Post by erik on Mar 12, 2022 13:17:39 GMT -5
The fifth of the twelve "London" symphonies of Franz Joseph Haydn, namely No. 97, is in this week's Classical Works Spotlight.
Haydn: SYMPHONY NO. 97 IN C MAJOR
Arguably the most prolific time in Franz Joseph Haydn’s life, when it came to symphonies at least, involved the two trips he made to London in the 1790’s on commissions from Johann Peter Solomon to compose in England, where Haydn’s popularity was as high as it was back in Vienna. During those two visits, the composer wrote the final twelve symphonies of his life, the so-called “London” symphonies (though it was only the last of these, No. 104, that actually had the “London” designation to it). The symphonies were to expand on what Haydn had done before, and also what he had gained from his friendship with his younger (and sadly departed) contemporary Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. The 97th Symphony, composed in 1792 and the only one of the London symphonies in the key of C Major, has a unique feature of all of the composer’s symphonies up to that time in that the slow introduction of the first movement avoids establishing the key, allowing the main body of the movement to do it; and the slow movement that follows is a set of variations in F Major, with one brief episode into F Minor. The menuet has an instruction for the orchestra concertmaster to play his violin an octave above the rest of the first violins; while the vigorous finale looks forward in some ways to the similarly keyed First Symphony of Beethoven, which was to come some seven years later. The symphony continues to find its way onto recordings to this day, despite it not possessing a best-selling nickname like several of its companions in the London set.
New York Philharmonic Orchestra/LEONARD BERNSTEIN (CBS/Sony Classics)
Included (2-CD set):
SYMPHONY NO. 93 IN D MAJOR
SYMPHONY NO. 94 IN G MAJOR (SURPRISE)
SYMPHONY NO. 95 IN C MINOR
SYMPHONY NO. 96 IN D MAJOR (MIRACLE)
SYMPHONY NO. 98 IN B FLAT MAJOR
SYMPHONY NO. 99 IN E FLAT MAJOR
Haydn: SYMPHONY NO. 97 IN C MAJOR
Arguably the most prolific time in Franz Joseph Haydn’s life, when it came to symphonies at least, involved the two trips he made to London in the 1790’s on commissions from Johann Peter Solomon to compose in England, where Haydn’s popularity was as high as it was back in Vienna. During those two visits, the composer wrote the final twelve symphonies of his life, the so-called “London” symphonies (though it was only the last of these, No. 104, that actually had the “London” designation to it). The symphonies were to expand on what Haydn had done before, and also what he had gained from his friendship with his younger (and sadly departed) contemporary Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. The 97th Symphony, composed in 1792 and the only one of the London symphonies in the key of C Major, has a unique feature of all of the composer’s symphonies up to that time in that the slow introduction of the first movement avoids establishing the key, allowing the main body of the movement to do it; and the slow movement that follows is a set of variations in F Major, with one brief episode into F Minor. The menuet has an instruction for the orchestra concertmaster to play his violin an octave above the rest of the first violins; while the vigorous finale looks forward in some ways to the similarly keyed First Symphony of Beethoven, which was to come some seven years later. The symphony continues to find its way onto recordings to this day, despite it not possessing a best-selling nickname like several of its companions in the London set.
New York Philharmonic Orchestra/LEONARD BERNSTEIN (CBS/Sony Classics)
Included (2-CD set):
SYMPHONY NO. 93 IN D MAJOR
SYMPHONY NO. 94 IN G MAJOR (SURPRISE)
SYMPHONY NO. 95 IN C MINOR
SYMPHONY NO. 96 IN D MAJOR (MIRACLE)
SYMPHONY NO. 98 IN B FLAT MAJOR
SYMPHONY NO. 99 IN E FLAT MAJOR