Episodes
| Series | Episode | Title | First Broadcast | Repeated | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | 01 | 20090119 | Donald Macleod explores the compositions and early life of Joseph Haydn, including his disastrous marriage to his true love's elder sister. Part of Radio 3's Composers of the Year 2009 season. Missa Brevis Susan Gritton, Pamela Helen Stephen (soprano) Collegium Musicum 90 Richard Hickox (conductor) CHAN 0734 CD5 T15-20 L'isola disabitata (excerpt from Part 2) Costanza - Norma Lerer Silvia - Linda Zoghby Gernando - Luigi Alva Enrico - Renato Bruson Lausanne Chamber Orchestra Antal Dorati (conductor) Philips 4324272 CD2 T7-9 Piano Trio, H XV 38 (finale) Trio 1790 CPO 7772432 T12 Organ Concerto in C, H XVIII 1 (largo) Gabor Lehotka (organ) The Budapest Strings Karoly Botvay (director) Hungaroton HCD31175 T2. Donald Macleod explores the compositions and early life of Joseph Haydn. | ||
| 2009 | 01 | 20090601 | For much of his working life, Haydn lived and breathed opera and some of his best music was written for the stage. But until recently, his operas have suffered from chronic under-exposure. Donald Macleod blows a few layers of dust from these unfairly neglected works and introduces a complete performance of Haydn's very first comic opera, La canterina. Overture (Lo speziale) Sachsische Staatskapelle Dresden Giuseppe Sinopoli (conductor) EMI Classics 7243 5 56535 2 9, Trs 4-6 La canterina - Act 1 Ingrid Kertesi, Andrea Ulbrich, Antal Pataki, Jozsef Mukk (playing on period instruments) Capella Savaria Pal Nemeth (conductor) Hungaroton Classic HCD 31664, Trs 1-6 La canterina - Act 2 Hungaroton Classic HCD 31664, Trs7-13. Some of Haydn's best music was written for the stage, but his operas are less well-known. | ||
| 2009 | 02 | 20090120 | Donald Macleod considers Haydn's relationship with his long-time employers, the aristocratic Esterhazy family, and discovers the composer's loyalty to his boss and the musicians on his staff. Part of Radio 3's Composers of the Year 2009 season. Qual dubbio ormai Sunhae Im (soprano) VokalEnsemble Koln Cappella Coloniensis Andreas Spering (director) Harmonia Mundi HMC901765 T9-12 Violin Concerto in C, H VIIa 1 Rainer Kussmaul (violin) Amsterdam Bach Soloists Olympia OCD428 T4-6 Baryton Trio No 64 in D Esterhazy Baryton Trio EMI CDM7698362 T1-3 Missa Cellensis (Kyrie) Orpheus Choir Munich New Court Orchestra Munich Gerd Guglhor (conductor) CALIG CAL50996 T1-3. Donald Macleod looks at Haydn's relationship with the aristocratic Esterhazy family. | ||
| 2009 | 02 | 20090602 | Donald Macleod continues his exploration of Haydn's neglected operatic masterpieces with two comedies from the 1770s - L'infedelta delusa and L'incontro improvviso. The latter features the same kind of Oriental escape storyline that Mozart was to use a few years later in his Abduction from the Seraglio. L'infedelta delusa (Act 1 - Overture) Magda Kalmar, Julia Paszthy (soprano) Istvan Rozsos, Attila Fulop (tenor) Jozsef Gregor (bass-baritone) Liszt Ferenc Chamber Orchestra Budapest Frigyes Sandor (conductor) Hungaroton Classic 11832-33, Trs 2-4 L'infedelta delusa (Act 1, Sc 1 - conclusion) Hungaroton Classic 11832-33, Trs 5-8 L'incontro improvviso (Act 1 - recit and terzetto; Rezia, Balkis and Dardane) Linda Zoghby, Margaret Marshall (soprano) Della Jones (mezzo-soprano) Orchestre de Chambre de Lausanne Antal Dorati (conductor/continuo) Philips 473 851-2, CD1, Trs 11, 12. Haydn wrote two comic operas in the 1770s: L'infedelta delusa and L'incontro improvviso. | ||
| 2009 | 03 | 20090121 | Donald Macleod looks at Haydn's life and work as opera impresario at the Esterhazy summer residence - a glorious palace set in a Hungarian swamp - and tells the story of a tactful musical message to Haydn's employer - the Farewell Symphony. Part of Radio 3's Composers of the Year 2009 season. Lo Speziale (excerpt) Veronika Kincses (soprano) Ferenc Liszt Chamber Orchestra Budapest Gyorgy Lehel (conductor) Hungaroton HCD119262 T23 Armida (excerpt) Jessye Norman (soprano) Lausanne Chamber Orchestra Antal Dorati (conductor) Philips 4266412 T1 L'infedelta delusa (excerpt) Vespina - Nancy Argenta Nanni - Stephen Varcoe La Petite Bande Sigiswald Kuijken (conductor) Harmonia Mundi 05472 77316 CD1 T9-11 Symphony No 45 in F sharp minor (Farewell) Hanover Band Roy Goodman (harpsichord/conductor) Hyperion CDA66522 T1-5. Donald Macleod looks at Haydn's life and work at the Esterhazy summer residence. | ||
| 2009 | 03 | 20090603 | If Haydn's operas have failed to catch on, it's certainly not the fault of the music. Donald Macleod considers the composer's dreadful choice of libretti. In terms of textual turkey, La vera costanza is a prime offender, yet it contains some of Haydn's most inspired music. Il mondo della luna (Act 2 - finale) Domenico Trimarchi (baritone) Luigi Alva, Anthony Rolfe Johnson (tenor) Frederica von Stade, Lucia Valentini-Terrani (mezzo-soprano) Arleen Auger, Edith Mathis (soprano) Orchestre de Chambre de Lausanne Antal Dorati (conductor/continuo) Philips 473 851-2, CD9, Trs 26-28 Il Mondo della luna (Act 3) Philips 473 851-2, CD10 (Trs 1-5) Aria di Donna Stella: D'una sposa meschinella (insertion aria for Paisiello's La Frascatana) Armin Jordan (conductor) Philips 473 851-2, CD10, Tr 11 So che una bestia sei (La vera costanza - Act, Masino) Antal Dorati (conductor) Philips 473 476-2, CD 9, Tr 6 La vera costanza (Act 1, Finale) Jessye Norman, Helen Donath, Kari Lovaas (soprano) Claes H Ahnsjo, Anthony Rolfe Johnson (tenor) Wladimiro Ganzarolli, Domenico Trimarchi (baritone) Philips 473 476-2, CD 9, Trs 17-20. Haydn often chose awful libretti. La vera costanza is typical, yet its music is inspired. | ||
| 2009 | 04 | 20090122 | Donald Macleod tells the story of Haydn's trip to England, where he won the hearts of everyone from concert-going public to royalty - not to mention one or two ladies of a certain age. Part of Radio 3's Composers of the Year 2009 season. Sailor's Song Elly Ameling (soprano) Jorg Demus (piano) Philips 4202172 T9 Symphony No 94 (Surprise) Orchestra of the 18th Century Frans Bruggen (conductor) Philips 4685462 CD2 T1-4 String Quartet, Op 71, No 2 The Lindsays ASV GLD4012 T5-8 O Tuneful Voice Arleen Auger (soprano) Walter Olbertz (piano) Berlin Classics 0032172BC T13. Donald Macleod tells the story of Haydn's hugely successful trip to England. | ||
