Giovanni Antonini & Il Giardino Armonico - Haydn 2032, Vol. 8: La Roxolana - The Observer

Also broadening its scope is the wonderfully vigorous series Haydn 2032, under Giovanni Antonini, which reaches No 8, La Roxolana (Alpha). Previous instalments have included pieces by Haydn’s contemporaries, but this one rushes forward to Bartók. His Romanian Folk Dances are decorated with the folksy sounds of the chalumeau, alongside a quirky, multi-movement Sonata Jucunda, a discovery from the Kromeriz archive. Three Haydn symphonies receive spiffingly energetic performances from Il Giardino Armonico, with La Roxolana (Symphony No 63) making a theatrical link and Mercury (No 43) taking the honours for sheer invention.