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| Philips (Full price) (LP) 422 240-1PH; (Cassette) 422 240-4PH; (CD) 422 240-2PH (60 minutes: DDD). Recorded at performances in The Netherlands in March and November 1987. |
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Frans Brdggen and his Orchestra of the Eighteenth Century follow their largely successful Philips recording of Haydn's Symphonies Nos. 90 and 93 with No. 101, The Clock and No. 103, Drum Roll. The Clock, whose sub-title, unlike many, was roughly contemporaneous with its composition in 1794, is the third of four "London" or Salomon symphonies in D major. Haydn wrote it for his second London visit which began in February 1794. Bruggen and his orchestra are just the people to bring to life aspects of the work which are sometimes underplayed or simply not recognized; I mean, for example, Haydn's subtly coloured orchestration notably on display in the work's second movement Andante and third movement Trio. Perhaps for the first time in my life I could hear the delicate balance between strings and timpani in the Menuet, and in the ticking Andante the woodwind texture penetrates that of the strings with delicate restraint. Various size timepieces are at work in this captivating movement, a blend of variation and rondo forms, and its humour, highlighted by Haydn's chameleon-like orchestration, is not lost on these players. Almost exceptionally for an orchestra made up of period instruments I felt that the wind playing had the edge on that of the strings. Some of the string entries in the opening Adagio, another unusual feature of this highly original symphony, sounded a shade hesitant and, consequently, untidy; but it settles down in the ensuing Presto and thereafter the section goes from strength to strength.
Haydn completed his Symphony in E flat, No. 103, in 1795, "the twelfth I have composed in England", he wrote on its title page. Its opening bars, introduced by a long unaccompanied drum roll, are even more striking than those of The Clock and we could be forgiven for momentarily believing the work to be rather later in time than it is. Bruggen brings the music to life admirably capturing both the grandeur and sparkle of the opening movement. As in the other symphony, the woodwind penetrate the string texture very effectively; this is particularly rewarding in the Andante piu tosto allegretto, where flutes, oboes and bassoons have to provide colours of great delicacy. Bruggen's acute rhythmic sense brings great rewards to these performances and Haydn certainly gives his interpreters plenty to think about in this direction. Once again I detected weak passages in the string playing but they are not sufficient seriously to detract from what in other respects are fine performances. In some of Bruggen's previous recordings for Philips I have not always enjoyed the recorded sound. This is not the case here even though, like other Bruggen discs, it was recorded at concert performances. A rewarding issue which I shall want to hear many times over.
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