| 2009 | 04 | 20090604 | Donald Macleod continues to examine Haydn's neglected operas. He investigates how the composer took a striking new direction in L'isola disabitata and explores La fedelta premiata, which contains arguably the finest operatic finale outside of Mozart's Da Ponte operas. L'isola disabitata (Sinfonia) Orchestra de Chambre de Lausanne Antal Dorati (conductor) Philips 473 851-2, Disc 6, Tr 1 L'isola disabitata (Act 2, Finale) Norma Lerer (contralto) Linda Zoghby (soprano) Luigi Alva (tenor) Renato Bruson (baritone) Philips 473 851-2, Disc 7, Tr 9 La fedelta premiata (Act 1, Sc 3) Lucia Valentini-Terrani (mezzo-soprano) Tonny Landy (tenor) Frederica von Stade (mezzo-soprano) Alan Titus (baritone) Ileana Cotrubas (soprano) Maurizio Mazzieri (baritone) Philips 473 476-2, CD1, Trs 15-19 La fedelta premiata (Act 2, Finale) Kari Lovaas (soprano) Philips 473 476-2, CD 5, Trs 10-14. Haydn changed course in L'isola disabitata; La fedelta premiata has a fine operatic finale | ||
| 2009 | 05 LAST | 20090123 | Donald Macleod looks at Haydn's late compositions, including his masterpiece The Creation, inspired partly by the music of Handel and also by a visit to the planetary observatory of William Herschel. Part of Radio 3's Composers of the Year 2009 season. Trumpet Concerto Jurgen Schuster (trumpet) Cologne Chamber Orchestra Helmut Muller-Bruhl (conductor) Naxos 8.570482 T10-12 Arianna a Naxos Bernarda Fink (mezzo-soprano) Roger Vignoles (piano) Hyperion CDA67174 T1-4 The Creation (excerpt) Michael Schade (Uriel) Christian Gerhaher (Raphael) Arnold Schoenberg Choir Concentus Musicus Wien Nikolaus Harnoncourt (director) Harmonia Mundi 82876583402 CD1 T1-3 String Quartet, Op 76, No 3 (Emperor) - 2nd mvt Alban Berg Quartet EMI CDC5561662 T6-10. Donald Macleod looks at Haydn's late compositions, including The Creation. | ||
| 2009 | 05 LAST | 20090605 | Donald Macleod looks at the final chapter of Haydn's operatic career, with excerpts from Armida, a tale of love and sorcery set in the Middle Ages, and Orfeo ed Euridice, a version of the Orpheus myth commissioned for the King's Theatre, Haymarket, at the start of Haydn's first English adventure. Armida (Act 3, Sc 1) Christoph Pregardien (tenor) Patricia Petibon (soprano) Cecilia Bartoli (mezzo-soprano) Concentus Musicus Wien Nikolaus Harnoncourt (conductor) Teldec 8573-81108-2, CD 2, Trs 16-22 Orfeo ed Euridice (Act 2, Sc 1 - conclusion) Jose Fardilha (tenor) Uwe Heilmann, James Oxley (tenor) Ildebrando d'Arcangelo (bass) Academy of Ancient Music Christopher Hogwood (conductor) L'oiseau-Lyre 452 668-2, CD 1, Trs 20-24 Al tuo seno fortunato (Orfeo ed Euridice, Act 3) L'oiseau-Lyre 452 668-2, CD 2, Tr 7 Urli orrendi, disperati (Orfeo ed Euridice, Act 4) Academy of Ancient Music Orchestra and Chorus L'oiseau-Lyre 452 668-2, CD 2, Trs 12. Haydn's Armida deals in love and sorcery, and Orfeo ed Euridice revisits the Orpheus myth. | ||
| 2010 | 01 | The Father Of The Symphony | 20101108 | Donald Macleod introduces Joseph Haydn, a composer who was more famous in his lifetime than Mozart or Beethoven, and who has since become known as the first great master of the string quartet and the so-called 'father of the symphony'. Donald investigates many aspects of Haydn's turbulent personality, including commercial opportunism, double dealing, penny pinching and matrimonial misery. Each programme also features an important Haydn symphony, beginning today with the Symphony No. 101, 'Clock', the work of a great composer on top form, written for a rapturous reception in late 18th-century London. Donald Macleod introduces the life and work of Joseph Haydn, the 'father of the symphony'. | |
| 2010 | 02 | Esterhazy | 20101109 | As head of an orchestra I could experiment, observe what heightened the effect and what weakened it, and so could improve, expand, cut, take risks. I was cut off from the world, there was no one near me to torment me or make me doubt myself, and so I had to become original.' Donald Macleod investigates what working the court of Esterhကzy meant for Haydn. Donald Macleod investigates what working at the court of Esterhazy meant for Haydn. | |
| 2010 | 03 | In The Name Of The Lord | 20101110 | Donald Macleod explores Haydn's Catholic faith, including how he was nearly castrated as a choirboy. The young composer's sense of mischief curtailed his career as a young singer at St Stephen's Cathedral in Vienna, when he cut off another boy's pigtail in a prank. His later career, though, demonstrated devout faith, with powerful religious drama conveyed in many works, including a depiction of the earthquake which followed Christ's death on the cross. Donald Macleod explores Haydn's Catholic faith and religious drama in many of his works. | |
| 2010 | 04 | The Shakespeare Of Music | 20101111 | Haydn is tempted to London by the impresario Johann Peter Salomon and becomes a sought-after celebrity, composing a dozen symphonies which contain some of his finest music. The English capital was much more important in building the composer's fame and legacy than his home of Vienna, as Donald Macleod discovers. Donald discusses how Haydn became a sought-after celebrity in London. | |
| 2010 | 05 LAST | Long Live Papa Haydn | 20101112 | Donald Macleod discovers why Haydn was not such a Viennese composer, only living in the city at the beginning and end of his career. His relationship with the city was a fitful, troublesome one, from what he described himself as his 'wretched existence' as a student musician, to his last moments in this world, lying on his deathbed, as Napoleon's artillery battalions bombarded the city and cannon shot blasted his neighbourhood. 'My children,' Haydn is said to have told his anxious servants during his final hours, 'have no fear, for where Haydn is, no harm can fall.'. Donald Macleod discusses why Haydn was not such a Viennese composer. | |
| 2012 | 01 | 20120604 | Donald Macleod considers how the young Haydn stumbled upon a new instrumental form. | ||
| 2012 | 02 | 20120605 | Donald Macleod follows Haydn to the court of Esterhazy. | ||
| 2012 | 03 | 20120606 | Donald Macleod on how Haydn began to discover the commercial potential of string quartets. | ||
| 2012 | 04 | 20120607 | Donald Macleod focuses on how Haydn was finally lured away from his remote German court. | ||
| 2012 | 05 LAST | 20120608 | Donald Macleod focuses on some of Haydn's later works. | ||
