Haydn: Symphony No. 82 in C major, 'The Bear' (Der Bär)

Thomas Fey’s repertoire ranges from Bach to Brahms and he has focused on the symphonies and solo concertos of Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven and Mendelssohn. The international music press has poured out a flood of acclaim for the Heidelberger Sinfoniker’s fiery, unusual interpretations. A number of their recordings have received international awards.

Nowadays it is difficult to appreciate how inventive a composer Haydn was. He was responsible for the genres of the string quartet and the symphony. These three examples of his symphonic repertoire demonstrate that inventiveness.

Ernest Ansermet was the first conductor to record the six "Paris" symphonies of Haydn. Charming works, full of humorous touches, they were reissued often on LP, with some of the most entertaining covers ever seen (these are reproduced in the booklet).

Conductor and cellist Hidemi Suzuki conducts the Orchestra Libera Classica in excellent performances of these baroque masterpieces. Recorded live at the Hamarikyu Asahi Hall, Tokyo, 18th October 2007.

This is a budget reissue 2 CD set of Haydn, Mozart and Mahler’s works performed by the Bayerisches Rundfunks Sinfonieorchester and the Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Hans Rosbaud.

What do modern scholars of Joseph Haydn have to say about the Paris Symphonies? Robbins Landon calls them "a remarkable fusion of brilliance, elegance, and warmth." Charles Rosen writes: "There is not a measure, even the most serious, of these great works which is not marked by Haydn's wit; and his wit has now grown so powerful and so efficient that it has become a sort of passion, a force at once omnivorous and creative.”

Parisian audiences loved the works of the Austrian Haydn, and were thrilled when the Comte d'Ogny commissioned a set of six symphonies for performance by the finest orchestra in Paris at Le Concert de la Loge Olympique.

Fortunately in our time, this re-release of the Paris Symphonies also has a superb group of the finest musicians in Jeanne Lamon and the Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra.

The courts of Mannheim and Esterházy possessed the best orchestras and instrumental soloists that were available at the end of the 18th century. Paris, however, with its various concert societies and large orchestras had become an important venue for such artists and especially for musicians who belonged to the new style.

Haydn’s symphonies and concertos by virtuosi such as Lebrun also enjoyed considerable success there; what is more, it was in Paris that the works performed here first appeared in print.

Les Agrémens aim at quality in their membership and work, with the participation of top-class instrumentalists from the main European baroque orchestras. By bringing in young Belgian musicians, they also seek to develop the careers of a new generation of artists, by encouraging them to practise early music on period instruments and giving them new opportunities in this field.

These works were popular from the very first performances. The Estonian-born conductor Kristjan Järvi is well known for his insight into a wide range of repertoire.