Harry Christophers and his ‘other’ ensemble, the Handel and Haydn Society of Boston, return to the formula with which they have already enjoyed successful results (the Le matin and Bear Symphonies plus the G major Violin Concerto – 11/13). And many of the points I made concerning that disc pertain here. These are technically assured performances on sweet-toned period instruments, and, as in Le matin, Le midi gives nearly all the principals solo spots in which to shine. So not only does Aisslinn Nosky take the lead in the dramatic recitative and aria of the slow movement, but there are moments highlighting the other string frontmen (even double bassist Anthony Manzo in the Minuet’s Trio), plus pairs of flutes and horns elsewhere. It’s infectious stuff and they all palpably enjoy their moments in the sun. Nosky returns with her powerfully projected, always listenable vibrato-free tone in the C major Violin Concerto – frankly a better piece than the G major (which is only ‘attrib Haydn’) on the previous disc.

The most famous work here, though, comes from 20 or more years later. The Hen Symphony is, in a way, the follow-up to Symphony No 80: an outbreak of austere Sturm und Drang, undercut by a cheeky squib of a second subject, here accompanied by the ‘clucking’ oboe that gives the symphony its sobriquet. Christophers navigates the work more surely than Harnoncourt in his flawed set of all six ‘Paris’ Symphonies: there’s a moment in the first movement’s recapitulation where the music changes from minor to major which Concentus Musicus make a hash of, whereas the Bostonians are far better co-ordinated, even if they don’t bring Harnoncourt’s compelling vehemence to the work as a whole. There is a minimal amount of audience noise on a disc that forms a worthwhile continuation to this mini-series.