| 2017 | 01 | My Desert | 20170717 | Donald Macleod introduces a week focusing of Haydn's often overlooked - yet utterly beguiling - piano sonatas, which span virtually his entire composing life. Joseph Haydn's rightly lionised by music history as the 'Father of the Symphony' - a man who took a nascent form and turned it into the very apex of musical composition. Repeating the trick with another benchmark musical genre seems almost greedy of him - and yet, with more than eighty masterful examples, Haydn's dubbed the 'Father of the String Quartet' too. Which makes the neglect of one area of his musical output rather puzzling. Haydn wrote more than sixty keyboard sonatas, spanning a remarkable half-century in music history. This period saw harpsichords and clavichords replaced by the forerunners of the modern piano, and - more than that - keyboard music go from the light dance suites to the sonata: a form that would shortly be taken by Mozart, Beethoven and Schubert into the very highest pinnacle of musical art. None of this could have happened without Haydn. And yet, his array of sonatas lag behind the fame and appreciation of his symphonies and quartets. This week, Donald Macleod puts that right: with no fewer than fourteen examples, in the hands of fourteen virtuoso pianists from the last century, with a supporting cast of musical excerpts from opera, chamber and vocal works. We begin in the late 1760s, with Haydn engaged at the court of Prince Eszterhazy, deep in the Hungarian countryside - a place the composer gloomily dubbed 'my desert'. Benchmark sonatas recordings by John McCabe and Carole Cerasi are joined by a thrilling - and rather unusual - virtuoso reading by the Bulgarian-born pianist Alexis Weissenberg. Sonata No 11 in B flat, Hob.XVI:2 (1st mvt) John McCabe, piano Sonata No 30 in D, Hob.XVI:19 Carole Cerasi, clavichord Caro Volpino' - Lo Speziale (Act 1, Sc 7) Magda Kalmar, soprano (Grilletta) Franz Liszt Chamber Orchestra, Budapest Gy怀rgy Lehel, conductor A' fatti tuoi' - Lo Speziale (Act 2, Sc 6) Sonata No 33 in C minor, Hob.XVI:20 Alexis Weissenberg, piano. Donald Macleod focuses on Haydn's work in the late 1760s. | |
| 2017 | 02 | A Visit From The Empress | 20170718 | Donald Macleod explores how Haydn juggled a high-profile visit from Empress Maria Theresa with the demands of composing a set of brilliant new piano sonatas. Joseph Haydn's rightly lionised by music history as the 'Father of the Symphony' - a man who took a nascent form and turned it into the very apex of musical composition. Repeating the trick with another benchmark musical genre seems almost greedy of him - and yet, with more than eighty masterful examples, Haydn's dubbed the 'Father of the String Quartet' too. Which makes the neglect of one area of his musical output rather puzzling. Haydn wrote more than sixty keyboard sonatas, spanning a remarkable half-century in music history. This period saw harpsichords and clavichords replaced by the forerunners of the modern piano, and - more than that - keyboard music go from light dance suites to the sonata: a form that would shortly be elevated by Mozart, Beethoven and Schubert into the very highest pinnacle of musical art. None of this could have happened without Haydn. And yet, his array of sonatas lag behind the fame and appreciation of his symphonies and quartets. This week, Donald Macleod puts that right: with no fewer than fourteen examples, in the hands of fourteen virtuoso pianists from the last century, with a supporting cast of musical excerpts from opera, chamber and vocal works. Still ensconced in the Eszterhaza palace, deep in the Hungarian marshes, Haydn buries himself in a new set of piano sonatas - as well as his first mature attempts at opera. Donald Macleod introduces three more highly contrasting - yet equally beguiling - keyboard recordings from the BBC archives, from Monique Haas, Yakov Kasman and Christine Schornsheim. Che imbroglio e questo!' - L'Infedelta Delusa (Act 1, Sc 6) Barbara Hendricks, soprano (Sandrina) Lausanne Chamber Orchestra Antal Dorati, conductor Sonata No 38 in F major, Hob.XVI:23 Monique Haas, piano O piglia questa' - L'Infedelta Delusa (Act 1, Sc 14) Edith Mathis, soprano (Vespina) Claes H. Ahnsj怀, tenor (Nencio) Aldo Baldin, tenor (Filippo) Michael Devlin, baritone (Nanni) Sonata No 47 in B minor, Hob.XVI:32 Yakov Kasman, piano Sonata No 50 in D major, Hob.XVI:37 Christine Schornsheim, fortepiano. How Haydn juggled a visit from the Empress with composing more effervescent piano sonatas. | |
| 2017 | 03 | Conflagration | 20170719 | Donald Macleod tells the story of how - as he plotted his exit from the Eszterhaza Place - Haydn's musical activities were interrupted by a huge fire at the estate's opera house. Joseph Haydn's rightly lionised by music history as the 'Father of the Symphony' - a man who took a nascent form and turned it into the very apex of musical composition. Repeating the trick with another benchmark musical genre seems almost greedy of him - and yet, with more than eighty masterful examples, Haydn's dubbed the 'Father of the String Quartet' too. Which makes the neglect of one area of his musical output rather puzzling. Haydn wrote more than sixty keyboard sonatas, spanning a remarkable half-century in music history. This period saw harpsichords and clavichords replaced by the forerunners of the modern piano, and - more than that - keyboard music go from light dance suites to the sonata: a form that would shortly be taken by Mozart, Beethoven and Schubert into the very highest pinnacle of musical art. None of this could have happened without Haydn. And yet, his array of sonatas lag behind the fame and appreciation of his symphonies and quartets. This week, Donald Macleod puts that right: with no fewer than fourteen examples, in the hands of fourteen virtuoso pianists from the last century, with a supporting cast of musical excerpts from opera, chamber and vocal works. As Haydn's operatic activities are briefly quelled by the Eszterhazy fire, he also realises he's been overtaken as a stage composer by the brilliant precocity of his contemporary Mozart. Donald Macleod introduces another trio of the keyboard sonatas Haydn wrote during this period - in the virtuoso hands of Ronald Brautigam, Jean-Efflam Bavouzet, and one of the giants of 20th century recorded music: Glenn Gould. Mi dica, il mio signore (La fedelta premiata, Act 1) Thomas Quasthoff, baritone Freiburg Baroque Orchestra Gottfried von der Goltz, conductor Sonata No 49 in C sharp minor, Hob.XVI:36 Ronald Brautigam, fortepiano Di questo audace ferro; Sappi che la belleza (La fedelta premiata) Sonata No 55 in B flat major, Hob.XVI:41 Jean-Efflam Bavouzet, piano Sonata No 56 in D major, Hob.XVI:42 Glenn Gould, piano. How Haydn's musical activities were interrupted by a huge fire at the Eszterhaza Palace. | |
