Hyperion and the Hanover Band immediately gain over the rival period-instrument version of Nos. 90 and 91 by including the Oxford for good measure and there's no paring of repeats either. Yet despite the musical abundance on offer here, I must say that I found the Kuijken performances on Virgin Classics more persuasive. As on the previous issue in the current Hyperion cyde (3/90), the Hanover Band play with gusto; textures are agreeably clear (the horns aptly prominent), articulation is light and buoyant and there is an adroit, stylish contribution from the woodwind. But Kuijken and his orchestra frequently score with their firmer, sturdier rhythms, more illuminating characterization and the superior polish of the string playing. The Andante second movements of Nos. 90 and 91, for instance, have a pert charm, no more, in Goodman's light, tripping performances, in Kuijken's more measured broadly phrased readings they acquire an altogether subtler resonance. And though the two directors take the minuets at comparably brisk tempos, Goodman is less rhythmically resilient, especially in the swaggering No. 90, where he is inclined to hurry.
Goodman's outer movements score high on sheer energy, espedally the opening Allegro assai of No. 90, with its deftly turned solos for flute and oboe; but I sense no special response to the individual character of each piece, and at times ensemble and intonation can be a touch wayward—try the first movement of No. 91, from 1'35'', for an extreme case. The finale of No. 91 seems to me too fast for comfort, missing the mellow gaiety captured in Kuijken's reading. Incidentally, true to the policy he intends to follow for the whole series, Goodman opts to play No. 90 in its original version, without trumpets and drums: a pity, since the undoubtedly authentic trumpet and timpani parts, heard in the Kuijken version, lend an enhanced grandeur and panache to this brilliant C major symphony.
Of the three works here the Oxford receives the best performance: the most attentive and the most consistently accomplished in execution. The first movement, one of Haydn's most imaginative and sophisticated structures, has a powerful impetus (the authentic small kettledrums, played with hard wooden sticks, make an arresting impact); and the contrapuntal textures, both here and in the steadily paced finale, emerge with a clarity one rarely encounters in modern-instrument performances. Perhaps the Minuet, again, lacks total rhythmic poise (and the tempo is a shade fast to accommodate the semiquaver figure in bar 3 quite naturally); but the valveless horns rasp thrillingly in the syncopated trio. I was glad that Goodman, unlike many conductors, retains the same pulse for the central, minore section of the Adagio. There is some affecting woodwind detail here (the poignant cadenza at the end is beautifully managed), although I found the movement as a whole a touch cool and lacking in rhythmic breadth.
As before, Goodman's harpsichord contribution is too active and too forwardly balanced for my taste, though many will find it stylish and inventive. Having much enjoyed the first disc in this finely recorded series, I'm sorry not to be more wholehearted in my recommendation of this one. But for all their vivacity, the performances of Nos. 90 and 91, in particular, sometimes settle for an all-purpose sprightliness that slightly diminishes the stature of these wonderful works.'