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Haydn: Symphonies Nos. 102-104. Danish Chamber Orchestra conducted by Adam Fischer. Naxos. $19.99.

Bach: Overture in the French Style in B minor, BWV 831; Partita for Traverso, Strings and Basso Continuo in D Major; Overture for Strings and Basso Continuo in G Major (all arranged by Rinaldo Alessandrini). Concerto Italiano conducted by Rinaldo Alessandrini. Naïve. $16.99.

     Adam Fischer continues his “journey of reconsideration” of Haydn symphonies with the last of four CDs devoted to the composer’s 12 “London” Symphonies; he plans to record new versions of 25 Haydn symphonies in all, and it remains to be seen which others will be included (although surely the six “Paris” works will be among them). Fischer is a fine and thoughtful Haydn conductor who has previously done an impressive full cycle of the symphonies, although in the current sequence his scope and interest are more limited. This time he is also trying a bit too hard here and there, being so determined (for very good reasons) to emphasize Haydn’s liveliness and many innovations that he periodically slips into the realm of the overdone. The Danish Chamber Orchestra plays exceptionally well for Fischer, its chief conductor for a quarter of a century, and goes along gamely with his occasional eccentricities while shining the light of fine performance on all the works. In the latest Naxos release, Symphony No. 102’s first movement has a warm and well-shaped opening, very strongly contrasted with the Vivace that follows. The movement is played with great verve and spirit, and the use of emphatic timpani is very well done. In the second movement, the irregular rhythm is nicely highlighted at the opening, after which everything flows smoothly. The highlights of individual sections and even individual instruments are particularly nicely done, and dynamic contrasts are well-managed. The third movement has considerable bounce at the opening, with contrasting accents handled well. There is slight hesitation after each appearance of the first chord before the downbeat, making things a bit mannered rather than emphatic (which is surely the intent). The Trio features very smooth woodwinds, making a good contrast with the angularity of the Menuet rhythm; but the slowdown at the very end is uncalled-for and is an example of a place where Fischer is a bit heavy-handed in making his musical points. The fourth movement is very fleet indeed, a true Presto. Despite the speed, the strings articulate all notes clearly, and sectional contrasts are nicely highlighted. Haydn's very clever, unexpected rhythmic and dynamic contrasts are expertly emphasized, making the finale a bouquet of melodic and rhythmic surprises.

     Fischer’s approach is even better in Symphony No. 103, the “Drumroll,” which is the highlight of this disc. Haydn’s delightful decision to make the opening timpani solo ad libitum gives percussionists and conductors an entire sound world of possibilities, from a gentle roll of approaching thunder to a dramatically insistent exclamation. Fischer has the initial display be emphatic and martial, a kind of calling-to-attention. The seriousness of this introduction contrasts neatly with the ebullience of the main Allegro con spirito section, whose second theme has a swaying, dancelike quality here. Piano sections are especially impressive, and so are pauses, which actually help shape the movement. This first movement is thematically rich and particularly well-orchestrated, and Fischer takes full advantage of Haydn's elegance of presentation. The return near the end of the introductory material (timpani and the following section) shakes the established mood, until the movement ends brightly. The second movement is this symphony’s longest, which is rather unusual in Haydn. It is well-paced, light but not overly so, with nicely contrasted handling of its more-emphatic sections. Dips into the minor make for effective mood changes. The solo violin section two-thirds of the way through provides an attractive interlude, after which the brass-and-timpani-featuring tutti brings a considerable change of feeling. Eventually the movement seems to fade out, until Haydn shows he has a few more surprises in store. This is a very rich and complex movement that really gets its due here. The third movement is lightweight and amusing, with unexpected brass and wind interjections. The Trio, which is much smoother than the Menuet, features its own pleasant instrumental touches. In the finale, Fischer really presents the music con spirito. The movement sweeps along with a consistent underlying rhythm and nicely decorated thematic material. There is one unnecessary slowdown on a chord near the end, but otherwise the sense of perpetuum mobile is nicely sustained throughout.

