I disliked Solti’s recordings of Haydn’s London Symphonies when they were first issued as a decade-long project between 1981 and 1991, but now I’m feeling a bit more charitable. The performance of the “Surprise” Symphony is paradigmatic of Solti’s approach generally: excellent pacing in the second movements, way too slow and heavy in the minuets, and lively outer movements whose rhythmic verve is undercut by underplayed trumpets and drums. The string playing in rapid passages also could be more disciplined, but the general impression these performances leave isn’t bad if you warm to the basic premise. I still haven’t, but perhaps I enjoy their positive qualities more than previously, particularly in those excellent slow movements. In sum, as is typical of Solti’s recorded career, his admirable energy and directness are often compromised by inattention to details of ensemble and balance. Decent, but not special.
