Frans Brüggen and the Orchestra of the 18th Century stand apart from most other “period” performers with their more robust sound and their bold, fresh performances. There is much heart to this music-making, and it’s a refreshing change from the anemic and stiff readings offered all too often by many undernourished “authentic” ensembles. In Brüggen’s hands Haydn’s wonderful Symphony No. 88 emerges as the living masterpiece it is, especially so in the beautiful largo where conductor and orchestra hammer out those dominant seventh chords to astonishing effect. In contrast to Brüggen’s lively pacing, Bernstein’s wonderfully “old fashioned” tempos sound lugubrious, and the sweet-toned Vienna strings don’t “bite” they way the harder-edged OEC’s do (then again, they aren’t supposed to). Haydn’s less popular Symphony No. 89 also benefits from Brüggen’s painstaking attention to rhythm and sonority (particularly in first minuet). The balance of the disc is given to Haydn’s Sinfonia Concertante featuring sophisticated yet smiling performances by all three soloists. Wouter Möller’s beautiful cello playing in the slow movement makes for some particularly special moments, and Philips tops it all off with fine recorded sound.
