Anton Zimmermann (1741-81) spent his career as an organist and composer in cities across the areas we now know as Slovakia and the Czech Republic. From 1776 until his death, Zimmermann directed the court orchestra at Pressburg (now Bratislava, but then the capital city of Hungary). The orchestra performed publicly twice a week, so it was presumably for this group that Zimmermann wrote many of his symphonies. Perhaps a running time of only 39 minutes seems short shrift, but these three vibrantly performed works are an adequate feast without need for extra helpings. At least two of Zimmermann’s symphonies have been misattributed to Haydn, and there is enough evidence here to suggest why.

The disc opens with Zimmermann’s Militaris Symphony, which features a lot of rolling drums and punctuating trumpets. Although the mood is predominantly forceful, the slow movement is played with delicacy and elegance. The finale has wild injections of folk idioms, which seems tailor-made for the vivid and muscular playing of Musica Aeterna. The precise and energetic performances here certainly emphasise the Sturm und Drang side of Zimmermann’s music, although if I am granted another opportunity to hear these strongly flavoured works I would be curious to hear a softer, restrained style which might suit some of the gentler music. However, the outstanding music here is the Sinfonia pastoritia in G. Featuring what it is described as a “cuckoo pipe”, this is a novel pastoral essay that makes use of Moravian folk music, imaginative scoring and striking effects.