This stupendous disc contains simply the best recordings of these symphonies currently available. Thomas Fey’s take-no-prisoners approach pays huge dividends. He cultivates a big, rich sonority with vivid wind playing and plenty of presence from the horns. That makes the outer movements of all three symphonies particularly exciting. Notice the contrast between the graceful first subject of “La Reine” and the Sturm und Drang eruption later on, or the rhythmic tension that Fey brings to the exposition of Symphony No. 84 (no nickname, and so woefully neglected). His fiery attack on the opening of “The Hen” only makes its subsequent farmyard sounds all the more amusing. None of the three slow movements is truly slow, and Fey understands this, keeping them flowing but preserving their natural elegance. He’s particularly adept at characterizing the variations in No. 85 that so delighted Marie Antoinette. There’s no need to continue: this is simply as good as it gets, and the sonics are stunningly lifelike. Wow! [2/5/2005]
