Haydn's concertos full of character

Haydn's concertos for the now obsolete Lire Organizzate are revived with new arrangements for recorders, flutes and oboes

Composer: Haydn
Repertoire: Concertos for Two Lire Organizzate
Artists: Daniel Rothert (rec), Philipp Spätling (rec), Christian Hommel (ob), Benoït Fromanger (fl), Ingo Nelken (fl), Cologne CO/Müller-Brühl
Rating:  3/5
Genre: Instrumental
Label: Naxos 8.570481

Concertos for what? The Lire Organizzate was a hybrid street instrument popular in the late 1700s that pitched up somewhere between a hurdy gurdy and a chamber organ. The instrument was beloved of King Ferdinand IV who commissioned Haydn to create this cycle of works. If you’re wondering what the Lire Organizzate sounded like, sadly this CD can’t give an answer – the instrument is now obsolete, and the concertos have been arranged for recorders, flutes and oboes. Haydn’s melodic invention is endlessly resourceful, and Müller-Brühl leads characterful performances.