Symphony no 96 in D major 'Miracle'

Haydn (1732 - 1809)

Adagio - Allegro
Andante
Menuetto and Trio : Allegretto
Finale : Vivace (assai)

In 1761, Haydn was appointed Vice-Kapellmeister at Eisenstadt to Prince Paul Esterházy. Prince Paul was succeeded in 1762 by Prince Nikolaus. For almost 30 years Haydn remained with the Esterházy family, spending much of his time at the palace of Esterháza. It was a fairly isolated existence which, on the whole, suited Haydn. However, in 1789 he received a letter from Marianne von Genzinger, the wife of Prince Nikolaus's Viennese doctor, asking him to correct a piano version she had made of the Andante from one of his symphonies. Haydn visited the Genzingers in Vienna several times. These visits introduced him to a life very different to that at court. He began to look beyond the confines of Esterháza and longed to be able to move to Vienna. His chance came in September 1790 when Prince Nikolaus died. His successor, Prince Anton, did not share his father's musical interests and he dismissed most of the court orchestra. Haydn retained his position as Kapellmeister but no longer had any duties. This allowed him to move to Vienna and start a more relaxed life.

Things did not work out quite as Haydn had planned. Several failed attempts had been made in the 1780s to get Haydn to visit London. However, on hearing of Prince Nikolaus's death, the German-born violinist and impresario Johann Peter Saloman decided to try again and arrived unannounced at Haydn's house in Vienna proclaiming : "I am Saloman from London and have come to fetch you. Tomorrow we shall conclude an agreement." Now free from his ties to the Esterházy family, Haydn was able to accept the invitation and - for a large fee - agreed to compose an opera, 6 symphonies and 20 other works which he would conduct at a series of concerts in London. Haydn and Saloman set off for London and arrived in England on New Year's Day 1791. This was to be the first of two visits to London for which Haydn composed numerous major works, perhaps most significantly his final 12 great symphonies - the "London Symphonies", nos. 93 to 104. These symphonies do not really represent a significant development in Haydn's symphonic style, but they are undoubtedly 'grander' than their predecessors, perhaps as a result of the difference in both orchestras and concert halls that Haydn had at his disposal in London compared to what he was used to at Esterháza.

The first four of the "London Symphonies" are dated "London, 1791", but tonight's work is believed to have been the first to be composed. Its name "Miracle" came about because it was said that at the first performance, on 11th March 1791, the audience surged forward at the end to congratulate Haydn and, in so doing, avoided being hit by a chandelier which crashed onto the recently vacated seats! Later research has shown that this incident actually occurred on 2nd February 1795, during Haydn's second visit to London, and that the symphony played on that occasion was No. 102. In common with all but one of the "London Symphonies" (No. 95 is the exception), the symphony begins with a slow introduction. The rest of the first movement is a lively Allegro. The two inner movements make a feature of the contrast between the full orchestra and solos. The Finale is a cheery Rondo, full of sudden changes in orchestral texture.

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Harpsichord concerto in D minor (BWV 1052)

J.S. Bach (1685 - 1750)

Soloist - John Treherne

Allegro
Adagio
Allegro

Bach spent the years of 1717 to 1723 as Kapellmeister at Cöthen at the court of Prince Leopold. Unusually for the time, the Prince's interest was more for instrumental rather than religious music and Bach was able to develop his own ideas based on the Italian concerto style, pioneered by Vivaldi, which he so much admired. Probably the most famous orchestral works he composed during this period were the set of six Brandenburg Concertos. The fifth Brandenburg Concerto is the first work in which Bach used the harpsichord as a solo instrument - albeit as one of a group of three soloists. The majority of his concertos for other instruments are also thought to date from his time at Cöthen.