| 2017 | 04 | At Last, Freedom | 20170720 | Donald Macleod explores the aftermath of one of the most important moments of Haydn's life: the death of his patron Prince Nikolaus Eszterhazy, leaving the composer free to travel. Joseph Haydn's rightly lionised by music history as the 'Father of the Symphony' - a man who took a nascent form and turned it into the very apex of musical composition. Repeating the trick with another benchmark musical genre seems almost greedy of him - and yet, with more than eighty masterful examples, Haydn's dubbed the 'Father of the String Quartet' too. Which makes the neglect of one area of his musical output rather puzzling. Haydn wrote more than sixty keyboard sonatas, spanning a remarkable half-century in music history. This period saw harpsichords and clavichords replaced by the forerunners of the modern piano, and - more than that - keyboard music go from light dance suites to the sonata: a form that would shortly be taken by Mozart, Beethoven and Schubert into the very highest pinnacle of musical art. None of this could have happened without Haydn. And yet, his array of sonatas lag behind the fame and appreciation of his symphonies and quartets. This week, Donald Macleod puts that right: with no fewer than fourteen examples, in the hands of fourteen virtuoso pianists from the last century, with a supporting cast of musical excerpts from opera, chamber and vocal works. In today's episode Donald Macleod explores two key relationships - one professional, one personal - crucial to the development of Haydn's keyboard sonatas. He introduces the composer's business dealings with the publisher Artaria, who would commission a number of new works, as well as Haydn's deep - and unrequited - affection for the pianist Maria Anna von Genzinger. Featuring two more complete sonata recordings performed by Emanuel Ax and Andreas Staier. Sonata No 58 in C major, Hob.XVI:48 Emmanuel Ax, piano Piano Trio No 27 in A flat. Hob. XV:14 Beaux Arts Trio Sonata No 59 in E flat major, Hob.XVI:49 Andreas Staier, fortepiano. Exploring the aftermath of the death of Haydn's patron, Prince Nikolaus Eszterhazy. | |
| 2017 | 05 LAST | And So To London | 20170721 | Donald Macleod explores Haydn's second and final trip to London in the mid 1790s - a trip that would accompany the composition of his last three keyboard sonata masterpieces. Joseph Haydn's rightly lionised by music history as the 'Father of the Symphony' - a man who took a nascent form and turned it into the very apex of musical composition. Repeating the trick with another benchmark musical genre seems almost greedy of him - and yet, with more than eighty masterful examples, Haydn's dubbed the 'Father of the String Quartet' too. Which makes the neglect of one area of his musical output rather puzzling. Haydn wrote more than sixty keyboard sonatas, spanning a remarkable half-century in music history. This period saw harpsichords and clavichords replaced by the forerunners of the modern piano, and - more than that - keyboard music go from light dance suites to the sonata: a form that would shortly be taken by Mozart, Beethoven and Schubert into the very highest pinnacle of musical art. None of this could have happened without Haydn. And yet, his array of sonatas lag behind the fame and appreciation of his symphonies and quartets. This week, Donald Macleod puts that right: with no fewer than fourteen examples, in the hands of fourteen virtuoso pianists from the last century, with a supporting cast of musical excerpts from opera, chamber and vocal works. Haydn would write his final three sonatas for keyboard around the time of his second visit to London, for the acclaimed pianist Therese Jansen. Donald Macleod ends the week with a complete performance of all three, in the hands of Alfred Brendel, Malcolm Bilson, and a remarkable recent recording by the young Polish virtuoso Rafal Blechacz. Sonata No 61 in D major, Hob.XVI:51 Alfred Brendel, piano Sonata No 60 in C major, Hob.XVI:50 Malcolm Bilson, fortepiano Nor Can I Think My Suit Is Vain; Thy Great Endeavours (Mare Clausum) T怀lzen Knabenchor Tafelmusik Bruno Weil, conductor Sonata No 62 in E flat major, Hob.XVI:52 Rafal Blechacz, piano. Focusing on Haydn's final trip to London, which heralded his final keyboard sonatas. | |
| 2018 | 01 | 20180312 | Donald Macleod explores a hugely successful episode in Haydn's life, his London years. Today, summoned by musician and impresario Johann Peter Salomon, Haydn takes London by storm. It really is sad always to be a slave,' Haydn wrote in a letter of 27 June 1790 to his friend Maria Anna von Genzinger, 'but Providence wills it so.' Well apparently not. Just three months later, Haydn's employer Prince Nikolaus Esterhကzy died after a brief illness, his entire musical establishment was disbanded, and the composer's 'slavery' as Kapellmeister at the Esterhကzy court came to a sudden and unexpected end. Cue the London-based violinist, composer and impresario Johann Peter Salomon, who was in Cologne when he heard the news of Haydn's emancipation. Salomon seized his opportunity and hot-footed it to Vienna, where he turned up unannounced one evening at Haydn's rented apartment. Salomon made Haydn an offer he didn't want to refuse and was now in a position to accept, and a week later the two men were en route to London, where Haydn was to be the star attraction of a 12-week season of concerts at the fashionable Hanover Square Rooms. Haydn's music had already won him a considerable reputation in England, and now he was to cement and enhance it with a truly extraordinary sequence of new works composed in and for London - sonatas, trios, quartets, symphonies and more - that showed a composer at the height of his powers propelled even higher by new challenges and fresh stimuli. Amidst all this success, there was one rather spectacular failure - though the failure wasn't Haydn's. Much of his energy during his first year in London was expended on composing L'anima del filosofo - The philosopher's soul - an opera on the Orpheus myth commissioned for the King's Theatre, Haymarket. Unfortunately, the manager there, John Gallini, had failed to procure a licence to stage opera, and the production had to be aborted during the first rehearsal. Not that that will have unduly bothered most of Haydn's London audience, who for the moment at least had plenty of his music to keep them occupied. In the hope that they could continue to be occupied with Haydn's music for a long time to come, there were those who proposed that he should stay here indefinitely - among them King George and Queen Charlotte, who pressed Haydn to take up permanent residence in this country. That was not to be, but buoyed by the success of his first London season, he was certainly happy to stay for a second - which is the subject of tomorrow's episode. Divertimento in C, Hob II:32; 3rd mvt, Finale. Molto vivace. Haydn Sinfonietta Wien Manfred Huss, conductor-- L'anima del filosofo; Act 2 scene 3 - 'Al tuo seno fortunato Sylvia Greenberg, soprano (Genio) Munich Radio Symphony Orchestra Leopold Hager, conductor The Seven Last Words of our Saviour on the Cross, Hob XX:1; Sonata II, Grave e cantabile Le Concert des Nations Jordi Savall, conductor String Quartet in D, Op 64 No 5 (Hob III:63) ('The Lark'); 1st mvt, Allegro moderato Quatuor Mosaques Symphony No 96 in D, Hob I: 96 ('Miracle') The Academy of Ancient Music Christopher Hogwood, conductor. | ||
