Symphonies 100 & 96: Miltär / Miracle (Military-Militaire)

This 1982 Decca release features the Wiener Philharmoniker under the baton of Karl Münchinger, pairing Haydn's Symphony No. 96, known as the 'Miracle,' with Symphony No. 100, the 'Military.' Münchinger was long celebrated for his refined, precise approach to the Classical repertoire, and his partnership with the Vienna Philharmonic brought a distinctly Austrian elegance to these symphonies, which were among Haydn's most popular works in the late 18th century.

The record was issued as part of the Decca Viva series, an initiative designed to provide high-quality reissues of classical performances to a broader audience during the early 1980s. The cover art and production values reflect the series' aesthetic of accessibility without sacrificing the technical standards established by Decca's storied engineering team. Critics of the period generally praised Münchinger for his clarity of texture and rhythmic discipline, noting that these recordings successfully balanced the symphonies' lighter operatic moments with their more robust, martial passages.