Haydn & Bruckner by Haydn, Bruckner, De la (2023/2023), Dirijor Yutaka Sado, Grafenegg Castle, Grafenegg, Austria

Anton Bruckner once said it was his «cheekiest» («keckste», a pun on «sechste», «sixth») symphony, and the joke cuts to the essence of his Symphony No. 6. The shortest, snappiest, shiniest of his major mature symphonies, it features Bruckner’s masterful play with light and dark, radiant A major clouded with elements of the Phrygian mode from Gregorian church music. It brings gripping conflicts, moving laments and veritable horror, before the Finale once again sharpens all the contrasts but ultimately overcomes them. Haydn’s Symphony No. 90 is another cheeky work – cheeky in its contrasts of major and minor, especially at one very special point for which you’ll find no spoilers here. A concerto of both exhilaration and exaltation.