but for now I have counted them in with the others.)

That comprises a solid stack of recordings, but Haydn's fecundity guarantees that a "complete" symphonies project will be obliged to scale a musical Everest: Fey and the Heidelbergers have 76 symphonies yet to go. At an average of three per volume -- perhaps four when they get to the earlier symphonies -- I estimate approximately 20 volumes yet remaining. Incidentally, I'm estimating based on a total of 107 symphonies, although the official numbering goes up to 108. (One of the post-104 symphonies turns out to be less symphonic than formerly thought.) A lot could happen on the way to the finish line, but let's hope that the journey meets with success.

The Fey/Heidelberg performances eschew Papa Haydn the Daintily Bewigged and embrace a Papa Joe of testosterone-enhanced vigor, a creator of staggering originality and inventiveness whose symphonies combine splendidly logical construction with forthright energy and instant surface appeal. That such an approach would appeal mightily to me almost goes without saying: I have long preached a gospel of Haydn Invictus to my students at the SF Conservatory and UC Berkeley. No twee Enlightenment fop, he; Papa Joe's creative force stood second to none, ditto his rigorous craftsmanship. Few composers combined compositional skill, melodic and harmonic inventiveness, and sheer spirit with such robust mental health.

Fey keeps that emotional integrity fully on display in these recordings. The precious is avoided, the energetic is embraced, and at no time does he (or the orchestra) show the slightest hesitation to take an expressive stance about a particular passage. Dynamic and tempo changes abound, whether notated or not; unexpected yet refreshing rubati enliven important structural articulation points; when present, the brass and timpani let 'er rip without that sad constipation characteristic of stylistically inhibited approaches.

Christopher Hogwood's projected but never completed Haydn symphonies set was in my opinion hamstrung by too reverent an approach, too much scholarship and not enough juice. A certain enmity towards anything smacking of the unseemingly was apparent. The resulting albums made much better reading (i.e., James Webster's liner notes) than listening.

No such squeamishness infects Fey and the Heidelbergers. They go for it with gusto, joy, tenderness, freedom, and downright rowdiness when appropriate -- and it's a rare Haydn symphony that doesn't offer at least a few opportunities for a happy, rambunctious scrap. As a result, they electrify even the maligned Symphony No. 69 (Laudon) into a infectious romp, while in a "big" Haydn movement (such as the finale of No. 86) they fire it up enough to melt the paint off the walls, trumpets spitting out offbeat accents while the drums thwack it out for all they're worth.

The Fey/Heidelberger Haydn recordings are on Hänssler Classic, making them full-price items (around $20 per) in CD format, but you can find them online at iTunes, ClassicsOnline, or Amazon as less-expensive downloads (although downloading does necessitate a bit of compromise on sound quality, unless you can find lossless formats.)

Volume 1 (left) and 11 (right)

This link will take you to ArkivMusic's listing; this one will get you Amazon's offerings. A search for "fey Haydn" on ClassicsOnline will bring up the albums in mp3 format; the same strategy at the iTunes Store (be sure to click "See All" in the right-hand corner) will take you to the albums in AAC format.