Intriguingly called “Hidden Haydn”, this disc aims to rediscover the symphonies Haydn composed between 1762 and 1775, using the chamber forces for which they were originally intended. Thus, John Hsu has assembled an ensemble that duplicates both the tonal qualities and the balance with which Haydn would have been familiar at Esterhaza.
Compared with Dorati’s “surprisingly smooth and leisurely reading” of Symphony No. 12 on Decca (RW, 6/91), Hsu offers greater timbral clarity, provoking some striking differences in tempo. His livelier pace in the second movement captures the music’s inherent rhythmic vitality more effectively than does Dorati’s excessively expansive approach does; but his breakneck speed in the final Presto allows too little opportunity for the music to breathe. Such tempo variations might easily be dismissed as the contrast between period- and modern-instrument performance. However, comparison of the Apollo with the Hanover Band (also playing period instruments) in the Trauersinfonie likewise shows startling differences. The Hanover’s customarily energetic presentation produces results that are altogether more powerful than those of the Apollo Ensemble’s slimmer resources. Nevertheless, the Symphony Tempora mutantur provides a good example of Hsu’s and the Apollo’s effectiveness. The opening Allegro is expressed with charming intimacy, the Largo has an arresting, hushed quality; the perky minuet deftly blends different timbral colours, and the opposition of contrasting forces in the finale has real bite. Some will still prefer the Hanover’s exciting playing despite the occasional rough edge. However, the Apollo’s performances of these three Haydn symphonies evocatively rediscover the music’s chamber music origins.'