Joseph Haydn, though modest about his own playing, was a competent musician on keyboard, as a singer, and on the violin, often directing his orchestra from the violin.
Compositional Technique
Haydn's concertos, particularly in their first movements, developed a unique form blending Baroque ritornello structure with elements of the Classical sonata form.
Composition History
Haydn's practice of composing 'tailor-made' pieces for musicians he knew personally may explain why many of his concertos are now lost or remain little-known.
Interpretation
Gli Incogniti, the ensemble on this recording, uses gut strings on their Baroque instruments to recreate the organic relationship between the composer and his orchestra.
Critical Reception
Haydn's Cello Concerto in C major was so rarely circulated during his lifetime that it was only rediscovered in Prague in 1961, two centuries after its composition.
Composition History
Haydn's Cello Concerto in C major (Hob. VIIa:1) was likely composed for Joseph Weigl, the Esterházy cellist, in the early 1760s, even before his violin concertos.
Composition History
Haydn's Violin Concerto in C major (Hob. VIIa:1) was specifically written for Luigi Tomasini, the Konzertmeister of the Esterházy court orchestra, to showcase his virtuosity.