In 1723 he moved to Leipzig to take up the post of Kantor at St. Thomas's church. In addition to his duties teaching and directing music for services, he was also expected to compose - for some years he was expected to compose a new cantata every week! In 1729 he became Director of the Leipzig Collegium Musicum - a "pro-am" concert society founded 15 years earlier by Telemann. By this time he no longer had to compose new cantatas on such a frequent basis and his involvement with the Collegium Musicum gave him an opportunity to compose more secular music and, in particular, experiment with the harpsichord concerto. 14 concertos for between one and four harpsichords exist, all of which are believed to date from the 12 years during which he was involved with the Collegium Musicum. However, with the exception of the concerto for two harpsichords, BWV 1061, all of them are believed to be arrangements of concertos for other instruments composed during his time at Cöthen.

Tonight's work dates from about 1730 and is believed to be an arrangement of a violin concerto - now lost - from Bach's time at Cöthen. It is likely that this was not the first arrangement he made of the original violin concerto - versions of all three movements can be found in various cantatas, including BWV 146 and 188, dating from around 1728. The D minor concerto is probably the best known of Bach's harpsichord concertos. The opening movement is full of intense but controlled power. The tone of the second movement is more serious and perhaps fits the mood in Cantata BWV 146 when some of the music accompanies the words "We must undergo many tribulations". The third movement is one of relentless drive and energy.

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Symphony no 41 in C major (K 551) 'Jupiter'

Mozart (1756 - 1791)

Allegro vivace
Andante cantabile
Menuetto (Allegretto)
Molto Allegro

Following the successful premiere of his opera "Don Giovanni" on 28th October 1787 in Prague, Mozart stayed on long enough to conduct a number of subsequent performances. He returned home to Vienna in mid-November and was soon offered the position of court Kammermusicus, which he accepted. The new post was good news for Mozart - not only did it give him an official court post (requiring little more than the composition of a few dances for court balls) and advance his social standing in Vienna, but it also provided an important source of income. However, Mozart was in serious financial difficulties and his salary of 800 Gulden (compared to the 2000 Gulden received by his predecessor, Gluck!) did not really ease the situation. The Mozart family moved to a new apartment where their daughter, Theresia, was born on 27th December. She died in June the next year, shortly after the family had moved again, this time to a smaller apartment on the outskirts of Vienna. Mozart's financial problems were now so severe that he had taken to writing ever more pleading letters to Michael Puchsberg, a merchant, musician and fellow Freemason, asking him for loans.

Considering Mozart's situation in the first part of 1788, it is perhaps not surprising that he wrote only one major work during this period - his 26th piano concerto. His remaining output was limited to a few dances, piano pieces and songs. However, in the midst of all his difficulties, a concentrated 2-month period over the summer saw him produce his final three great symphonies : Nos. 39 - 41. His reason for writing them is unclear - if they were intended for performing at a concert to raise funds to ease his financial problems, it is surprising that he chose to compose symphonies rather than concertos, which would have had a greater appeal for audiences of the time. Whatever the reason, the three symphonies were to be Mozart's crowning achievement in the form.

The "Jupiter" symphony is dated 'Vienna, 10th August 1788'. The origins of the name are unclear, although it is thought to have originated in England in the early 1820s. The London publisher Vincent Novello recorded in his diary in August 1829 : "Mozart's son [Mozart's sixth child, Franz Xaver, born in July 1790] said he considered the Finale of his father's Sinfonia in C - which Saloman christened Jupiter - to be the highest triumph of instrumental composition." Saloman was the impresario Johann Saloman, who had brought Haydn to London in 1791. However, even if Novello's diary entry is correct, the reason for Saloman choosing the name 'Jupiter' remains a mystery. The symphony opens dramatically. Throughout the opening movement Mozart makes significant use of sudden dynamic contrasts, but the overall mood remains cheerful. The second movement is melodic and graceful, but with just occasional hints of a darker, more passionate mood. The minuet and trio is stately, as befits it's ballroom origins, but also contains moments of both humour and drama. Mozart saved the best until last - the Finale is a joyous rollercoaster mixture of fugue and sonata form in which melodies seem to fly at the listener from all directions, culminating in a coda containing no fewer than five interwoven melodies.

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