The first of the six symphonies Haydn composed for his second visit to England was the Symphony No. 99 in E flat major. It was first performed on February 10, 1794, in London.

The symphony is scored for two each of flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, horn, and trumpet, with timpani and strings. This is the first symphony in which Haydn's usual forces are augmented by a pair of clarinets, which certainly contribute to the overall mellow tone color of the entire piece. The piece's plangent expressiveness often obscures its contrapuntal detail.

After one of Haydn's characteristic slow introductions, the sonata-form first movement sprints ahead at a Vivace assai tempo, the main theme appearing in the strings only. A repeat of the first theme with the full orchestra leads to the transition, which, as in many late works by Haydn, is significantly longer than the first theme segment. When the dominant arrives, we are treated to the first theme again, but on B flat major, suggesting this will be a monothematic movement. A true secondary theme, however, appears much later. The development section tosses about the opening measures of the main theme, sometimes in inversion and combined with other elements. When the recapitulation arrives, we hear the full orchestra, with all the material of the exposition resolved to the tonic following a significantly shortened transition.

It is very likely that the melancholy Adagio is Haydn's musical response to the death, in January, 1793, of his close friend Marianne von Genzinger. With an unusually long development section for a slow movement in sonata form, the G major movement features some fascinating reorchestration during the recapitulation of the second theme.

In the E flat major Minuet, the first section modulates to the dominant. This harmony continues as the second section opens with a rising motive that counters the falling figure of the first section—a perfect example of Haydn's predilection for long-range melodic balance. A return of the opening material rounds out the Minuet and brings back E flat major. The Trio, in the striking key of C major, is built of melodies with a much narrower range than those of the Minuet.

The Rondo Finale blazes along in a Vivace tempo and 2/4 meter. The relentless pulse pauses for a poignant moment at the middle of the movement, containing a harmonic reference to a similar passage in the introduction to the first movement. After regaining its momentum, the Rondo pushes to powerful close.

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