Frans Bruggen and his Orchestra of the Eighteenth Century continue their excellent Philips series of Haydn symphonies with two works dating from the 1780s. Symphony No. 86 in D major dates from 1786 and No. 88 in G probably from the following year. Both are scored for flute, pairs of oboes, bassoons, horns and trumpets, timpani and strings. Symphony No. 86 is often regarded as the greatest of the so-called ''Paris'' Symphonies, but be that as it may it certainly contains in its second movement (Capriccio) one of the most unusual to be found in the six works commissioned by the Paris music society, the Concert de la Loge Olympique. Capriccio implied for Haydn, as it had for his baroque predecessors, a considerable degree of formal freedom, which we find here in a movement drawing upon both sonata and rondo forms. Bruggen underlines the seriousness of the music but does not, perhaps, quite adequately convey its lyricism. Ensemble is not always tidy and phrasing is variable in its effectiveness. The impressively worked opening Allegro spiritoso has similar blemishes which, however, are largely dispelled in the elegantly played Minuet and its captivating Trio. Best of all by far, however, is Bruggen's scintillating performance of the Allegro con spirito finale. Here he seeks out the many witty insights Haydn brings to the place, conveying its essentially lighthearted spirit yet never underestimating its substance; for, effortless though it all sounds, Haydn's sketches clearly indicate that the end result was achieved only by protracted work.
Symphony No. 88, also intended for Paris though not one of the ''Paris'' set, is every bit as impressive. Its brief opening Adagio leads into a wonderfully crafted Allegro. No trumpets or drums here Haydn holds them in reserve for the Largo, where he introduces them to great effect, and the remaining movements. Bruggen's performance is consistently full of interest, bubbling with life and always sensible to Haydn's extraordinarily imaginative tonal palette. No strand of the texture is allowed to be blurred by the over-assertiveness of another and the sonorities of the instruments themselves are often beguiling. Just at the conclusion of the symphony there is a patch of untidy ensemble but it hardly spoilt my enjoyment of illuminating performances—live ones as is the custom, now, with Bruggen's recordings—which bring Haydn's music to life vividly and perceptively. Good recorded sound.'