These are just splendid performances of three of Joseph Haydn's most popular symphonies: no. 85, subtitled "La reine", no. 92, "Oxford", and no. 103, "Drum roll". The playing of Capella Istropolitana under Barry Wordsworth is vibrant and buoyant, doing full justice to the exuberance and joyful spirit of these symphonies. This has not always been the case with this series of Haydn symphonies by Wordsworth and this Hungarian orchestra; for example, I found their versions of symphonies nos. 82, 96 and 100 quite flat and uninspiring. This CD, however, is an entirely different matter.

"La Reine" is stately and graceful, as is fitting to a symphony which bears the nickname "The Queen". I have one alternative version of this symphony in the complete set of Haydn's so-called Paris symphonies by Sigiswald Kujiken and the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, but to say the truth, excellent as Kujiken's accounts are in the other symphonies, I rather prefer this Naxos version for this symphony. The Capella Istropolitana uses modern instruments, not period ones, as is the case with Kujiken, and the sound is much fuller and greater, giving a much more powerful effect. Here modern instruments clearly have an advantage over period ones.

My only complaint is that the starting drum roll of 103 could be louder - here it is rather distant - and the following cello theme should be more menacing. If you want to hear an account of this symphony where also these elements are top-notch, and to further explore the splendid set of symphonies from which this one is taken, the so-called London symphonies, I'd recommend the version included in the complete set by Eugen Jochum and the LSO (available as a 5-CD box from Deutsche Grammophon).

Even if you already own other versions of these symphonies, these lively accounts stand very well on their own terms, and are thus a worthy addition to your collection. The sound is excellent throughout, with almost no echo and none of the cold steelishness one often associates with early Naxos recordings (this one is from 1990).