This on-demand CD from Arkivmusic.com restores to the catalog a pair of fine Haydn performances that are well worth hearing. But the listener has to accept some compromise in sound quality to do so. This is one of those early digital Deutsche Grammophon recordings that adds a wiry edginess to the string sound, and some graininess to the winds–a sort of patina to otherwise nicely balanced sound. The Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, performing without a conductor, demonstrated that modern instrument renditions of Classical-era works could be as stylistically informed and “authentic” as those by period-instrument bands that at the time were beginning to dominate performances of Beethoven and earlier music. The charm of the Symphony No. 77 contrasts beautifully with the tragic 44th–all within the bounds of 18th-century norms of good taste and balance–in performances full of energy, wit, and precision.
