Robin Ticciati & SCO - Haydn: Symphonies 31, 70 & 101 - The Telegraph

Myriad recordings of Haydn already adorn the catalogue, and with 104 symphonies to choose from, the possible permutations on any one disc are legion. But the brilliance, finesse, freshness and bravura of the Scottish Chamber Orchestra are recommendation enough without the need for any comparisons to drive the point home. Robin Ticciati's astute choice of three symphonies, all linked by the key of D major but composed at different periods of Haydn's princely employment at Eszterháza, makes for a thoroughly nourishing taster of Haydn's seemingly limitless imagination and creative verve.

The sprucely animated, vibrantly characterised performances of the Symphony No 31 (The Hornsignal) from the 1760s, No 70 from 1779 and No 101 of 1794 (The Clock) show that there is so much to think about in interpreting a score by Haydn. Fascinating, buoyant, lucid and humane, they prove that Ticciati has got the Scottish Chamber Orchestra just where he wants it.