Claude-François-Marie Rigoley, Comte d'Ogny (1757-90) was one of the promoters of the Concert de la Loge Olympique in Paris. Sometime in either late 1784 or early 1785, he commissioned six symphonies from Haydn, agreeing to pay twenty-five louis d'or for each. Such a commission attests to Haydn's widespread fame at the time. The works were not composed in their present order: Nos. 83 and 87 (and possibly 85) date from 1785 while Nos. 82, 84 and 86 are from 1786. Haydn requested that his Viennese publisher, Artaria & Co., publish the works in the following order: 87, 85, 83, 84, 86 and 82; his wish was not granted.

All six of the "Paris" symphonies are scored for one flute and two each of oboe, bassoon, and horn with strings; the exceptions are Nos. 82 and 86, to which Haydn added timpani and two trumpets. Symphony No. 85 in B flat major is known as "La Reine" (The Queen).

The first movement is notable for its slow introduction—typical of Haydn's processes at this point in his career—and for its main theme, which is cleverly assembled from two different elements: a sustained tone that seems to suspend itself above the texture before eventually falling, and rapidly descending scale. These elements dominate the entire movement. The development section is one of Haydn's longest, taking the rising and falling arpeggio of the secondary theme through numerous harmonies.

Haydn set the slow movement in theme and variations form, choosing as a theme a contemporary French ballad, "La gentile et belle Lisette" ("The Kind and Beautiful Lisette"). The ensuing variations are generally decorative in nature, elaborating on rather than obscuring the recognizable theme; the theme finds its way into different instruments for variety of timbre.

The third movement, a Minuet and Trio, contains some humorous expansions on the traditional format. For instance, in the Trio we hear a humorously long melodic extension in the second half that separates the new phrase from the expected rounding return of the first phrase. Although the extension acts like a transition, it only serves to make us wait for what we know is coming.

The Finale is a mingling of ternary rondo and sonata forms. The theme, first played by a single bassoon, is alternated with contrasting episodes, as is typical of a rondo; however, the second, rather lengthy episode has a developmental quality to it, so that the return to the main theme afterwards feels recapitulatory.

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