This fifth volume in the series presents three of Haydn's Paris symphonies, composed in the mid-1780s for a large new orchestra recently founded in the French capital. By this point Haydn had gained the freedom to publish his music independently and accept outside commissions beyond his post at the Esterhazy court, and these works show him writing with renewed confidence and ambition. Symphony No. 84 opens with a strikingly colourful introduction, while No. 85, nicknamed 'La Reine' for its popularity with Marie Antoinette, charms with rustic interludes in its trio. The set culminates in No. 86, often considered the finest of the Paris symphonies, whose seamless transition from slow introduction to main movement remains one of Haydn's most masterful strokes. Together the three works showcase the inexhaustible variety and craftsmanship of Haydn's symphonic writing at the height of his career.