These symphonies were commissioned by the Concert de la Loge Olympique, an ambitious Parisian orchestra with a wealthy patron, Count d'Ogny, and conducted by Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges.
Composer Biography
Joseph Haydn's career began in 1759 as Kapellmeister to Count Morzin, followed by a long tenure with the wealthy Esterházy family, where he remained nominally employed for the rest of his life.
Composition History
Haydn's Symphonies Nos. 84, 85, and 86 were composed in the mid-1780s after a turning point in his career where he was allowed to publish his music and accept outside commissions, freeing him from his provincial court duties.
Interpretation
Adam Fischer, the conductor, believes that an imaginative and stimulating interpretation is crucial for Haydn's music, more so than for other composers, to achieve an effect similar to what Haydn's audiences experienced.
Interpretation
The Danish Chamber Orchestra aims for a powerful, stormy, and exciting playing style, believing that playing a right note uninspired is a mortal sin, and boredom must be declared war upon.
Cultural Impact
Haydn's gripping music in these symphonies foreshadows the Romantic era, showing where future Romantics got their familiar sound and how Romanticism began.
Critical Reception
Haydn faced criticism from a London journal in 1788, which stated he copied himself all the time and lashed out at his 'inhospitable' universe and 'endless' operas.
