Robin Ticciati & SCO - Haydn: Symphonies 31, 70 & 101 - The Scotsman

Robin Ticciati and the Scottish Chamber Orchestra embark on the first of two Haydn symphonies discs with a trilogy of D major performances that truly capture the spirited essence of Haydn. They open with the breezy tunefulness of the “Hornsignal” Symphony (No 31), complete with belligerent horn calls and, in the lengthy Adagio, find a delicacy of expression that is as teasing as it is ravishing. No 70 is a more exuberant exploration of the key, its opening filled with explosive surprises, calmed by the Andante’s light-footed lyricism and finding a pre-Beethoven gravitas in the rigorous Finale. Nor are Beethoven pre-echoes absent from “The Clock”, Symphony No 101, especially in a performance as tastefully probing as this. Roll on the next Haydn disc.