Haydn: Symphony No. 43 in E-Flat Major, Hob. I:43 "Mercury" & Symphony No. 49 in F Minor, Hob. I:49 "La passione"
10/11/2024, 8 Tracks, 51:58
Featuring
Rachel Podger
Tafelmusik
Joseph Haydn
Did you know?
1/7
Composition History
Haydn composed an astounding 104 symphonies, with Symphony 43 written in 1771 during a highly productive period.
Interpretation
Tafelmusik, the ensemble performing on this album, plays on period instruments and in styles appropriate to the 17th- to 19th-century era.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Haydn believed his isolation at the Esterházy court allowed him to experiment freely and become original, as there was no one to make him unsure of himself.
Compositional Technique
Symphony 49, 'La Passione', is in the old-fashioned form of the sinfonia da chiesa (church sinfonia), meaning its first two movements are ordered slow-fast instead of the usual fast-slow.
Performer Biography
Rachel Podger, the director, is a leading interpreter of baroque and classical music and was the first woman to receive the Royal Academy of Music/Kohn Foundation Bach Prize.
Composer Biography
Joseph Haydn, the composer, served as Kapellmeister for the Esterházy family, whose court was primarily located outside of Vienna in Hungary.
Compositional Technique
Symphony 49, composed in 1768, is unusual for its time as it remains resolutely in F minor, a rare key for symphonies in classical Vienna.
