No. 5 in A is generally accepted as the last of Haydn's symphonies from his period at the Lukavec court. It is a noteworthy farewell, as remarkable as its predecessor is conventional. The composer returns to the then still-new format of four movements.

No. 5 commences with an adagio, which has led some to ascribe it to belonging to the church-sonata tradition. Haydn would well into mid-output return to the practice, the result always being very profound and mysterious. For the term "adagio" has always carried with it a suggestion of deeper meaning and feeling, reaching its summit in the symphonies of Bruckner. In this it stands apart from "andante." This unusual movement features some astonishing high writing for the horns, crooked in A. The reverie is contrasted with the following taut, bass-driven movement. The ensuing minuet and trio again rely on virtuoso horn playing. The finale parallels the second movement in spirit, being nervous, spry and carried along by athletic bass lines.

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