Search - Franz Joseph Haydn, John Hsu, Apollo Ensemble :: Joseph Haydn: Symphonies for the Esterhazy Court (Symphony No. 35 in B-flat Major / Symphony No. 23 in G Major / Symphony No. 42 in D Major) - Apollo Ensemble / John Hsu

Classy, stylish and audiophile

Leslie Richford | Selsingen, Lower Saxony | 07/08/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Three epithets immediately sprang to mind while I was listening to this recording: "classy", "stylish" and "audiophile". With the forces available to Joseph Haydn at Esterhazy (here: three each of first and second violins, one each of viola, cello, violone and bassoon and two each of oboe and horn)and the assistance of some excellent engineering (20 bit recording at Troy Savings Bank Music Hall, New York) John Hsu, an expert in Haydn's barytone pieces, re-creates three of the composer's less well-known earlier symphonies in a way that makes you want to hear them over and over again. All the fine detail is there, and in particular, Haydn's musical humour is demonstrated, but in a serious musical context. This is an impassioned plea for the neglected works of the younger Haydn and a disc that makes the demise of Dorian Recordings all the more lamentable."