Haydn 2032, Vol. 18: Il maestro di scuola
Symphonies by Haydn and Lessel
Kammerorchester Basel/Giovanni Antonini
Alpha ALPHA1092 76:29 mins
The most familiar of the symphonies here, if only because it has a nickname, is No. 55, whose ‘Schoolmaster’ title arises out of the strict theme of its slow movement, with its bare harmony. The Finale is a dazzling Presto featuring some spectacularly high-pitched horn writing.
Symphony No. 56 adds trumpets to the mix, and following a dark-hued central section, the first movement ends with blaring fanfares. This time, the Finale is an exhilarating Prestissimo with rushing triplets; and at the points where Haydn indicates a fermata, Giovanni Antonini allows individual players of his Basel Chamber Orchestra to contribute mini-cadenzas, adding to the enjoyment.
Symphony No. 29, in the unusual key of E major, is a more chamber-like piece, with the oboes playing an active part in the first movement, but restricted in the remainder to a more subordinate role. The slow movement, which is scored for strings alone, wittily has the short phrases of its theme constantly passed from the first to the second violins, and so perhaps the recording could have had them more spatially separated.
The Finale of Symphony No. 5 in G minor by Haydn’s little-known Polish pupil Franciszek Lessel is a real discovery. Much of Lessel’s music is lost, and this piece – an intense and highly agitated Molto presto – is the only surviving portion of the five symphonies he composed. In barely five minutes, its heated atmosphere imparts the impression of a full drama, and it provides a fitting envoi to this hugely enjoyable latest instalment in Antonini’s ongoing Haydn symphonies cycle.
