NOTES BY CARL R. CUNNINGHAM | JANUARY 3-5 SYMPHONY NO. 59 IN A MAJOR (FIRE) Franz Joseph Haydn (1732-1809) Recording Ádám Fischer conducting the AustroHungarian Haydn Orchestra (Nimbus) Instrumentation pairs of oboes and horns, one bassoon and strings
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any of Haydn’s symphonies carry nicknames, and one of the most fascinating is the Fire Symphony, No. 59 in A major. It was composed sometime between 1766 and 1768, during his early years in the service of the Esterházy family. Haydn scholar H.C. Robbins Landon has taken note of the words, “Fire Symphony,” in Haydn’s handwriting on one manuscript of the score and the notation on a different copy, “1774, written as entr’acte music for the play, The Conflagration.” The symphony is well named, at least with regards to its opening movement, for it is a high-energy piece powered by a steady pulsating rhythm that leaps up and down an octave span as it relentlessly propels the music forward. The movement has strong hints of the strict Baroque traditions from which Haydn’s early music evolved, though with a typical Haydnesque surprise, the fire gradually dies away in a soft ending. Haydn’s tonal adventures are the real novelty in the slow movement, since this theme moves rather abruptly back to A major, then vacillates between major and minor as the opening theme returns. The opening theme from the second movement is echoed in the sprightly Minuet, marking another experiment from Haydn’s vast symphonic laboratory. When it has run its course, the Minuet gives way to a fleet-footed finale, appropriately led by horn calls as the music races along to a zestful conclusion.
MOZ-ART À LA HAYDN Alfred Schnittke (1934-1998)
The Classical Season is endowed by The Wortham Foundation, Inc. in memory of Gus S. and Lyndall F. Wortham. To enjoy this concert again, tune in to Houston Public Media’s broadcast series on Wednesdays at 8:00 PM on Classical 91.7.
Recording Gidon Kremer, soloist and conductor with the Chamber Orchestra of Europe (Deutsche Grammophon) Instrumentation two violin soloists, two string orchestras Numerous composers indulge in moments of levity, and post-Soviet era Russian composer Alfred Schnittke seems to be no exception. January 2014 19