Going through each of these six London Symphonies (after today, we'll have finished three of them) has been a wonderful experience. I can't believe I went this long through life and, until recently, never really listened to Haydn's symphonic works.
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Sir Colin Davis and the Concertgebouw Orchestra
Joseph Haydn (1732-1809)
Haydn: 6 "London" Symphonies (Nos. 94, 100, 101, 96, 103 and 104)
Philips, 1977/2001
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In fact, when I was a student, my limited familiarity with Haydn quickly morphed into contempt after playing his Trumpet Concerto a few hundred times too many at auditions for various All-State and All-County music competitions. Unfortunately, even the best music doesn't age well after countless repetitions.
But what a mistake I made generalizing from the fact that I got sick of this one work! Just like with my initial, trumpet-centric impression of Mozart, I had no idea what I was missing. Yet again, this blog has caused me to take a new look at a great composer and be overjoyed by what I find.
My reaction each time I fire up one of these symphonies is always a sense of mystification on how I missed out for so long on such wonderful music.
Listener notes for Symphony No. 101:
1) Once again the stylistic similarities between Haydn and Mozart are striking. If a week ago you played the first movement of #101, and told me it was Mozart, I'd believe you. Now that I've started this blog, however, I'll never be tricked again.
2) At 6:27 in the first movement (track 9 of this Philips disc), it sounds like there's a slight engineering error. The volume of the recording drops meaningfully mid-note and then the rest of the track is at that lower output level.
3) I love the whimsical second movement, where the "Clock" Symphony gets its nickname. Listen for the bassoons (with string bass accompaniment) playing the "tick-tock" theme. You think you're in for a pleasant, bouncy little piece of music. But then, at 2:33 into the movement, Papa Haydn pulls the rug out from under you with a booming, minor chord, followed by a loud and thrilling fugue-like passage involving the whole orchestra. Talk about injecting some drama! But then, a minute later, it's back to "tick-tock, tick-tock" whimsy. One again, you can tell Haydn wrote his music with a twinkle in his eye.
4) I'm also beginning to think that a close listen to any of Hadyn's London Symphonies might be an effective cure for depression. It sure worked for me the other day.
**********************
Sir Colin Davis and the Concertgebouw Orchestra
Joseph Haydn (1732-1809)
Haydn: 6 "London" Symphonies (Nos. 94, 100, 101, 96, 103 and 104)
Philips, 1977/2001
**********************
In fact, when I was a student, my limited familiarity with Haydn quickly morphed into contempt after playing his Trumpet Concerto a few hundred times too many at auditions for various All-State and All-County music competitions. Unfortunately, even the best music doesn't age well after countless repetitions.
But what a mistake I made generalizing from the fact that I got sick of this one work! Just like with my initial, trumpet-centric impression of Mozart, I had no idea what I was missing. Yet again, this blog has caused me to take a new look at a great composer and be overjoyed by what I find.
My reaction each time I fire up one of these symphonies is always a sense of mystification on how I missed out for so long on such wonderful music.
Listener notes for Symphony No. 101:
1) Once again the stylistic similarities between Haydn and Mozart are striking. If a week ago you played the first movement of #101, and told me it was Mozart, I'd believe you. Now that I've started this blog, however, I'll never be tricked again.
2) At 6:27 in the first movement (track 9 of this Philips disc), it sounds like there's a slight engineering error. The volume of the recording drops meaningfully mid-note and then the rest of the track is at that lower output level.
3) I love the whimsical second movement, where the "Clock" Symphony gets its nickname. Listen for the bassoons (with string bass accompaniment) playing the "tick-tock" theme. You think you're in for a pleasant, bouncy little piece of music. But then, at 2:33 into the movement, Papa Haydn pulls the rug out from under you with a booming, minor chord, followed by a loud and thrilling fugue-like passage involving the whole orchestra. Talk about injecting some drama! But then, a minute later, it's back to "tick-tock, tick-tock" whimsy. One again, you can tell Haydn wrote his music with a twinkle in his eye.
4) I'm also beginning to think that a close listen to any of Hadyn's London Symphonies might be an effective cure for depression. It sure worked for me the other day.
Comments
Love the new song sample widget too.
:)