Hyperion Records

Symphony No 12 (1763) is one of the shortest symphonies Haydn ever composed, though it avoids the characteristic movement pattern of his early works by having at its centre an Adagio rather than a minuet. E major was a rare key for a Classical symphony, but Haydn takes advantage of its brightness in the radiance of the opening movement and in the heady joy of the finale, turning to the tonic minor for the heartfelt slow movement.

from notes by Matthew Rye © 1992