These live performances have a lot going for them. Richard Kapp’s Haydn is lively and vital, with plenty of that spontaneous energy that the music requires in order to make the best possible impression. Kapp’s also got the right sound: winds are never covered by the strings, while the trumpets and timpani shine with plenty of vigor. Highlights include Kapp’s vivacious approach to the minuets (especially that of No. 93, which is a personal favorite), a “surprise” that gives us a touch more than Haydn strictly asks for–but that surely violates the letter of the score the better to honor its spirit, and very satisfying finales in all three symphonies.
Against these singular advantages there are some obtrusive audience noises, even some (apt) laughter–which did not bother me a bit–and I would have liked a touch more vulgarity and rhythmic snap toward the end of the Largo cantabile of Symphony No. 93 (no one permits his bassoon the kind of flatulent blast that Szell does in his justly celebrated recording). Still, with generally fine and very enthusiastic (if not flawless) playing from the Philharmonia Virtuosi, especially given the circumstances of live performance, this disc offers a genuine sense of occasion too often lacking in performances of classical-period repertoire, even by many period-instrument groups. I had fun, and I bet that you will too.
