  Go to LAN282 - Haydn Symphonies
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MusicWeb, August 2008
'The chamber orchestra Sinfonia Classica, based in the west of England, acquits itself admirably in these Haydn performances. Everything is nicely balanced and appropriately judged in terms of the repertoire of Haydn’s earlier career, and the ensemble sound is most pleasing. So too is the chosen programme, offering two symphonies and two divertimentos, the latter much less well known but just as central to the composer’s life.
The ensemble plays on modern instruments but has a secure understanding of 18th century style, with tempi that always sound right. Take the opening movement of La Passione, for instance. At nearly eleven minutes of tempo Adagio this ‘church sonata’ style will challenge performers, but the results are pleasing on the ear and full of subtleties in the phrasing and scoring that ensure the interest is maintained. The succeeding Allegro assai movement, like the final Presto, has abundant vitality, and the latter an intensity that ranks it among the highlights of Haydn’s stürm und drang style.
Similar things might be observed in the other symphony included here: The Philosopher (No. 22). The shape of the piece overall is similar, with an extended opening Adagio and two fast movements surrounding a minuet. But the sound is quite different, unique even, because of the presence of two cor anglais. These instruments make their impression on the sheer sound of a performance, but their employment proved a false trail and not until Berlioz did a symphony feature a cor anglais again. They sound well here, and so too do the other wind instruments, the pair of horns, which are quite brilliantly played...
...The two divertimenti are pleasing on the ear if – deliberately - less imaginative in content. The music was intended to be played in the background while the aristocrats were at play or at dinner, and hearing it in its own right goes to show what artistry Haydn and his contemporaries brought to bear on all they created.
The ensemble plays on modern instruments but has a secure understanding of 18th century style, with tempi that always sound right.
'
Terry Barfoot Classic FM Magazine, July 2008
'Glowing, affectionate yet bracingly athletic...readings, with two enchanting divertimenti thrown in for good measure.'
Julian Haylock Gramophone - Editor's Choice Foreword, July 2008
'Apparently this was recorded on a freezing February day. One wouldn't guess it from performances that boast playing as warm in tone as they are serious in approach. Sinfonia Classica may be a relatively new outfit, but they have cleverly partnered with the deeply experienced Süssmuth for a Haydn album to savour.'
James Inverne Gramophone - Editor's Choice Review, July 2008
'Sinfonia Classica, five years old and based in England's West Country, have struck lucky with director Gernot Süssmuth, long-experienced in quartet playing and leading orchestras. In reality, though, he offers more than conventional direction, as may be gleaned from the opening F minor Adagio of the Symphony No 49. Süssmuth paces and shapes the movement to express its seriousness of intent while his exemplary understanding of instrumental voicing ensures that both wind and string lines emerge in proper balance. And in the following Allegro assai, Süssmuth makes his points through buoyant accentuation rather than mere speed, a technique that ensures a tense momentum across the bar-lines yet eschews any sense of hustle in the final Presto. Nor is he any different in both Presto movements of Symphony No 22, a work that also opens with a slow movement. Süssmuth does not overlook its gravity, or the distinctive tonal colouring created by a pair of cors anglais.
This sort of artistry permeates the rest of the programme as well. The fine differentiation of string parts as heard in the Divertimento in A is extended even to the pizzicato Trio in the first Minuet of the Divertimento in B flat. There is a distinct lack of routine in all these performances, the small band of musicians acquitting themselves very creditably indeed. So does producer/engineer Robin Bigwood in what is a most auspicious debut.'
Nalen Anthoni International Record Review, June 2008
'Nothing is said about the number of musicians comprising this splendid ensemble...but the sound suggests chamber-music proportions featuring virtuoso execution...The brief Divertimento in A is interesting for the superb sound of the horns...Throughout, the sound is exemplary.'
Mortimer H. Frank MUSO, June 2008
'Sinfonia who? This new ensemble
formed from players who met as
members of the European Union Youth
Orchestra, that strange place where
art and supranational geopolitical
bureaucracy overlap. Which means
they’re among the finest young
players from across the continent.
Bravely they’ve chosen for their
debut recording a programme of early and mid-period Haydn. This is Haydn the explorer, Haydn the innovator.
And in these excellent erformances
you hear how, as a house composer in a mansion stuck out in a Hungarian swamp, he ‘had to become original’, as he admitted. These symphonies bring
something new to an old form.
No 22 exploits the unique sound-world of a pair of cors anglais which, along with two horns, create a sort of chorale prelude where Bach meets The Magic
Flute. No 49 is one of Haydn’s most
austere ‘Sturm und Drang’ symphonies, unremittingly in agitated F minor until the sun peeps through in the F major
Trio. A pair of Divertimenti complement the symphonies, including one of his
earliest works (Op 1, No 1, no less).
Kudos to violinist/director Gernot
Süssmuth, cornist Mark Paine and oboist Arco van Zon for some fine solo playing. And congratulations to all these players for a brilliant and
unexpected debut – performances of obvious affection and warmth, despite being recorded in a near-freezing Devon church last winter.'
