Haydn: Paris Symphonies

A forceful opening need not commit Haydn to sounding imposing for the next twenty minutes. He can lighten the texture, interrupt an expected continuation or return a familiar idea wearing a different expression. Antal Doráti and the Philharmonia Hungarica offer a useful way into that changing conversation: follow the bass as well as the tune, and notice who answers whom.

The Paris Symphonies are Nos. 82–87, written in 1785–86 for a Parisian concert organisation. Paris describes the works’ commission, not the location of these recording sessions. Doráti’s performances belong to his Decca Haydn cycle, which the label dates to 1969–72 as a recording project. The linked digital album carries a 1972 phonographic date; Decca also documents a separate 1995 release of this collection. These dates describe different things, rather than competing birthdays for the music.

Clarity with consequences

Listen to the ends of phrases. A pause or a retreat into softer playing can make the next entrance feel unexpectedly emphatic. When strings and winds remain distinct in your attention, a returning theme becomes an exchange rather than a block of repeated material. You need not memorise a formal diagram first. Ask which instrument initiates a gesture and whether the answer changes its character.

Six works, not three mascots

The Bear, The Hen and La Reine make Nos. 82, 83 and 85 easy to remember. They can also distract from the music without nicknames. Give Nos. 84, 86 and 87 equal space. Compare the weight of their openings, or the way a slower movement alters the pace of listening. Each four-movement symphony establishes its own balance; an appealing extract is an entrance, not a substitute for that relationship.

Take the set in stages

The linked edition contains twenty-four movements, with the six works in numerical order. One symphony at a time is enough. Remember the change from a slower movement to the dance, then the renewed motion of a finale. Orderly playing need not mean placid music: a clear frame makes a small disruption more noticeable. On a return visit, follow the lower instruments and hear where that frame gets its strength.