Franz Joseph Haydn became the most important Austrian composer during the central part of the 18th century. His early career had not been particularly impressive, but from 1761 he produced a series of works that remain at the centre of today’s standard repertoire. His immense catalogue contains 104 numbered symphonies, the last twenty forming part of the essential concert repertoire. The three works included here date from the 1770s, and find Haydn experimenting with the styles he would use in his later scores. They have a new sense of drama and vitality in the outer movements, bringing a new weight and stature to the symphonic form.