Andy Gottlieb Classical Source, June 2008
'Performances of Haydn’s music other than those of his most familiar works often arouse musicological discussions. This interestingly programmed release is no exception. I am delighted that attention is here paid to Haydn’s smaller-scale music for winds and strings – much of it is quite substantial – for example his Scherzandi were originally described as Symphonies.
The Divertimento in A is one of a group of six works for various instruments, with baryton, published by Artaria as Divertissements, by Forster as Overtures and by Longman & Broderip as Symphonies...The playing throughout is superb, though, particularly in the spectacular horn sequence in the second Trio in which the first such instruments is stratospherically high and the second incredibly low – an effect also used by Haydn in Symphony 51...‘La Passione’ shares with the ‘Philosopher’ the unusual format of an opening slow movement. Once again the music moves forward firmly and the characteristic of slightly clipped phrasing is evident – some grace notes are halfway between being the short and the long variety. Because notes are not lingered over, the rhythms sound exceptionally strong and clarity is admirable – there is elegant playing in the Trio of the Minuet and the horn-players once again distinguish themselves. The finale is exceptionally fiery yet there is also much subtle phrasing within the gripping urgency...Sinfonia Classica is a superb band of players and the recorded sound is extremely beautiful – a very generous acoustic (Tawstock Parish Church is in the Barnstaple area of Devon), and yet there is exemplary clarity and superb detail. The balance has the horns a touch further forward than is usual but the nature of this music makes this very suitable. I look forward to hearing these talented musicians in more music of this period and I hope that their adventurous idea of programming symphonies with lightly scored chamber music will also be part of their future plans. I trust that in future they will consider using other instruments to support the bass line – this is really the only weakness in this splendidly recorded sequence of exceptionally fine interpretations.'
Antony Hodgson The Times, May 2008
'Based in Devon, this new orchestra, drawn from former European Union Chamber Orchestra members, display a tight, light sound that serves most of this Haydn programme well. The finale to Symphony No 49, La Passione, needs more passion and drive; but there’s enough joy elsewhere, in the Philosopher symphony (No 22), and two divertimenti. Strings are incisive, sometimes slashing like scythes, and woodwinds very clean. As for Haydn: he’s always good.'
Geoff Brown MusicOMH, April 2008
'The debut album from Sinfonia Classica is top-drawer stuff from an orchestra whose players apparently consist of instrumentalists "hand-picked from all over Europe".
The disc opens up with the rarely heard Divertimento in A Hob.X10. Brilliantly alert, full of crisp ideas, and with expert horn and oboe interjections from Mark Paine and (what a name!) Arco van Zon, it's hard to see why this piece has been overlooked for so long. Starting with dark and plaintive calls, the music soon becomes less introspective and phrases become more typically short and mercurial. The actual "tunes" in the first Divertimento are shared out equally among the players, but elsewhere among the music Haydn is obviously happy to let the strings do the talking, with anything else simply providing gentle colour and nuance.
A sturdy exception is the opening of the "Philosopher" symphony in which the woodwinds distribute ponderous musings over a ticking rhythm from the strings and the listener's mind muses in perfect time to Haydn's. As with a philosophical text, Haydn's symphony starts with a statement that he asks us to accept as fact, and develops it to its logical conclusion, intending to be objective, but completely at the mercy of his own quirks and taste. The quality of the whole doesn't always depend on how interesting the initial idea was, and from meagre beginnings sometimes, as here, spring joyful results.
Gernot Süssmuth conducts with real panache and never over-eggs the pudding. There must be a temptation to really force the tension in the final movement of "La Passione" (surely the crowning glory of this recording), for example, but Süssmuth has a light touch, springing between many shades of expression, rather than simplifying his business to "here's some thing stormy" and "here's something delicate".
The textures can be surprisingly sparse, even for Haydn, which calls for expert engineers. There's no danger on that score - you know that the microphones are up to scratch when you can hear the orchestra breathing in unison between the notes. Everything is perfectly blended too, each section of the orchestra sounding as though it occupies a distinct part of the room, but always naturally spaced. The sound is pure and clean and can cope easily with a fully motivated orchestra as well as some of Haydn's more delicate moments. This might be comparatively simple music, but there are always fresh ideas among the jaunty rhythms and subtle textures.
Everything these players do serves the composer; there are no wild speeds or hysterical climaxes, only dedicated and energetic affection. Since this is one of Landor Records' very first releases (an "artist led" label run by Guy Harvey and Robert Ogden) it will be a pleasure to hear this ensemble being as subtle and sensitive in other music as they clearly are here.'
Stephen Crowe Evening Standard, April 2008
'There is going to be a glut of Haydn next year, the composer’s bicentennial, and this is a nice warm-up from a new band based in North Devon, a rural area starved of arts funding by metropolitan pen-pushers. Made up of ex-members of the European Union Chamber Orchestra and led by a violinist from a Berlin string quartet, the Sinfonia Classica play tight and light, just right for the Esterhazy country atmosphere where Haydn worked and wrote. Mixing two symphonies, The Philosopher and La Passione, with a pair of dancing divertimenti eliminates the risk of over-seriousness that attends symphonic form, and some of the solo work is filigree. '
Norman Lebrecht
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