| 2018 | 02 | 20180313 | Donald Macleod explores a hugely successful episode in Haydn's life, his London years. Today, romance, rivalry and the death of a friend as Haydn embarks on a second London season. In January 1792, news reached Haydn that Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart had died in Vienna the previous month, a few weeks short of his 36th birthday. Haydn was devastated: 'For some time I was beside myself about his death and I could not believe that Providence would so soon claim the life of such an indispensable man.' Some musicologists believe that Haydn wrote the slow movement of his Symphony No 98 in memory of his old friend. Meanwhile, another young composer had arrived in London - as it happens, a former student of Haydn's who had come at the behest of The Professional Concert, a rival concert organization to that of Johann Peter Salomon, the violinist, composer and impresario who had invited Haydn to London for the previous season. That season had been such a success that The Professional Concert had made strenuous efforts to poach Haydn for their own concert series. When they failed to snare the master, they turned to the pupil: Ignaz Pleyel, who nowadays is remembered less as a composer than as the publisher and piano manufacturer he would later become. Pleyel agreed to produce a new work for each of the 12 concerts in the series. Haydn felt honour-bound to do the same, but he found the workload utterly draining: 'My eyes suffer the most, and I have many sleepless nights', he wrote to a friend. His Sinfonia Concertante for oboe, bassoon, violin, cello and orchestra, premiered in the fourth concert of the season, seems to have been a direct response to a piece of Pleyel's for similar forces that had been unveiled by The Professional Concert only the previous week. At this stressful time, some measure of solace was at hand in the attractive form of Rebecca Schroeter, a wealthy Scottish widow who had originally approached Haydn for music lessons but soon became an intimate companion. Haydn made hand-copies of her letters to him, many of which deal with practicalities such as requests for concert tickets and invitations to dinner. But every now and then we get a glimpse of the passion smouldering beneath the surface: 'My Dearest I cannot be happy till I see you, if you know, do tell me when you will come.' Mrs Schroeter was doubtless present at the concert held a week before Haydn's 60th birthday, which saw the premi耀re of his now-famous 'Surprise' Symphony - the surprise being a mischievously unexpected fortissimo chord right at the end of the second movement's otherwise tranquil opening theme. Unsurprisingly, this proved a big hit with the London audience, and turned out to be one of the greatest successes of Haydn's English career. Symphony No 94 in G, Hob I:94 ('Surprise'); 2nd mvt, Andante (extract) Philharmonia Orchestra Tom Bergman, conductor Sinfonia Concertante in B flat, Hob I:105; 1st mvt, Allegro Ku Ebbinge, oboe Danny Bond, bassoon Lucy van Dael, violin Wouter M怀ller, cello Orchestra of the 18th Century Frans Brüggen, conductor Symphony No 98 in B flat, Hob I:98; 2nd mvt, Adagio Les Musiciens du Louvre Marc Minkowski, conductor The Storm, Hob XXIVa:8 North German Radio Chorus G怀ttingen Festival Orchestra Nicholas McGegan, conductor Stuttgart Radio Symphony Orchestra Roger Norrington, conductor. | ||
| 2018 | 03 | 20180314 | Donald Macleod explores a hugely successful episode in Haydn's life, his London years. Today, Haydn appears in no hurry to return to London as he settles back into Viennese life. Haydn's extended stay in London through 1791 to the summer of the following year had been made possible by the death of his employer, Prince Nikolaus Esterhကzy. Esterhကzy's son, Prince Anton, lost no time in dismantling the elaborate and costly musical establishment his father had spent the previous two-and-a-half decades assembling, leaving Haydn - almost - fancy-free. 'Almost' because as a condition of receiving his pension, Haydn remained, at least nominally, the Eszterhကza Kapellmeister. So when Prince Anton yanked at the leash, requiring his Kapellmeister's presence at the coronation of Francis II as Holy Roman Emperor in Frankfurt in July 1792, Haydn had no option but to pack his bags and go. Thereafter, the plan seems to have been that he would head back to Vienna, perhaps spending a little time at Eszterhကza before returning to London for the 1793 season. This certainly seems to have been the assumption of the London impresario, Johann Peter Salomon, who began advertising his third annual series of Haydn-centric concerts at the Hanover Square Rooms from December 1792. When January came and his star failed to appear, Salomon made his apologies, claiming the composer was so seriously indisposed by a troublesome nasal polyp that surgery would be required. Whatever the source of this face-saving fiction, the truth is probably that Haydn was finding plenty to occupy himself with on his home turf; and in any case, from the 21st of January 1793, travel became much riskier in the febrile atmosphere following the execution of Louis XVI. One of the tasks on Haydn's current agenda was the tuition of a promising new student by the name of Ludwig van Beethoven, whom he took with him to Eszterhကza. He also had ample time to compose, blissfully free from the relentless pressure of his previous London season, for which he had had to produce a new work for every concert. So when he eventually set off for London again in the middle of January 1794, traversing war-torn Europe in one of the coldest winters in living memory, he at least had the warm glow of knowing that accompanying him in his trunk were the manuscripts of six brand new string quartets - Opuses 71 and 74 - and what would become one of his best-loved symphonies, No 99 in E flat. 12 Menuetti di ballo, Hob IX:11; No 5 in C Ronald Brautigam, fortepiano String Quartet in C, Op 74 No 1 (Hob III:72) Takကcs Quartet Symphony No 99 in E flat, Hob I:99 Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra Nikolaus Harnoncourt, conductor. | ||
