At the Esterhaza palace, a complex of buildings emulating Versailles, Haydn was responsible for all musical activities, including instrumental, opera, theatre, and church music.
Composer Biography
Joseph Haydn, the composer, was born in 1732, the son of a wheelwright, and trained at the choir-school of St. Stephen's Cathedral in Vienna.
Composition History
The orchestra for which Haydn wrote the Paris Symphonies was unusually large, with forty violins and ten double basses, compared to the eleven violins available at Esterhaza.
Composition History
Haydn's Symphony No. 84 is one of six 'Paris Symphonies' commissioned by Comte d'Ogny, Claude-François-Marie Rigoley, for the Concert de la Loge olympique, a masonic organization.
Performer Biography
Bela Drahos, the conductor, was born in Kaposvar, Hungary, in 1955 and has had a distinguished career as a flautist, winning several international competitions and awards.
Recording & Production
The Nicolaus Esterhazy Sinfonia was formed in 1992 from members of the Hungarian Symphony Orchestra by Ibolya Tóth of the Hungarian Phoenix Studio.
Composer Biography
Haydn spent most of his career employed by the Esterhazy family, one of the richest families in the Empire, first as Vice-Kapellmeister and then as Kapellmeister.
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