It’s such a pity Haydn suffers from comments such as this; everyone is entitled to an opinion, however mistaken it may be, but presenting it as a fact is not on. The finale is not ‘weak’ in any respect; it is an inspired, imaginative sonata-rondo with a real hint of the stage about it. The C major brilliance is tempered with clever contrapuntal dexterity along with harmonic twists, and the movement has an effective coda.
