CCMusic.com

The "Esterházy Music Collection" series with the Orfeo Orchestra conducted by György Vashegyi on the Accent label is dedicated to presenting musical treasures of the Esterházy family, many of which have been largely forgotten over the centuries. The recordings usually take place in the Apollo Hall of the Esterházy Palace in Fertod-Eszterháza, whose acoustics are among the best in the world. The present production is the third volume and offers a selection of earlier symphonies by Joseph Haydn. In addition to Symphonies Nos. 24, 42 and 43 from the years 1764 to 1771, No. 30, which already bore the epithet "Alleluja" on contemporary copies from 1765, is also heard. This is based on the use of the Gregorian Alleluia of the Easter liturgy in the main theme of the first movement. The symphony may have been composed for ecclesiastical use; a possible performance took place on Easter Sunday 1765.