Joseph Haydn (1732 - 1809)
Symphony No.44 in E Minor "Trauer" ("Mourning")
Symphony No.88 in G Major
Symphony No.104 in D Major "London"
Joseph Haydn was as prolific as any eighteenth century composer, his
fecundity a matter, in good pan, of the nature of his employment and the length
of his life. Born in 1732 in the village of Rohrau, the san of a wheelwright,
he was recruited to the choir of St. Stephen's Cathedral in Vienna at the age
of eight, later making a living as best he could as a musician in the capital
and earning useful acquaintances through his association with Metastasio, the
court Poet, and the composer Nicola Porpora.
In 1759, after some eight years of teaching and free-lance performance,
whether as violinist or keyboard-player, Haydn found greater security in a
position in the household of Count Morzin as director of music, wintering in
Vienna and spending the summer on the Count's estate in Bohemia, where an
orchestra was available. In 1760 Haydn married the eldest daughter of a wigmaker,
a match that was to bring him no great solace, and by the following year he had
entered the service of Prince Paul Anton Esterházy as deputy to the old
Kapellmeister Gregor Werner, who had much fault to find with his young
colleague. In 1762 Prince Paul Anton died and was succeeded by his brother
Prince Nikolaus, who concerned himself with the building of the great palace of
Esterháza. In 1766 Werner died, and Haydn assumed the full duties of
Kapellmeister, spending the larger pan of the year at Esterháza and pan of the
winter at Eisenstadt, where his first years of service to the Esterházy family
had passed.
Haydn's responsibilities at Esterháza were manifold. As Kapellmeister
he was in full charge of the musicians employed by the Prince; writing music of
all kinds, and directing performances both instrumental and operatic. This busy
if isolated career came to an end with the death of Prince Nikolaus in 1790.
From then onwards Haydn had greater freedom, while continuing to enjoy the
title and emoluments of his position as Kapellmeister to the Prince's
successors.
Haydn's release from his immediate responsibilities allowed him, in
1791, to accept an invitation to visit London, where he provided music for the
concerts organised by Johann Peter Salomon. His considerable success led to a
second visit in 1794. The following year, at the request of the new Prince
Esterházy, who had succeeded his eider brother in 1794, he resumed some of his
earlier duties as Kapellmeister, now in Eisenstadt and in Vienna, where he took
up his own residence until his death in 1809.
Symphony No.44 in E Minor
was written about the year 1771. The name by which it is generally known, Trauer Symphony (Mourning), is said to
have been suggested by the composer, who is alleged to have asked for the slow
movement to be played at his funeral. The symphony is characteristic of the
intensity of feeling that characterised the Sturm
und Drang mood of the time, opening with a stark, rising figure,
followed by a dramatic continuation. The Minuet is placed second instead of
third and is in the form of a canon between the violins and the bass line, with
a lyrical E Major Trio. The slow movement, also in the key of E Major, opens
with muted strings, oboes and horns making their own delicate addition to the
texture as the music unfolds. The finale has a unison opening, the theme
dominating the whole movement, which sustains the intensity of the first bars
of the work.
Symphony No.88 in G
Major was one of a pair of symphonies that the violinist Johann Tost took to
Paris from Esterháza. Tost had led the second violins in Haydn's orchestra for
five years and was later to be the recipient of the set of string quartets
known as the Tost Quartets. From Haydn's correspondence we gather that he may
not have been entirely trustworthy, a conclusion that could be drawn from his
later suggestion of setting up a business for pirating the musical manuscripts
at Esterháza, and, indeed, from his arrangement with Spohr for the exclusive
right to his compositions. Tost, in fact, became a business-man, when he left
the Esterháza orchestra, marrying a former housekeeper to Prince Esterházy and
winning a degree of prosperity that a mere violinist, even of his obvious
proficiency, could hardly hope to attain.
The G Major Symphony
opens with a slow introduction, proceeding to a cheerfully robust Allegro,
scored for the Esterháza resources of single flute, oboes, bassoons, horns and
strings. Contrary to all expectation trumpets and drums appear in the D Major
slow movement, in which solo oboe and cello announce the principal theme, which
is followed by variations. There is a pleasant Minuet and Trio and a brilliant
Rondo in conclusion.
Symphony No.104 in D Major
is the last of Haydn's symphonies and the last of the dozen such works
commissioned by the violinist Salomon for his London seasons. It was probably
performed for the first time at the Opera Concert given at the King's Theatre
on 13th April, 1795. In 1791 Haydn had visited London for the first time, and
this high I y successful and lucrative visit was followed by a second in 1794.
The Opera Concerts replaced the former series under Salomon's sole management
at the Hanover Square Rooms, and were given in collaboration with the violinist
Viotti.
This final symphony is scored for pairs of flutes, oboes, clarinets,
bassoons, horns, trumpets and drums, with the usual strings, and, at its first
performance, Dr. Haydn at the pianoforte. There is a slow introduction, which,
as so often, has a motivic connection with w hat follows, a lively Allegro in
the customary tripartite form, its central development a masterpiece of
craftsmanship. The slow movement allows the strings to otter a theme of simple
beauty, G Major answered by a central section in G Minor. The well known Minuet
and Trio, in this, one of the best known of Haydn's symphonies, is followed by
a final movement for the themes of which Croatian and London patriots have
staked their various claims. The themes certainly have all the contours of
folk-song, from whatever region, and are treated with consummate skill and
imagination.
Capella Istropolitana
The Capella Istropolitana was founded in 1983 by members of the Slovak
Philharmonic Orchestra, at first as a chamber orchestra and then as an
orchestra large enough to tackle the standard classical repertoire. Based in
Bratislava, its name drawn from the ancient name still preserved in the
Academia Istropolitana, the orchestra works in the recording studio and
undertakes frequent tours throughout Europe. Recordings by the orchestra on the
Naxos label include The Best of Baroque
Music, Bach's Brandenburg
Concertos, fifteen each of Mozart's and Haydn's Symphonies as well
as works by Handel, Vivaldi and Telsmann.
Barry Wordsworth
Barry Wordsworth's career has been dominated by his work for the Royal
Ballet which started when he played the solo part in Frank Martin's Harpsichord
Concerto, a score used by Sir Kenneth MacMillan for his ballet, Las Hermanas.
In 1973 he became Assistant Conductor of the Royal Ballet's Touring Orchestra
and in 1974 Principal Conductor of Sadlers Wells Royal Ballet. He made his
debut at Covent Garden conducting MacMillan's Manon>
in 1975 and since then has conducted there frequently. He has toured
extensively with the Royal Ballet, conducting orchestras in New Zealand, Hong
Kong, Singapore, Korea, Canada and Australia, where he has been guest conductor
for Australian Ballet.
In 1987 while retaining his connection with both Royal Ballet companies
as Quest conductor, Barry Wordsworth also worked with the Royal Liverpool
Philharmonic Orchestra, the Royal Philharmonic, the Philharmonia, the Ulster
Orchestra, the BBC Concert and the London Philharmonic Orchestras. For the
Naxos label Wordsworth recorded a number of Mozart and Haydn symphonies, works
by Smetana and Dvorak and for the Marco Polo label works by Bax.