| 2018 | 04 | 20180315 | Donald Macleod explores a hugely successful episode in Haydn's life, his London years. Today, back in London for a third season, Haydn scores the biggest success of his career. In early February 1794, after an absence of more than 18 months, and a whole year later than he had originally undertaken to return, Haydn finally made it back to the English capital. He may have lingered longer than he had intended to in Vienna, but he certainly hadn't been malingering, and he took with him the fruits of his labours - the scores of six string quartets and a symphony. It was this symphony - No 99 - that he chose to reacquaint London audiences with his music in the first concert of the new series, and to judge by the review in the following day's Morning Chronicle, it was an excellent choice: 'The incomparable Haydn produced an Overture of which it is impossible to speak in common terms. It is one of the grandest efforts of art that we ever witnessed. It abounds with ideas, as new in music as they are grand and impressive; it rouses and affects every emotion of the soul. It was received with rapturous applause.' But there were still greater raptures to come. In the eighth concert of the season, Haydn unleashed his 'Grand Overture with the Militaire Movement' - what we know today as his 'Military' Symphony. The 'military' element was supplied by the fashionable 'Turkish' percussion - triangle, cymbals and bass drum - that Haydn employed to rousing effect in the Allegretto second movement and also the Finale. Europe was in the throes of the Napoleonic Wars, and Haydn's new symphony tapped directly into a heady vein of contemporary popular sentiment. At the other end of the scale, it was during this period that he produced his final three keyboard sonatas, for a prodigiously talented amateur by the name of Therese Jansen, a pupil of the celebrated Italian virtuoso Muzio Clementi. Haydn's powerful, big-boned keyboard writing in these sonatas reflects the character of the instruments he had encountered in London - mechanically superior to and more robustly constructed than the relatively weak little square pianos popular in Vienna at the time. From here, it's a short step to the early sonatas of Beethoven - the first set of which he dedicated to his teacher, Haydn. Trio No 1 in C for 2 flutes and cello, Hob IV:1; 3rd mvt, Finale - vivace The Kuijken Ensemble 6 Original Canzonettas, Hob XXVIa:30; No 6, 'Fidelity Julie Kaufmann, soprano Donald Sulzen, piano Symphony No 100 in G, Hob I:100 ('Military') Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra Colin Davis, conductor PHILIPS 442 614-2 CD 1 tks 9-12 Piano Sonata in E flat, Hob XVI:52 Ekaterina Derzhavina, piano. | ||
| 2018 | 05 LAST | 20180316 | Donald Macleod explores a hugely successful episode in Haydn's life, his London years. Today, Haydn's fourth London season brings forth his last - and perhaps greatest - symphony. At the final concert of Haydn's third London season on the 12th of May 1794, it was announced to the audience in the Hanover Square Rooms - presumably to general jubilation - that the world's greatest living composer had agreed to stay on in town for another year. Perhaps at this point he was even considering remaining in England for good. His employer, Prince Anton Esterhကzy, had died a few months earlier, and there was little reason for him to return to Vienna - least of all his unhappy marriage to a woman Haydn, by all accounts one of the mildest-mannered of men, had once dubbed a 'bestia infernale'. The following month, however, he received a letter from Anton's son Nicolaus - now Prince Nicolaus - informing him of his intention to restore his grandfather's musical establishment and re-appoint Haydn as Kapellmeister. Now into his 60s, Haydn was doubtless pondering the question of where he might be most comfortable in his old age, and the answer now seemed clear: his native country. Accordingly, his next London season would be his last. It wouldn't be quite like the previous ones, though. Because of the continuing war on the Continent, the violinist, composer and impresario Johann Peter Salomon, who had invited Haydn to London in the first place and organised the previous three concert seasons, found it 'impossible to procure from abroad any Vocal Performers of the first talents', as he explained in a lengthy press advertisement addressed to the 'Nobility and Gentry' who had supported his efforts to date. Instead, Salomon did a deal with the London Opera, the upshot of which was a jointly organised season of nine Opera Concerts at the King's Theatre on Haymarket. If time-travel were possible, you'd want to be transported back for the premi耀res of Haydn's last three symphonies, on the 2nd of February, 2nd of March and 4th of May - the latter, not one of the nine Opera Concerts but Haydn's final Benefit Concert, in which his Symphony No 104, which has acquired the nickname 'London', was heard for the very first time. According to the critic of the Morning Chronicle, Haydn had 'rewarded the good intentions of his friends by writing a new Overture which for fullness, richness, and majesty, in all its parts, is thought by some of the best judges to surpass all his other compositions.' We know from his notebook that Haydn was happy too: 'On 4th May 1795, I gave my benefit concert in the Haymarket Theatre. The whole company was thoroughly pleased and so was I. I made four thousand Gulden on this evening. Such a thing is only possible in England. O'er the moor amang the heather', Hob XXXIa:122 Jamie MacDougall, tenor Haydn Trio Eisenstadt Piano Trio in F sharp minor, Hob XV:26 The Florestan Trio Symphony No 104 in D, Hob I:104 ('London') Les Musiciens du Louvre Marc Minkowski, conductor O tuneful voice', Hob XXVIa:42 Elly Ameling, soprano J怀rg Demus, piano. | ||
| 2019 | 01 | Man Of The People | 20190408 | Donald Macleod focuses his attention on Joseph Haydn's humanity; a man of exceptional character with a warm, generous personality, and a great sense of humour. Joseph Haydn's prodigious creativity earned him the titles Father of the Symphony and Father of the String Quartet. However, he was also occupied with sacred music throughout his career. This week, as Donald Macleod follows Haydn's journey from humble choirboy to Europe's most celebrated composer, he shines the spotlight on music from Haydn's many settings of the Mass. It's music that is as chock-full of invention and character as any of the instrumental forms he made his own. A man with his roots firmly in the country, Haydn never allowed his fame to make him feel he was anything but ordinary. Despite working for the grandest noble family in Austria, and having his music performed all across Europe. Today, Donald looks at how Haydn's fortune might have been very different, had he opted for a career in the Church. Mass in B flat major Harmoniemesse': Kyrie and Gloria Nancy Argenta, soprano Pamela Helen Stephen, mezzo-soprano Mark Padmore, tenor Stephen Varcoe, baritone Collegium Musicum 90 Richard Hickox, conductor Symphony No 94 in G major Surprise': movt II Andante London Philharmonic Orchestra Sir Georg Solti, conductor Mass in B flat major Theresienmesse': Kyrie and Gloria Janice Watson, soprano String Quartet in B minor Op 64 No 2 The Salomon Quartet Simon Standage, violin Micaela Comberti, violin Trevor Jones, viola Jennifer Ward Clarke, cello Mass in B flat major Harmoniemesse': Sanctus and Benedictus Producer: Eleri Llian Rees for BBC Cymru Wales Donald Macleod focuses his attention on Haydn's humanity. | |
