Your Favorite Haydn Symphonies

Started by Dave B, January 15, 2025, 07:32:47 PM

Previous topic - Next topic

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Madiel

Quote from: Dave B on January 15, 2025, 08:18:54 PMor favorites of listeners generally.

Really, it's the London symphonies and the Paris ones that get the great majority of attention.

And not without justification. They are later in his career when he's at the height of his powers. The 12 London ones really fall into 2 sets of six from 2 different trips there (1791/2 and 1794/5), and the Paris are another set of six (1785/6).

There's more than enough there to be going on with. To my mind the tricky thing is finding a Haydn symphony that isn't a favourite at the time that you're listening to it (and the same for other genres). The man wrote so many good things. Honestly, it's been years since I've listened to even many of the London and Paris ones, because there's so much else. I vaguely remember liking no.99 a lot but I can't be sure of that because it's a very long time since I heard it.

You can set up a list, whether organised on some principle or randomised, and pretty much just keep going, and by the time you get to the end you'll be ready for the first ones again.
Freedom of speech means you get to speak in response to what I said.

Karl Henning

There's a chap on Bluesky leading a Haydn-a-Day hashtag, using a random number generator for each day's listening. Today is 78 in c minor, which is a great one!
Karl Henning, Ph.D.
Composer & Clarinetist
Boston MA
http://www.karlhenning.com/
[Matisse] was interested neither in fending off opposition,
nor in competing for the favor of wayward friends.
His only competition was with himself. — Françoise Gilot

Karl Henning

An old college roommate asked me for 40 favorites, so here's an expanded list:

6 in D, "Le matin"
7 in C, "Le midi"
8 in G, "Le soir"
13 in D, with an exquisite Adagio cantabile cello solo
15 in D, (no surprise) love the opening Adagio
26 in d minor, "Lamentazione"
28 in A
31 in D, "Hornsignal"
43 in E -flat, "Mercury"
44 in e minor , "Mourning"
45 in b minor, "Farewell"
46 in B, "Il filosofo"
49 in f minor, "La Passione"
51 in B-flat
55 in E -flat, "The Schoolmaster"
60 in C, "Il distratto"
67 in F
68 in B-flat
71 in B-flat
72 in D
75 in D
76 in E-flat
77 in B-flat
78 in c minor
80 in d minor
83 in G, "The Hen"
85 in B-flat, "The Queen"
88 in G
92 in G, "Oxford"
94 in G, "Surprise," while the titular surprise isn't any more, the symphony as a whole remains great.
95 in c minor
96 in D, "The Miracle"
97 in C
98 in B-flat, love the keyboard solo in the Finale
99 in E -flat, "The Cat," the first with clarinets, I believe
100 in G, "Military"
101 in D, "The Clock"
102 in B-flat
103 in E -flat, "Drumroll"
104 in D, "London"
Karl Henning, Ph.D.
Composer & Clarinetist
Boston MA
http://www.karlhenning.com/
[Matisse] was interested neither in fending off opposition,
nor in competing for the favor of wayward friends.
His only competition was with himself. — Françoise Gilot

Brian

#23
I'll try to write a little note as to why each is in my top 10.

  • No. 45 "Farewell". It's an absolute firecracker of a dramatic symphony even before the famous ending.
  • No. 49 "La passione". One of the most powerful and emotional of all. Got to see it live a couple years ago. (I think the only other one I've seen live is 95.)
  • No. 60 "Il distratto". Everybody loves this one!
  • No. 67. All of it is lively, but the ending of the slow movement is unforgettable, one of my favorite Haydn inventions ever.
  • No. 80. My most favorite of all. It's so off-kilter. It's Sturm und Drang, it's silly, it's full of syncopations and "wrong" writing, it is really living out there on the edge. I especially love the bizarre trio in the minuet.
  • No. 82 "The Bear". This was the first Haydn symphony that I really got to know as a teenager, and it has stayed with me all these years as a "home base," especially because of the lively bear dance finale.
  • No. 92 "Oxford". Especially listening to the Szell recording, the first 15 seconds or so are pure bliss. It's like slipping into a hot tub...aahhhhhh.
  • No. 98. As Karl said, the sheer fun of the finale with its keyboard solo. IIRC, Bruggen slows down dramatically for this solo so that it's even wittier.
  • No. 99 "The Cat". This has really been growing on me in the last few years.
  • No. 103 "Drumroll". The conductor must allow the timpanist to really go crazy with the drumroll, instead of a timid little pitter-patter. Harnoncourt is good about this.

Also considered 53, 83, and the Clock. Need to relisten soon to 1, 21, 46, and 70-73 soon.

Jo498

Two Unpopular Haydn Symphony Opinions: I find both the keyboard solo in the finale of #98 (an otherwise magnificent grand scale symphony) and the military movement in #100 rather silly...
Tout le malheur des hommes vient d'une seule chose, qui est de ne savoir pas demeurer en repos, dans une chambre.
- Blaise Pascal

Brian

I think the keyboard solo is meant to be silly! It's almost like a self-parody, taking down the symphony's own seriousness.

Karl Henning

Quote from: Brian on February 01, 2025, 09:13:20 AMI think the keyboard solo is meant to be silly! It's almost like a self-parody, taking down the symphony's own seriousness.
Yes, Haydn's never-failing wit.
Karl Henning, Ph.D.
Composer & Clarinetist
Boston MA
http://www.karlhenning.com/
[Matisse] was interested neither in fending off opposition,
nor in competing for the favor of wayward friends.
His only competition was with himself. — Françoise Gilot

Madiel

Quote from: Brian on February 01, 2025, 09:13:20 AMI think the keyboard solo is meant to be silly! It's almost like a self-parody, taking down the symphony's own seriousness.

This would fit with a man who also gave London audiences a bassoon fart.
Freedom of speech means you get to speak in response to what I said.

André

Quote from: Jo498 on February 01, 2025, 08:42:41 AMTwo Unpopular Haydn Symphony Opinions: I find both the keyboard solo in the finale of #98 (an otherwise magnificent grand scale symphony) and the military movement in #100 rather silly...

Jo ! Oh, Jo ! 😢