SYMPHONY no. 32
C major
HAYDN (1732 - 1809)

Allegro molto
Menuet and Trio
Adagio ma non troppo
Finale(Presto)

Haydn was born in Rohrau, Austria, and at the age of 8 he went to Vienna as a choirboy at St. Stephen's Cathedral. When his voice began to break, his days as a choirboy were numbered, although some writers have suggested that Haydn's dismissal was as the result of an unspecified prank. For the next eight years he managed to eke out a living by teaching and playing, but by the late 1750s Haydn was beginning to become known as a musician. On the recommendation of Baron Fürnberg, whose children he had taught, he obtained an appointment as Music Director to Count Morzin. Morzin lived in Vienna, but spent the summers at his palace at Lukavec where he had a small orchestra. Unfortunately, Morzin managed to squander his wealth and within a couple of years disbanded his orchestra. Haydn was subsequently appointed in 1761 as Vice-Kapellmeister at Eisenstadt to Prince Paul Esterházy. Haydn remained with the Esterházy family for most of the rest of his life.

Although the date of composition of tonight's work has not been conclusively established, it is thought to date from Haydn's period with Count Morzin. The lively opening Allegro is followed by a Minuet and Trio - unusually placed before the slow movement. This may indicate that the symphony originated as a Partita or Serenade from which one of the two customary minuets had been omitted. The Finale is a cheerful Presto. It is in triple time, like many of the finales of Haydn's works from this period.

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HORN CONCERTO no.4 
Eb major K.495
MOZART (1756 - 91)
(Soloist - Richard Wainwright)

Allegro moderato
Romanza (Andante)
Rondo (Allegro vivace)

Mozart composed his four horn concertos for Ignaz Leutgeb, who had been the first horn player in the Archbishop's orchestra at Salzburg. Leutgeb was given leave from Salzburg to play in Paris, Vienna and Milan, but eventually settled in Vienna in 1777 when he inherited a cheese shop! In spite of this somewhat drastic change of career, Leutgeb continued to play the horn in public and met Mozart again when the latter also moved to Vienna, in 1781.

Mozart's sense of humour is well known and Leutgeb was subjected to numerous sarcastic comments written in various scores, including those of the four horn concertos written between 1783 and 1786. The second concerto bears the inscription : "Mozart took pity on that ass, ox and fool Leutgeb in Vienna on 27th March 1783". In the sketch for horn and strings (K.514), Mozart wrote a series of remarks in Italian which almost formed a commentary : "It's your turn now, Mr. Donkey - quick - hurry - go on - bravo - courage - idiot - what terrible intonation - dear me - well done, poor fellow." concluding with "Thank Heaven! Enough, enough!" at the end of the movement. Leutgeb got no respite with tonight's work - Mozart wrote out the music in a mixture of black, blue, red and green ink, supposedly to represent various cheeses!

The fourth concerto dates from June 1786. The opening movement is the most substantial in any of the concertos. It is followed by a beautifully expressive Romanza. The finale features what must be the best known melody in the whole of the horn repertoire.

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NOCTURNE FOR HORN & STRINGS
SEIBER (1905 - 1960)
(Soloist - Richard Wainwright)

Mátyás Seiber was born in Budapest. He started to learn the 'cello at the age of ten and in 1919 began to study cello and composition at the Budapest Academy of Music, where his teachers included Kodály. His compositions first came to public attention in 1925 when he entered a Wind Serenade in a competition in Budapest. Kodály and Bartók were on the competition jury and when Seiber was not awarded the prize, Bartók resigned in protest! On completing his studies, Seiber took up a teaching position in Frankfurt before leaving for America as a 'cellist in a ship's orchestra. He returned to Frankfurt the following year and stayed for several years as a teacher at the Conservatory. He left Germany in late 1933 visiting Budapest and Russia before arriving in 1935 in England where he was to live for the rest of his life. He became well known in England both as a teacher and a composer, but continued to travel abroad to teach and attend performances of his music. It was during a lecture tour to South Africa in 1960 that he was killed in a car crash while visiting the Kruger National Park.

The Nocturne for Horn and Strings was composed in 1944. Seiber inscribed it : "Written for Dennis Brain and dedicated to the memory of Brahms." It is a very atmospheric piece making full use of the solo instrument's range and expressive qualities.

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SYMPHONY no.36 (Linz)
C major K.425
MOZART (1756 - 91)

Adagio - Allegro spiritoso
Poco adagio
Menuetto
Finale (Presto)

Mozart married Constanze Weber on 4th August 1782 in St. Stephen's Cathedral in Vienna. Mozart's father, Leopold, had been less than enthusiastic about the marriage - he was not at the wedding and his grudging consent arrived the day after the ceremony had taken place. Mozart was keen to take his new wife to Salzburg to meet his father and sister but, much to Leopold's annoyance, the visit was postponed on a number of occasions for a variety of reasons including the weather, concert commitments and the fact that Constanze was pregnant. Following the birth in June of their first child, Raimund Leopold, Mozart again postponed the visit to Salzburg, this time in the belief that the Archbishop would have him arrested! The much-postponed trip eventually got under way in July. They arrived on the 29th, the day before his sister Nannerl's birthday, and stayed for about three months. During their stay, Raimund Leopold, whom they had left behind in foster care in Vienna, died.

Wolfgang and Constanze set off on their return journey to Vienna on 27th October and on the 30th they arrived in Linz. During the journey, they had met the young Count Thun, who informed him that his father had been expecting them to visit him in Linz. When they arrived in the city, a servant was waiting to escort them to the Count's house where they received a warm and generous welcome. In a letter, dated 31st October, to his father, Mozart wrote : "On Tuesday, that's 4th November, I will give a concert in the theatre here. As I didn't bring a single symphony with me, I'll have to write a new one in a hurry, for it has to be finished by that time. I must close now, for I have to start work at once."

The result, written in less than 5 days, was his Symphony No. 36, nowadays known as the "Linz" symphony. In spite of the speed at which it was written, it was grander than any of his previous symphonies and a full ten minutes longer than its immediate predecessor, the "Haffner". Mozart also managed to introduce two new features - a slow introduction, reminiscent of Haydn, and the use of trumpets and timpani in the slow movement. Its energetic first movement and lively string writing in the finale make the "Linz" one of the sunniest of his later symphonies.