| 2019 | 01 | Man Of The People | 20190408 | 20200608 (R3) | Donald Macleod focuses his attention on Joseph Haydn's humanity; a man of exceptional character with a warm, generous personality, and a great sense of humour. Joseph Haydn's prodigious creativity earned him the titles Father of the Symphony and Father of the String Quartet. However, he was also occupied with sacred music throughout his career. This week, as Donald Macleod follows Haydn's journey from humble choirboy to Europe's most celebrated composer, he shines the spotlight on music from Haydn's many settings of the Mass. It's music that is as chock-full of invention and character as any of the instrumental forms he made his own. A man with his roots firmly in the country, Haydn never allowed his fame to make him feel he was anything but ordinary. Despite working for the grandest noble family in Austria, and having his music performed all across Europe. Today, Donald looks at how Haydn's fortune might have been very different, had he opted for a career in the Church. Mass in B flat major Harmoniemesse': Kyrie and Gloria Nancy Argenta, soprano Pamela Helen Stephen, mezzo-soprano Mark Padmore, tenor Stephen Varcoe, baritone Collegium Musicum 90 Richard Hickox, conductor Symphony No 94 in G major Surprise': movt II Andante London Philharmonic Orchestra Sir Georg Solti, conductor Mass in B flat major Theresienmesse': Kyrie and Gloria Janice Watson, soprano String Quartet in B minor Op 64 No 2 The Salomon Quartet Simon Standage, violin Micaela Comberti, violin Trevor Jones, viola Jennifer Ward Clarke, cello Mass in B flat major Harmoniemesse': Sanctus and Benedictus Producer: Eleri Llian Rees for BBC Cymru Wales Donald Macleod focuses his attention on Haydn's humanity. |
| 2019 | 02 | Struggling Musician | 20190409 | Donald Macleod looks at the obstacles thrown into Haydn's path throughout his career as he shuffled between one job and the next until his employment with the Esterhကzys began. Joseph Haydn's prodigious creativity earned him the titles Father of the Symphony and Father of the String Quartet. However, he was also occupied with sacred music throughout his career. This week, as Donald Macleod follows Haydn's journey from humble choirboy to Europe's most celebrated composer, he shines the spotlight on music from Haydn's many settings of the Mass. It's music that is as chock-full of invention and character as any of the instrumental forms he made his own. Donald conjures up images of Haydn sofa-surfing in his younger days, running between jobs to earn enough money to feed himself and describes how his father saved him after a burglary left him with nothing, not even a spare shirt to wear to work. Haydn's struggles weren't just confined to his work but were also evident in his private life; in his choice of wife and an unrequited love. Mass in B flat major Harmoniemesse': Credo Nancy Argenta, soprano Pamela Helen Stephen, mezzo-soprano Mark Padmore, tenor Stephen Varcoe, baritone Collegium Musicum 90 Richard Hickox, conductor Organ Concerto in C major Simon Preson, organ Academy of St Martin-in-the-Fields Neville Mariner, conductor Piano Trio No 17 in F major Beaux Arts Trio Menahem Pressler, piano Isidore Cohen, violin Bernard Greenhouse, cello Mass in G major Missa Sancti Nicolai': Agnus Dei Lorna Anderson, soprano Producer: Eleri Llian Rees for BBC Cymru Wales Donald Macleod looks at the obstacles thrown into Haydn's path throughout his career. | |
| 2019 | 02 | Struggling Musician | 20190409 | 20200609 (R3) | Donald Macleod looks at the obstacles thrown into Haydn's path throughout his career as he shuffled between one job and the next until his employment with the Esterhကzys began. Joseph Haydn's prodigious creativity earned him the titles Father of the Symphony and Father of the String Quartet. However, he was also occupied with sacred music throughout his career. This week, as Donald Macleod follows Haydn's journey from humble choirboy to Europe's most celebrated composer, he shines the spotlight on music from Haydn's many settings of the Mass. It's music that is as chock-full of invention and character as any of the instrumental forms he made his own. Donald conjures up images of Haydn sofa-surfing in his younger days, running between jobs to earn enough money to feed himself and describes how his father saved him after a burglary left him with nothing, not even a spare shirt to wear to work. Haydn's struggles weren't just confined to his work but were also evident in his private life; in his choice of wife and an unrequited love. Mass in B flat major Harmoniemesse': Credo Nancy Argenta, soprano Pamela Helen Stephen, mezzo-soprano Mark Padmore, tenor Stephen Varcoe, baritone Collegium Musicum 90 Richard Hickox, conductor Organ Concerto in C major Simon Preson, organ Academy of St Martin-in-the-Fields Neville Mariner, conductor Piano Trio No 17 in F major Beaux Arts Trio Menahem Pressler, piano Isidore Cohen, violin Bernard Greenhouse, cello Mass in G major Missa Sancti Nicolai': Agnus Dei Lorna Anderson, soprano Producer: Eleri Llian Rees for BBC Cymru Wales Donald Macleod looks at the obstacles thrown into Haydn's path throughout his career. |
| 2019 | 03 | Devout Catholic | 20190410 | Donald Macleod explores the importance of religion to Haydn, how it permeated his career and the choices he made throughout his life. Joseph Haydn's prodigious creativity earned him the titles Father of the Symphony and Father of the String Quartet. However, he was also occupied with sacred music throughout his career. This week, as Donald Macleod follows Haydn's journey from humble choirboy to Europe's most celebrated composer, he shines the spotlight on music from Haydn's many settings of the Mass. It's music that is as chock-full of invention and character as any of the instrumental forms he made his own. Haydn was brought up in a Catholic family at a time when the values of the Enlightenment were held in high esteem in Europe. As a young choir boy, Haydn's daily routine followed the pattern of the liturgical year, which was an influence he never forgot. His steadfast faith is evident in his compositions, copies of which travelled along the length of the Danube and beyond. Stabat Mater: Sancta Mater Patricia Rozario, soprano Anthony Rolfe Johnson, tenor The English Concert Trevor Pinnock, musical director Mass in F major Missa brevis a due soprani Susan Gritton, soprano Pamela Helen Stephen, mezzo-soprano Mark Padmore, tenor Stephen Varcoe, baritone Collegium Musicum 90 Richard Hickox, conductor Arianna a Naxos cantata: Aria Dove sei Carolyn Watkinson, mezzo-soprano Glen Wilson, piano String Quartet in B flat major Op 64 No 3 The Salomon Quartet Simon Standage, violin Micaela Comberti, violin Trevor Jones, viola Jennifer Ward Clarke, cello Producer: Eleri Llian Rees for BBC Cymru Wales Donald Macleod explores the importance of religion in Haydn's life. | |
