Haydn: Symphonies Nos. 82 "The Bear", 83 "The Hen" & 84 "In nomine domini"

Featuring

Roy Goodman
Hanover Band
Joseph Haydn

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Composition History

The numbering of Haydn's symphonies, including these, does not always match their true chronological order, due to reordering by his Viennese publisher Artaria.

Historical Context

The Concert de la Loge Olympique, which commissioned these symphonies, was run by a group of Freemasons in Paris.

Composition History

These three symphonies are part of a set of six known as the 'Paris' symphonies, commissioned from Haydn by the Concert de la Loge Olympique in Paris.

Cultural Impact

The subtitles 'The Bear' for Symphony No. 82 and 'The Hen' for Symphony No. 83 were not given by Haydn himself, but were likely added by admiring Parisians.

Critical Reception

The 'Paris' symphonies were first performed to great acclaim during the Olympique's 1787 season and were soon after repeated at the Concert Spirituel.

Interpretation

The Hanover Band performs on period instruments at a pitch of A = 430Hz, with the conductor Roy Goodman directing from the harpsichord.

Interpretation

This recording observes all repeats and re-evaluates the tempos of Andante and Minuet movements, which are often performed too slowly today, based on historical markings by Hummel and Czerny.