rowuk

Abbedd,
yes I did listen to the Debussy and it was better than the Haydn.

When I listen to historic performances, I compare other recordings of the period to see if certain aspects are common, or unique to that player. In this case, I pulled out some of my old records:
Pablo Casals plays Bach - excellent rhythm and line
David Oistrach - excellent rhythm and line
Artur Rubinstein - excellent rhythm and line
Longinotti - not my cup of tea.

So maybe it is only the trumpet world? I don't have a whole lot of classical trumpet from the late 50s BUT from the early 60s:
Heinz Zickler - excellent rhythm and line
Armondo Ghitalla - excellent rhythm and line
Rafael Mendez - excellent rhythm and line - well not exactly classical, but a very rhythmic Haydn with spanish flea cadenza - one of my favorites!!

I know that it is not fair to compare personalities or style, but there is no excuse for miserable rhythm from any player.To be fair, many of the recordings back then were on VERY short notice, not allowing for medium to long term preparation.

I will make an effort to find some Suisse Romande recordings from that period though. It would be interesting to hear some "standard" orchestral stuff.

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Whenever I feel blue, I start breathing again.