This reissued material
(formerly on ASV) offers generally very
enjoyable performances of some marvellous
music, in decent if unremarkable sound.
Glover’s conducting
emphasises the intellectual substance
of much of this music rather than its
superficial elegance and these are persuasive
readings. No. 80, not especially well-known,
is remarkable for the way in which its
dramatic and troubled opening suddenly
melts away into a pleasant quasi-waltz
of a second subject. Glover brings off
the effect well. The finale is well-handled
too, as its hesitant opening evolves
into an affirmative but thoughtful conclusion.
No. 87 is one of the
six so-called Paris symphonies (Nos.
82-87), commissioned by the Masonic
organisation of the Concert de la Loge
Olympique; three of them are recorded
here. No. 87 has attracted less attention
than some of its fellows, though it
is a fascinating work. The bass and
bassoon quavers in the first subject
of the vivace first movement
are well played, as are the flute and
oboe solos in the beautifully singing
andante which follows. The oboist
again acquits him/herself well in the
third-movement trio, and the finale,
again marked vivace, is convincingly
untroubled. The first CD closes with
No. 89, in which the bassoon solos of
the first movement are played with appropriate
charm - as Robbins Landon suggests,
this symphony retains more of the rococo
than much of Haydn’s music of this period.
Conductor and orchestra do justice to
the finale’s energy and the distinctive
effect of the passages marked strascinando
(dragging).
No. 83, ‘La Poule’
opens the second CD. Glover and her
forces obviously enjoy and very effectively
communicate the abrupt transitions of
mood and the delightful humour of the
first movement. In the andante
the flutes and the horns are sure-footed
and the bucolic dance of the menuet
is well characterised. The striking
and complex finale works pretty well,
though a slightly more transparent sound
quality would have helped. No. 84, like
No. 87, has been partially overshadowed
by some its Parisian fellows, but has
much to offer. The opening movement
is a joy, with a beautiful opening largo
and a radiantly witty allegro
to follow. The variations of the second
movement are delightful and the formal
wit of the finale is Haydn at something
like his best.
It was of the slow
movement of No.88 that Brahms is said
to have observed "I want my Ninth
Symphony to sound like that" and
there is an expansiveness to its performance
here that might reasonably be described
as Brahmsian. This is one of Haydn’s
greatest symphonic slow movements and
this performance makes its case persuasively.
There is a slightly excessive politeness
to the rustic menuetto, though,
and the finale isn’t, I think, quite
as well-shaped and balanced as much
of the playing on these discs.
In general, though,
these are very recommendable recordings.
Glover’s understanding of the music
is clear, and all sections of the London
Mozart Players are thoroughly competent.
These are not, it has to be said, performances
which have the energy and textual clarity
of, say, Sigiswald Kuijken and La Petite
Bande or the startling vivacity of Harnoncourt
and Concentus Musicus Wien, but in an
older style of Haydn performance they
deserve an honourable place.
Glyn Pursglove
London Mozart Players/Jane Glover 
