In 1763 and again in 1765 the number of horns in Prince Nicolaus Esterhazy’s court orchestra was temporarily increased from two to four; and on each occasion Haydn was quick on the draw with symphonies designed both to display the prowess of his virtuoso horn quartet and to celebrate the prince’s passion for hunting. To balance the often spectacular horn writing, Haydn also composed elaborate solo parts for violin in the slow movements, to which he added a cello in No. 31 and a flute in No. 72, while the theme-and-variation finales are in effect miniature concertos for orchestra, with star turns for each instrument right down to the double-bass. Though both symphonies are planned along near-identical lines, it’s no accident that the so-called Hornsignal has left No. 72 standing in the popularity stakes. The first movement of No. 72, for instance, sounds stiff and uneventful alongside that of No. 31, with its irresistible elegance and swagger; and the horn pyrotechnics in that earlier work are no more than entertaining interludes, whereas the hunting and posthorn calls in No. 31 are integral to the music’s argument. The superficial similarity of the pastoral 6/8 slow movements and of the finales only emphasizes the relative thinness of those in No. 72, which tend to sound like dummy runs for the later work.
Joshua Rifkin and his Cologne-based period orchestra give lively, sinewy readings of both symphonies, with generally jaunty tempos (perhaps over-jaunty in the Minuet of the Hornsignal) and a good spring to the rhythms. The string playing is crisp and neatly articulated, the various instrumental solos well taken (a nicely capricious violin in the finale of No. 31, for instance – from 5'32''); and, save for a touch of insecurity near the start of No. 72, the horns peal and rasp with splendid panache, even if they take a pretty robust view of Haydn’s piano markings in the first movement of No. 31. There is no harpsichord continuo, which will worry some listeners more than it does me, the violins are properly divided left and right, and the recorded sound is well balanced and agreeably resonant. Worth investigating if you fancy these particular works, though Capriccio are hardly going to maximize sales if they continue to offer just two Haydn symphonies at full price.'