“…  Quinn’s urbane performances of the C and D major solo concertos, joined by Gent in the F major double concerto, are stylishly accompanied by Cohen’s period band.”

“…Iain Quinn’s fluent, airy articulation coupled with the crisp playing of Arcangelo seem perfect for this music, and Haydn’s spirited, witty and invigorating writing is certainly greatly enhanced by the bright and bubbly sound of organ and strings, with a couple of modern oboes thrown in to the outer movements of the first Concerto. Supporting evidence for Feder’s assertion comes from the limited compass of the solo keyboard writing and the fact that all these concertos appear to date from the 1750s when Haydn was still based in Vienna and associated with the city’s St Stephen’s Cathedral. … As for these being early works, they reveal not only a deft and highly mature handling of the musical material, which in itself is often quite imaginative and unfailingly attractive, but reveal many of the characteristics which were to make Haydn such an enormously popular composer in his own maturity and beyond. There is a level of unity between Jonathan Cohen and Quinn which results in unusually well-integrated performances; that sense of detachment which so often undermines music where organ and orchestra combine is completely absent, giving these performances every bit the same sense of intimacy we might expect were they to be played on the fortepiano or harpsichord. Using gut strings, the violins of Arcangelo add a pleasing touch of graininess to this, while Quinn’s suitably improvisatory cadenzas dovetail perfectly. Concerto No.6 is a double concerto for violin and organ, and again both the physical and interpretative unity between Quinn and Sophie Gent greatly enriches this perceptive and enticing performance. I particularly like Quinn’s choice of solo stops both to contrast and balance Gent’s violin tone, and the cadenzas are impeccably coordinated.”

“…Arcangelo is an ensemble of musicians familiar with both historical and modern instruments. They are directed by their founder, artistic director & conductor Jonathan Cohen. Here period strings add tonal weight to the pair of oboes employed by the composer. Although expressive swells leading to powerful tuttis suggest a performance practice of a later period, they are well placed. Iain Quinn's light-toned reading suits the late-baroque nature of the music well. This is aided by the rustic tone of the oboes. The expressive nature of this performance [Concerto No. 1] is most notable in the central Largo and again it is a feature of the orchestral playing, the soloist is more modest in this respect. The Finale is given in an easy-going relaxed manner which suits its tuneful nature…” ****

 “… The recording quality is quite superb, with balance and ambiance setting these masterly works in perfect sound. These enthralling performances are wholly convincing throughout. It is a rewarding experience to hear such unfamiliar music played by a greatly gifted musician who is also a distinguished scholar. The Arcangelo Orchestra plays in notable style under the admirable Jonathan Cohen, and, with Chandos’s customary excellence in presentation, this becomes one of the finest issues of the music of Haydn for some time.” *****

 

Performance ****      Recording ****

“… The recording finds a natural-sounding perspective for two very different kinds of sonority: the interaction of organ and strings works well, as they both do in relation to Sophie Gent’s violin-playing.”