Il Giardino Armonico, Giovanni Antonini - Haydn 2032 project, Volume 1 - La Passione (2014)

It's not exactly made clear in the packaging and notes, but this appears to be the first item in what would seem to be a massive series leading up to the bicentennial of Haydn's birth in 2032. How will music be acquired in 2032? Will it be directly transferred to the brain from the neurocloud? Be that as it may, the historical-instrument group Il Giardino Armonico and its leader Giovanni Antonini make one curious to hear what's coming down the pike. The plan is to place Haydn in a "thematic dialogue with other composers." The thematic dialogue with Gluck is a little tenuous in this case, but the idea of not just plowing through Haydn's symphonies is sound, and the Gluck item here is delightful. Don Juan ou Le Festin de Pierre is one of those works that has dropped out of the repertory simply because it fell into a genre that nobody knows how to perform today: the "ballet pantomime." Here is the benefit of an original program for the work that makes entertaining reading in itself, and the music itself also consists of a series of short comic gestures that are beautifully executed by the musicians. The three Haydn symphonies on the program, including the very first one from 1757, get fresh readings that emphasize the works' novelty without overdoing the Sturm und Drang quality of the Symphony No. 49 in F minor, Hob. 1/49 ("La Passione"). The silvery, rather brittle sound is not a real plus, but the series seems to have real programming smarts going for it.