The Haydn year has been celebrated with a slew of recordings - some new but also many repackagings of classics from bygone decades. One of the most welcome reissues is the set of Haydn’s complete symphonies by the Philharmonia Hungarica under conductor Antal Dorati, released earlier this year by Decca. Comprising all 104 numbered symphonies, plus two works of indeterminate date and the Sinfonia Concertante, these recordings have been summits of Haydn interpretation since they began appearing in the 1970s.
The complete set runs to 33 CDs, and just contemplating the chunky box in which they’re housed induces an apprehensive sense of the magnitude of Haydn’s achievement. The way to stave off this feeling is to dip into these recordings at random, rather than starting at Symphony No. 1 and ending with No. 104. It’s especially instructive for listeners familiar only with the last 23 symphonies, including those written for performance in Paris (Nos. 82-87) and for Haydn’s journeys to London (Nos. 93-104). While it’s true that not every one is a masterpiece on the level of those mature symphonies, a few weeks with this set provided a pleasant reminder of the treasures that are sprinkled throughout Haydn’s symphonic corpus.
There are gemlike moments everywhere: the finale of Symphony No. 60, its headlong energy interrupted by the sounds of strings retuning on stage; the hushed lyricism of the slow movement of No. 43; the broad, emphatic opening of No. 13, sounding like a precursor of early Beethoven; the unusual complexity of No. 54’s slow movement, which bears an uncanny resemblance to Mozart’s famous G-minor symphony. Additional revelations abound, and there is something of interest in every work.
Dorati conducts everything with a keen understanding of the intertwining grandeur and humor of Haydn’s style.
