Symphony No. 28 in A major
One of the features that distinguishes Haydn, even in this comparatively early stage in his career, from Ordonez, Gassmann, Dittersdorf and other contemporaries is his ability to create a focussed musical argument with the minimum of material. At the end of his life the composer told his biographer, Griesinger: 'Once I had seized upon an idea, my whole endeavour was to develop and sustain it in keeping with the rules of art'. The first movement of this A major symphony from 1765 provides a perfect early example of Haydn's approach; hardly a bar in the movement does not feature the four-note anacrusic figure heard at the beginning. There are some harmonic surprises too, when, in the recapitulation, a solo oboe leads the music into a digression into the minor key. The Poco Adagio is scored for muted strings alone with the melody played by first and second violins in a low register, except for some punctuating phrases played in thirds in a higher register. Different orchestral colours catch the ear in the Menuet: bariolage, that is the oscillation of the same pitch on two different strings, and in the Trio, a severe sounding A minor as the music moves around a restricted range of chords in an almost aimless way. The last movement is a hectic 6/8 scamper.

Joseph Haydn
The Symphonies
Philharmonia Hungarica
Antal Dorati
33 CDs, aufgenommen 1970 bis 1974, herausgegeben 1996
Decca (Universal)
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Haydn
Symphonies complete
Austro-Hungarian Haydn Orchestra
Adam Fischer
33 CDs, aufgenommen 1987 bis 2001, herausgegeben 1996
Brilliant Classics
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Haydn
Symphonies
Academy of Ancient Music
Christopher Hogwood
10 doppel- und triple-CDs
aufgenommen und herausgegeben 1990 bis 2000
Decca (Universal)
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