New CD Release - Haydn
The Complete Early Divertimenti 2011

This present set of five discs includes all of the extant early Divertimenti by Haydn: works composed in the 1750s and 60s for ensembles of winds and strings in various combinations and typically scored for between 5-9 players. The earliest divertimenti reveal roots in the Baroque (with beautifully eloquent slow movements), but also offer ample evidence of the young composer’s powers of invention and eagerness to experiment, both in terms of form (the minuets suggestive of those in much later symphonies) and instrumentation – besides some spectacular writing for the French horn, Haydn was one of the first to use both the clarinet and cor anglais extensively.

Besides the recordings originally released by Koch/Schwann on five separate CDs, this set also includes 70 minutes worth of new recordings, focussing on the Feldparthien – those divertimenti which only involve wind instruments.

From our Discography

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