Franz Xaver is known to have written in the order of forty symphonies, pace that review a healthy contribution to the 18th century literature. The four heard here, thought to be fairly early works, are not quite indispensable masterpieces, yet nor are they negligible or in any regard forgettable. In fact, they exhibit considerable craft, and within the well-defined stylistic boundaries of Galant, are as fresh and vivid as they are elegantly Viennese.

…I’ve had nothing but words of praise for Häkkinen…Häkkinen has been artistic director of the Helsinki Baroque Orchestra…Performance and recording on the present disc are exemplary.

…these are agreeable, enjoyable works that make a valuable addition to the vast storehouse of early Classical symphonies. © 2013 Fanfare Read complete review

Ya que no por sus obras, el compositor checo František Xaver Dušek (1731–1799) es recordado por su estrecha amistad con Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, así como por su suntuosa residencia, sita en las, por aquel entonces, afueras de Praga, Villa Bertramka, en donde el genio salzburgués acabó Don Giovanni y compuso La clemenza di Tito.

Entre la copiosa producción de Dušek, mayoritariamente instrumental, se conservan 39 Sinfonías, en un estilo obviamente muy cercano al de Franz Joseph Haydn, cuatro de las cuales (las catalogadas por Vladimír Altner con las siglas G4, Bb2, A3 y Bb3) son las que aquí nos ofrece en una primorosa, brillante y vivaz interpretación la Orquesta Barroca de Helsinki.

This recording of four of the Dussek Sinfonias further cements my thoughts from all those years ago in a very positive way. The music is a breath of fresh air and there’s hardly a dull moment to be heard in the 53 minutes worth of music on this CD. Dussek was a tunesmith. All four symphonies are crammed full of melodies but there’s more to it than that. The orchestration is the work of a true craftsman and the musical ideas are allowed to develop in a true symphonic sense.

The performances are fine…and the continuo player…is inventive and delightful to hear. Informative liner notes. © 2012 American Record Guide Read complete review on American Record Guide online

This was an enjoyable hour of listening, and I would be happy and surprised to hear any of these works in concert. I certainly enjoyed these performances…the Helsinki Baroque Orchestra’s playing is far more committed and polished. Allegros move along with plenty of fire and energy—cellos and bass really sustaining forward momentum with crisp articulation of their line—while the slow movements display the true sense of give and take that comes when players are genuinely listening to one another. The ensemble offers up some lovely rich timbres, especially because several of the movements feature divided violas. The final movements are taken at quite a pace, without ever sounding breathless, articulation always clear, and the hairpin dynamics wonderfully realized. These are players who enjoy and believe in the music, and that is the exact kind of advocacy this music deserves—and needs.

The Naxos engineers have captured the orchestra in sound that is a tad too bright and close; I would have appreciated a warmer, more resonant acoustic. Such an analytical recording would readily reveal any deficiencies in ensemble or intonation, but that is not an issue with these talented Finnish musicians. Yet it seems churlish to complain: here is music that is rarely heard, yet surely deserving of a larger audience, in first-rate performances featuring excellent energetic playing, all at budget price. CD collectors owe Allan Badley, his music publishing company Artaria—which produces new editions of most of the music recorded in this 18th Century Symphony series—and Naxos a large debt of gratitude for sharing this music with us. I eagerly anticipate the next release in this rewarding series. © 2012 MusicWeb International Read complete review

Small ensemble, 18-strong, big music-making; modest scoring—strings with pairs of oboes and horns—but a wide-ranging imagination from Franz Xaver Dussek (1731-99), all topped by wide-ranging musicianship from Aapo Häkkinen. Sensibly he adds a bassoon to reinforce the bass; and, unlike Helios 18 in Naxos’s first disc of Dussek symphonies, he avoids the mistake of including an obtrusive harpsichord continuo. Häkkinen directs from a fortepiano, appropriately so. He uses it to decorate lines and enhance tonal colour, eschewing the infuriating anachronism of emphasising harmonic rhythm.

Das ist keine Diätkost: Aapa Häkkinens Dussek-Interpretationen sind nahrhaft, kräftig gewürzt und vollmundig. So wird der Finne der Musik des Mozart-Freundes Frantisek Xaver Dussek (1731-1799) vollauf gerecht und unterstreicht wohltuend ihre geistreiche Instrumentierung und ihre melodischen Einfälle. Man missverstehe mich im Übrigen nicht: das Barockorchester aus Helsinki raubt der Musik mit dem Substanzton nicht ihre Vitalität und nicht ihre Beschwingtheit. Die Finnen bleiben einfach nur bodenständig, machen kleine Show und kein Design, sondern Musik! Richtig schöne und gefällige Musik. © 2012 Pizzicato

…cleverly scored, tuneful, and mostly brief…

The performances by the Helsinki Baroque Orchestra under Häkkinen are what might be termed “generic period instrument,” but of high quality. The wind players—oboes, horns, and bassoon—have an attractive timbre and maintain good intonation throughout. The strings are typically dry and thin-toned, but rhythmically precise and alert; not a problem in quick movements but less alluring in the andantes.