Haydn Symphonies Nos 99 101 Danishchamberorchestra Adam Fischer

Sir Charles Mackerras is one of the world's finest conductors. It's probably safe to say that he has never made a bad record, and his performances of music of the classical period, in particular, are always full of sparkle and excitement. Here, aided by some very polished and lively playing from the Orchestra of St. Luke's, he turns in super performances of two of Haydn's greatest symphonies. The Clock takes its name from the slow movement, which features a ticktock accompaniment to a graceful tune that rapidly evolves into one of Haydn's wittiest inspirations. The London symphony was the last of the twelve that Haydn wrote for his two visits to the English capital in the 1790s. This is wonderful music with great sound.

When you compose more than 100 symphonies, all of them good, it's only natural that the public will find ways to identify the ones they like the most. These symphonies with nicknames are not necessarily better than those without, but they do give an excellent overview of Haydn's unsurpassed achievement as a symphonist.

Haydn's Symphony No. 31 is known as the "Hornsignal" from its prominent horn parts in the first and last movements. Written in anticipation of palace-warming festivities at the Eszterháza estate, the symphony has a celebratory air in its bold fanfares and hunting calls. Haydn's originality is evident not only in his clever motivic development of these ideas, but also in his placement of the horn pairs at a distance from each other. Haydn's experimentation was unusual for its time, but it shows some of the freedom he enjoyed as Prince Nicholas' court composer.

This recording, made in 1991, dates from what was perhaps the heyday of the English Chamber Orchestra (although the group's vigorous activities remain undiminished). The ECO, with origins as a conductorless Baroque orchestra, functioned smoothly as an ensemble, with a restrained sound and a high level of mutual sensitivity among the players. In these late Haydn symphonies, that translated into readings that were exceptionally effective in bringing out the humorous details and asides, the extensions of phrases so that they end with a wink or a joke, that are the essence of late Haydn. The orchestra is probably about the size of the one Haydn had at his disposal in London.

Charles Mackerras doesn’t put a foot wrong anywhere. The “Military” Symphony features sprightly tempos in its outer movements, with percussion that’s exciting but never vulgar in the famous Allegretto. In addition to one of the best-ever accounts of its slow movement, the “Drumroll” offers Haydn’s original thoughts on the finale, with its surprising modulations in the closing pages. Fabulous playing, informative booklet notes, and superb sound cap a release that deserves far more acclaim that it has received to date. There’s no point in enumerating the disc’s virtues any further: listen and enjoy them for yourself. You can do “different”, but you can’t do better.

This two discs dedicated to the great Paris Symphonies that Haydn composed for Count D'Ogny in the mid-1780s. These were designed for a large and talented ensemble, and the atmospheric, clear and balanced sound achieved by the recording engineers allows for plenty of impact whenever it is required.

It would be a sad day if Haydn and Mozart symphonies were only to be heard on period instruments, but with Sir Georg Solti and Sir Colin Davis jointly perpetuating the tradition of Haydn performances which Beecham created in the 78rpm era, with its combination of elegance and warm humanity, we need have no fears on this score.

Accademia Bizantina under Ottavio Dantone are releasing a new album of Haydn Symphonies, Nos. 78-81. It is the first time Symphonies No.79 and 81 have been recorded on period instruments. This little-known quartet of Haydn symphonies 78-81 date from the years 1782-1784 when Haydn still served as kapellmeister to the Esterhazy family in their spectacular summer and winter palaces in Esterháza (present day Hungary) and Eisenstadt (Austria) where the music was first performed. These four symphonies have been specially recorded for the upcoming 36-CD set of Complete Haydn Symphonies, to be released later this year. It will be the first Haydn symphony cycle on period instruments.