Birth of the Symphony: Handel to Haydn

"The contents prove enjoyable both in sequence and as historical display case...Egarr's interpretation, less demonstrative than, say, Ton Koopman's or Trevor Pinnock's, is attentive to dynamic contrast and a fitting climax to this recording." BBC Music Magazine, December 2013 ****

"This is something special, a carefully planned programme going from the Sinfonia of Handel's Saul via Richter, Stamitz and Mozart's first symphony to reach Sturm und Drang Haydn.... Egarr draws vibrant, vividly characterised performances from his players, and the recording is excellent." Classical Music

"The AAM's performances gave virtually unalloyed pleasure...their style is bold and fiery, though there is ample tenderness...[La Passione is] not flawless, perhaps, but certainly one of the most powerful and distrubing performances on disc." Gramophone Magazine, November 2013

"This enjoyable bird's-eye view of the symphony's mid-18th-century development confirms that the famous names are justly celebrated...the great discovery is Mozart's First Symphony, K16...a work hinting at the inventiveness and playfulness, the richness of texture, that are to come." Sunday Times, 22nd September 2013

"Egarr's harpsichord continuo bubbles away in the background, never letting the pace slacken... The orchestral ensemble is tight and focussed...The best music comes last, in the form of Haydn's Symphony No.49 in F minor. It's dark in places - the slow opening movement full of repressed anguish, but the fast music erupts with volcanic energy. Thrilling, uplifting stuff" The Arts Desk

"Standards are crisp, spirited, full of imaginative detail with fizzing harpsichord contributions from the AAM's music director, Richard Egarr...I listened "blind". Each example sounded more engaging, more deeply expressive, than the last." The Observer, 15th September 2013 ***