In 2009, the music world around the globe will commemorate the 200th anniversary of the death of Joseph Haydn. On Hyperion, Howard Shelley and his stylish continental orchestra present the symphonies that made Haydn the most famous and popular composer alive in the 1790s. These are Haydn’s most glittering, worldly symphonies, and listening to them as a set one can sense the exhiliarating milieu in which they were written. These new recordings, featuring high class performances, excellent recorded sound and illuminating booklet notes at a budget price, are the perfect way to experience the joy and splendour of these works.