Haydn: 'London' Symphonies Nos. 93- 99 (Royal Edition, No. 34)
Haydn offers more sheer fun per minute than any other composer. What keeps him from  being as popular as Mozart or Beethoven is simply that our entire classical music culture-- composers, performers, listeners, and critics--takes itself much too seriously. So when a real  musical comedian like Haydn comes along, he's dismissed as "superficial." Now Leonard Bernstein  was a brilliant musical comedian, too--just think ofOn the TownorCandide, so it's  no surprise that his Haydn performances are among the best things he ever did. Just try the finale to  Symphony No. 99 and see if it doesn't make you feel good. That's what this music is all about, and  it's a pity that so many in this business can't seem to remember that. Bernstein, for one, never  forgot.--David Hurwitz