Il Giardino Armmonico Ensemble, conductor Giovanni Antonini - Haydn 2032 album, vol. 19 Trauer - CD Review, 14^th of June 2026

Joseph, Haydn - Symphonies No. 52 in C minor, No 44 in E minor, Symphony in B flat-major; Arvo Pärt - Da pacem Domine; Samuel Scheidt - Paduan à 4.

Premiere album, released on May 8^th

This CD is part of an extensive discographic collection, which was started in 2014 by the Il Giardino Armonico ensemble and conductor Giovanni Antoninin: a project that aims for the full recording of Joseph Haydn`s symphonies until 2032, when three centuries since the birth of the prolific Austrian composer will be celebrated.

Nineteen discs have already been released in this collection, produced by the Alpha Classics label in collaboration with The Joseph Haydn Foundation in Basel. The project encompasses not only a complete recording of Haydn's 107 symphonies but also a series of concerts held at prestigious European venues, such as Musikverein in Vienna, The National Academy of Santa Cecilia in Rome and in venues in Basel. Both the concert preparations and the recordings are carried out by the Il Giardino Armonico ensemble and the Basel Chamber Orchestra, under the baton of conductor Giovanni Antonini.

The most recent disc in this series, the 19th, is defined by sorrow and meditative sonorities. It is titled Trauer (meaning grief in German), taking its title from Joseph Haydn's Symphony No. 44. The album also features works by Arvo Pärt and Samuel Scheidt, in the same musical spirit - sober and interiorized.

Giocanni Antonini, the famous 61-year-old Italian musician, founded the Baroque "Il Giardino Armonico" ensemble in Milan in 1985. Under his leadership, the ensemble has made numerous recordings and performed in concerts across Europe, North amd South America, Australia and Asia. The Italian artist advocates for the performance of Baroque and Classical music on period instruments, in a well-documented style that is rooted in the musical practices of the 18^th century. He serves as the principal guest conductor of the Basel Chamber Orchestra and as the artistic director of the Haydn 2032 project.