As a pendant to his legendary cycle of the Haydn symphonies with the Philharmonia Hungarica, Antal Dorati also recorded supplementary symphonies and the Sinfonia Concertante, all of which made their way into the highly-regarded boxed set of these works. He also recorded these gorgeous 24 Minuets as a pendant – then, as now, a comparative rarity. The recording appeared briefly on Decca’s ‘Serenata’ series but has long been deleted and has now become something of a collector’s item. Here it is happily restored to CD at budget price.
JOSEPH HAYDN
24 Minuets, Hob. IX:16:
No. 1 in C major
No. 2 in E major
No. 3 in G major
No. 4 in B flat major
No. 5 in F major
No. 6 in D major
No. 7 in E flat major
No. 8 in C major
No. 9 in E flat major
No. 10 in B flat major
No. 11 in D major
No. 12 in G major
No. 13 in A major
No. 14 in E major
No. 15 in C major
No. 16 in G major
No. 17 in B flat major
No. 18 in D major
No. 19 in A major
No. 20 in C major
No. 21 in E flat major
No. 22 in D minor
No. 23 in B flat major
No. 24 in A major
Philharmonia Hungarica
Antal Dorati
Producer: James Mallinson
Engineer: Colin Moorfoot
Recording location: September 1975, Marl
‘A marvellous and important reissue … Dorati catches the spirit of the dance especially well … an essential addition to any collection of Haydn’s orchestral music’ 10/10 ClassicsToday.com
‘Delightfully pointed performances and superbly recorded by Decca’ 2MBS Fine Music
‘Dorati’s classic performances are characteristically genial, and the excellent sound emerges freshly on this new CD’ *** Penguin Guide