Consortium Classicum - Joseph Haydn: 6 Notturni (2000)

Haydn wrote a series of "Notturni" as light entertainment music for the King of Naples, with scoring that included "Lyre Organizate", kind of a barrel organ/hurdy-gurdy like instrument. This CD compiles 6 of them, the first known definite volume of 6 that Haydn composed for the king, and which includes the "Lyre Organizate" in the instrumentation. All the performances on this CD feature two barrel organ players as representing the "Lyre Organizate", along with the viola, clarinet, horn and double bass/cello instrumentation. The musicians uniformly do an excellent job.

The bulk of discussion here then shifts to a comparison with the other major competing recording of the "Notturni", on the Sony Classical label with Mozzafiato and L'Archibudelli. The Sony Classical recording has 8 Notturni, while the CPO CD has just the 6. The CPO liner notes justify this by saying that the 2 later works after the 1st set of 6 did not necessarily include the barrel organ-like "Lyre Organizate" in the instrumentation, so the CPO group is confined to those 6. They do acknowledge the later works, but question their exact provenance as to whether they were also specifically intended for the King of Naples also. The Sony Classical recording includes all 8 of the Notturni in question, but does not use any direct "Lyre Organizate" or barrel organ like instruments.

One other contrast between the two recordings is that the Sony Classical set features period instruments, but the CPO uses modern instruments along with the "Lyre Organizate". Paradoxical as this may sound, in the case of the CPO recording, IMHO, the modern instruments blend much better with the more piercing sound of the barrel organ. In other words, the greater power of modern instruments allow them to hold their own with the barrel organs. The Sony Classical set actually sounds mellower, even with period instruments, in just using more "conventional" instrumentation, without barrel organ, with the wind instruments taking the "Lyre Organizate" line.

None of this implies that one recording is "better" than another, or that I'm using one to "beat up" on the other. Both work well on their own terms. If you're a Haydn compleatist, then you'll want to have both recordings. This really is one of those "apples and oranges" comparison situations where neither is "superior". Keeping in mind that this is lightweight Haydn, not trying to scale the heights of the symphonies, string quartes or oratorios, the album is very enjoyable. The last warning might be that, especially given the timbre of the barrel organs, the CPO album is definitely best listened to one "Notturno" at a time.