London Symphonies 2
It's surely no coincidence that Haydn's nicknamed symphonies are the most regularly played and recorded. Haydn the showman delighted in playing tricks on his audience, nowhere more so than in the "Clock" and the "Surprise" symphonies. But beyond the charming gimmicks, these works are masterpieces of form and melody and, along with Mozart's later symphonies, represent the apogee of the Classical symphony before Beethoven and the stormy Romantics began rocking the boat. The ticking motif of the "Clock" seems to encapsulate the rational Age of Enlightenment; the unexpected crescendos of the "Surprise" affectionately mock it. The third work on this disc, Symphony No. 102, lacks both a nickname and a gimmick, but all three share a sublime slow movement flanked by outer movements of great vivacity and life-affirming joy. This second volume of "London" symphonies from Richard Hickox and his period-instrument band, Collegium Musicum 90, displays the same estimable qualities as thethe first: a sure grasp of nuance, crisp tempos, and, above all, marvelously unfussy readings. Here, the emphasis is simply on Haydn's music, and neither conductor nor orchestra indulges in anything to draw undue attention to themselves. Take the surprise in the "Surprise" symphony, for example, which is neither underplayed nor overdramatic. Or the brisk opening "Presto" of the "Clock," whose inherent joyfulness is projected entirely without affectation. Impeccable Chandos engineering guarantees that these much-loved, oft-recorded works have rarely sounded fresher.--Mark Walker