Album review: Haydn: The Seasons

For the unmistakable mark of Sir Colin Davis alone, and a performance under his direction of Haydn's extensive oratorio The Seasons that oozes operatic exuberance and nature-fed optimism at its broadest level, this latest LSO Live disc is genuinely attractive. However, there are aspects that leave it short of perfection. The LSO itself injects otherwise snappy ensemble playing with persistent scrappiness in the strings, and the large LSO Chorus is sometimes a victim of its own bulky largesse, though it does achieve some lovely character moments when the mood takes it, especially the ladies. Miah Persson, Jeremy Ovenden and Andrew Foster-Williams are an ebullient vocal trio. The one unqualified winner is, of course, Haydn's sparkling music.