This release from the
Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen
under conductor
Paavo Jaervi
inaugurates a new series of
Haydn
's 12 London Symphonies, the last works he wrote in the genre. These are popular works with no shortage of interpretations on the market, but
Jaervi
's readings are distinctive, and the album landed on classical best-seller lists in the spring of 2023.
places
's characteristic humor in the context of high-intensity, high-energy readings. Consider the Trio of the Minuet in the
Symphony No. 101 in D major ("The Clock")
, where a remarkable rising flute figure rises to a ninth above the tonic, a move not really sanctioned by Classical-period harmony. Then this melody is disrupted by brass blasts that are especially sharp in
's treatment. It may seem like sledgehammer humor, or it may seem in keeping with the slightly cockeyed character of these works, which were meant to be attention-grabbers in big, public concerts.
's tempos are quick, and it is to his credit that he respects the Presto marking in the first movement of the
Symphony No. 101
. The
keeps up with the conductor at every turn, giving further evidence that it is emerging at the top of the heap of Germany's remarkable collection of regional orchestras. One awaits further surprises in the remainder of
's series. ~ James Manheim