     In Symphony No. 104, the “London” and in some ways the capstone of the dozen that Haydn created for that city, Fischer leads with strong opening fanfares and gives the first movement a large-scale and ambitious sound. It is an unusually speedy Allegro, whose dips into the minor offer particularly good contrast. In all, it is a strong movement with propulsive forward motion, featuring notable contrasts between piano and forte sections. In the second movement, there is an interesting light-opera quality to the delicate opening, providing good contrast to the seriousness of the first movement. Then the outburst introducing the more-intense central section comes as a wake-up call. The movement features several delightful instrumental touches, including a brief bassoon solo and flute highlights here and there. There is strong accentuation in the third movement, here labeled Menuetto, with some interestingly emphasized ornamental trills and good timpani underpinning. The movement has a rather martial quality, with emphasis on brass as well as timpani – but unfortunately a touch too much rubato now and again. The pleasant wind-led Trio starts a bit too slowly but is well-paced once the strings enter. The slowing-down of wind elements recurs each time they appear, so this is clearly intentional on Fischer’s part, but it is unnecessary and breaks up the flow of the piece – as does the slowdown at the end. The finale’s opening is very fleet and bright, building well on the initial pedal point. The movement has plenty of bounce and spirit, despite some questionable emphases in which Fischer brings out the accompaniment rather than the main theme. The movement’s contrasts of lyricism come through effectively, but Fischer’s intermittent tempo reductions are scarcely necessary – for instance, at the very end. Fischer is clearly looking for something new to say about Haydn in these performances – or rather for something old, in the sense of restoring the excitement that Haydn’s music inevitably generated during the composer’s lifetime. At its best, this effort can shed real light on the quality and innovative elements of Haydn’s music; but at times, in trying to reproduce the effects that delighted 18^th-century audiences, Fischer goes a touch too far, undermining rather than underlining the elements that make Haydn’s symphonies so special.

     The excellent playing of the Danish Chamber Orchestra is one thing that makes Fischer’s new Haydn releases so worthwhile despite their peccadillos – and the excellent playing of Concerto Italiano under Rinaldo Alessandrini is one thing that makes his new Bach CD on Naïve such a pleasure to hear. Actually, this disc could just as well be labeled as being composed by “Bach/Alessandrini,” since the underlying music is pure Bach, but the transcriptions and adaptations are pure Alessandrini. Bach himself habitually reused and rearranged his works and those of others, and so did other composers of his time – Handel was particularly fond of doing so – so there is theoretically nothing sacrosanct about works whose instrumentation has come down to us in a specific way, nor anything sacrilegious about presenting Bach’s music differently from the way it is usually heard. It does feel rather odd, to be sure, to hear the Overture in the French Style from Clavier-Übung II played by oboes, bassoon, strings and basso continuo – and in D minor rather than its original B minor. But our modern ears are so accustomed to hearing Bach on instruments for which he did not write – this exact piece frequently turns up on piano rather than two-manual harpsichord – that it is not all that much of a stretch to listen to a transcription for chamber ensemble. Certainly a version as well-thought-out as this one, and played in so idiomatically apt a fashion, is a worthwhile experience, and Alessandrini’s beautifully proportioned and elegantly presented adaptation is a pleasure from start to finish – indeed, Bach could have presented this music this way, but he happens not to have done so. The other two works on this CD are equally interesting even though they are a bit more of a stretch. They are essentially orchestrated pastiches: the Partita for Traverso, Strings and Basso Continuo contains six movements from six different works (BWV 1016, 828, 1069, 825, 815 and 817); the Overture for Strings and Basso Continuo consists of eight movements from four sources (four from BWV 820, two from BWV 833, and one each from BWV 816 and 843). These works could easily come across as hodgepodges, their movements having originated in pieces ranging from a sonata for violin and harpsichord to the French Suites for harpsichord or clavichord. But Alessandrini chooses the individual movements with care and a firm understanding of the sequencing that Bach himself used in suites and suite-like works, and he juxtaposes and contrasts material with thoughtfulness and skill – resulting in music-making that is not exactly Bach but is very much “Bachian,” not only in its foundational material but also in Alessandrini’s realization of works presenting that material in a new context. The considerable personalization of these Bach works through their reassembly in new forms results in some wonderful-sounding material that comes across as thoroughly authentic because, on the most basic level, it is thoroughly authentic. Alessandrini has simply (and this is really not simple at all) found ways to shed new light on Bach by dressing up bits and pieces of his music in new garments – ones that, it turns out, fit Bach and Alessandrini and the excellent players of Concerto Italiano exceptionally well.