If you thought Mozart’s Salzburg serenades were big works, then check out this extravaganza in nine movements, lasting just about an hour. Composed in 1764 and scored for everything but the kitchen sink, the work includes an opening march, two minuets, and major concerto movements for solo clarinet and solo trombone (yes, I did say trombone). Both are often performed separately. Michael Haydn’s proto-classical style is, as you might expect, graceful, tuneful, and easy on the ear, and if you are familiar with any of the other releases from Klöcker and his Prague forces, then you know that you can expect lively, elegant music-making (and some terrific clarinet playing). This piece is entirely light and unassuming–entertaining when you want to pay attention, yet unobtrusive if you don’t. Even the two marches aren’t very militant or rhythmically sharp-edged, but if you’re looking for a very pleasant hour of dinner-time music, beautifully recorded, Michael Haydn certainly gets the job done.
