Symphonies Nos. 94, 98 & 100

These arrangements of Haydn’s London symphonies for flute, string quartet and pianoforte make for an original, but at the same time, successful combination of instruments, particularly with the professional musicians on this disc. These performances, played on solo strings, give the works more transparency and leave the soloists more room for individual phrasing, nuances of timbre and inégalité. The subtlety of sound of the Arco Baleno string quartet imparts a great personal emotion to these works while the velvet timbre of the flute provides the necessary change of colour. The free piano part is still related to continuo practice though widens the dynamic range, and with its improvisations, provides a subtle differentiation to the repeated passages. This is a wonderful disc that sheds a new light on Haydn’s compositions. Arco Balenois a professional chamber music ensemble that explores compositions in many different styles for any common denominators or messages. The group normally combines works from the standard repertoire with lesser known and often premiere pieces. Having toured Germany, France, Slovenia, the United States of America and the Netherlands, the ensemble won the CHAIN-contest in Holland in 1996. Peter Verhoyen, Marleen Ydiers and Stefaan Craeynest are laureats of the Concours Dexia Classics.