We're nearing the close of the bicentennial for Haydn's death and the Prof hasn't gone a rant about the beloved Papa Franzjosef...yet. Today comes the news of the passing of the great musicologist who rescued most of Haydn from oblivion in the last third of the twentieth century.Read the NYTimes obit for an account of an unusual man.
The Prof is something of a fanatic about Haydn, especially his string quartets. He has been obsessing this morning on the neglected three quartets of Op. 54, checking out recordings by the Tatrai, Angeles, Festetics, and Amadeus Quartets. (He desperately wants to hear the Salomon version again, but doesn't know where he put it a few days ago!) The Lindsays are closing in on the Prof's faves in this work, the Pro Arte quartet, whose version is still fresh, exciting, and, in the slow movements, meltingly lovely nearly eight decades on.
More on Haydn recordings and the Mendelssohn bicentennial in posts to come. And the dawning of the Chopin and Schumann bicentennial is only weeks away...
(Below--a photo of the Pro Arte Quartet.)
It's almost turkey time, cats and kittenheads, but the Prof is pausing long enough to update as he turns to North African guitar-slingers. New updates and more catching up ahead, especially with Afro-pop popping out all over. Before he heads out the door to visit folks and friends, the Prof may also post about a new flick. Stay tuned.
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