Haydn used accents to introduce asymmetry and a sense of humor, often destroying a delicate mood with a "big grin" that some critics didn't understand.
Composition History
Haydn's First Symphony, composed around 1757 when he was 25, was written when the symphony as an art form was still new and not yet comparable to Beethoven's later works.
Composer Biography
Haydn was hired by Prince Paul Anton Esterházy after the prince was so impressed by his music that he stopped a performance to ask who the composer was.
Instruments
The musicians of Il Giardino Armonico play on period instruments, including a 1719 Jacques Boquay violin, an 18th-century anonymous Mittenwald violin, and a 1754 Carlo Antonio Testore cello.
Interpretation
Giovanni Antonini, the conductor, aims to restore the original "sheen" to Haydn's music, believing that many modern recordings make it seem dull.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Haydn was an artist who understood life, using his compositions as "small portraits" or "character studies" to describe various aspects of human experience.
Historical Context
In Haydn's time, the moral climate was extremely strict under Empress Maria Theresa, with a feared Chastity Commission spying on citizens' private lives.
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