| 2019 | 03 | Devout Catholic | 20190410 | 20200610 (R3) | Donald Macleod explores the importance of religion to Haydn, how it permeated his career and the choices he made throughout his life. Joseph Haydn's prodigious creativity earned him the titles Father of the Symphony and Father of the String Quartet. However, he was also occupied with sacred music throughout his career. This week, as Donald Macleod follows Haydn's journey from humble choirboy to Europe's most celebrated composer, he shines the spotlight on music from Haydn's many settings of the Mass. It's music that is as chock-full of invention and character as any of the instrumental forms he made his own. Haydn was brought up in a Catholic family at a time when the values of the Enlightenment were held in high esteem in Europe. As a young choir boy, Haydn's daily routine followed the pattern of the liturgical year, which was an influence he never forgot. His steadfast faith is evident in his compositions, copies of which travelled along the length of the Danube and beyond. Stabat Mater: Sancta Mater Patricia Rozario, soprano Anthony Rolfe Johnson, tenor The English Concert Trevor Pinnock, musical director Mass in F major Missa brevis a due soprani Susan Gritton, soprano Pamela Helen Stephen, mezzo-soprano Mark Padmore, tenor Stephen Varcoe, baritone Collegium Musicum 90 Richard Hickox, conductor Arianna a Naxos cantata: Aria Dove sei Carolyn Watkinson, mezzo-soprano Glen Wilson, piano String Quartet in B flat major Op 64 No 3 The Salomon Quartet Simon Standage, violin Micaela Comberti, violin Trevor Jones, viola Jennifer Ward Clarke, cello Producer: Eleri Llian Rees for BBC Cymru Wales Donald Macleod explores the importance of religion in Haydn's life. |
| 2019 | 04 | Distracted Times | 20190411 | Donald Macleod considers the effect war and turmoil had on Haydn's life and career, and how these influences shaped his compositions. Joseph Haydn's prodigious creativity earned him the titles Father of the Symphony and Father of the String Quartet. However, he was also occupied with sacred music throughout his career. This week, as Donald Macleod follows Haydn's journey from humble choirboy to Europe's most celebrated composer, he shines the spotlight on music from Haydn's many settings of the Mass. It's music that is as chock-full of invention and character as any of the instrumental forms he made his own. Austria was in an almost constant state of war during Haydn's life. While he was protected from front line warfare, he was always engaged with the politics of his time. Haydn disliked Napoleon and was horrified at news of the French Revolution. Donald recounts a story about music transcending politics when an 'enemy' soldier visited Haydn at the end of his life and sang an aria from The Creation oratorio, bringing tears of joy to the old man's eyes. Mass in C major Missa in tempore belli Paukenmesse': Agnus Dei Joanna Lunn, soprano Sara Mingardo, alto Topi Lehtipuu, tenor Brindley Sherratt, bass Monteverdi Choir English Baroque Soloists John Eliot Gardiner, conductor Symphony No 100 in G major Military': movt. II Allegretto New York Philharmonic Leonard Bernstein, conductor Piano Trio No 39 in G major Gypsy Rondo Patrick Cohen, piano Erich H怀barth, violin Christophe Coin, cello Mass in C major Missa in tempore belli Paukenmesse': Credo Die Sch怀pfung, Part 2: Aria Mit Würd' und Hoheit angetan Michael Schade, tenor The English Baroque Soloists Mass in D minor Missa in angustiis Nelson Mass': Benedictus, Agnus Dei and Dona nobis pacem Sylvia Stahlman, soprano Helen Watts, alto Wilfred Brown, tenor Tom Krause, bass Choir of King's College, Cambridge Academy of St Martin-in-the-Fields Sir David Willcocks, conductor Producer: Eleri Llian Rees for BBC Cymru Wales Donald Macleod considers the effect war and turmoil had on Haydn's life and career. | |
| 2019 | 04 | Distracted Times | 20190411 | 20200611 (R3) | Donald Macleod considers the effect war and turmoil had on Haydn's life and career, and how these influences shaped his compositions. Joseph Haydn's prodigious creativity earned him the titles Father of the Symphony and Father of the String Quartet. However, he was also occupied with sacred music throughout his career. This week, as Donald Macleod follows Haydn's journey from humble choirboy to Europe's most celebrated composer, he shines the spotlight on music from Haydn's many settings of the Mass. It's music that is as chock-full of invention and character as any of the instrumental forms he made his own. Austria was in an almost constant state of war during Haydn's life. While he was protected from front line warfare, he was always engaged with the politics of his time. Haydn disliked Napoleon and was horrified at news of the French Revolution. Donald recounts a story about music transcending politics when an 'enemy' soldier visited Haydn at the end of his life and sang an aria from The Creation oratorio, bringing tears of joy to the old man's eyes. Mass in C major Missa in tempore belli Paukenmesse': Agnus Dei Joanna Lunn, soprano Sara Mingardo, alto Topi Lehtipuu, tenor Brindley Sherratt, bass Monteverdi Choir English Baroque Soloists John Eliot Gardiner, conductor Symphony No 100 in G major Military': movt. II Allegretto New York Philharmonic Leonard Bernstein, conductor Piano Trio No 39 in G major Gypsy Rondo Patrick Cohen, piano Erich H怀barth, violin Christophe Coin, cello Mass in C major Missa in tempore belli Paukenmesse': Credo Die Sch怀pfung, Part 2: Aria Mit Würd' und Hoheit angetan Michael Schade, tenor The English Baroque Soloists Mass in D minor Missa in angustiis Nelson Mass': Benedictus, Agnus Dei and Dona nobis pacem Sylvia Stahlman, soprano Helen Watts, alto Wilfred Brown, tenor Tom Krause, bass Choir of King's College, Cambridge Academy of St Martin-in-the-Fields Sir David Willcocks, conductor Producer: Eleri Llian Rees for BBC Cymru Wales Donald Macleod considers the effect war and turmoil had on Haydn's life and career. |
| 2019 | 05 LAST | Popular Composer | 20190412 | Donald Macleod turns his attention to the high regard Haydn enjoyed from his friends, colleagues and audiences. Also, the extraordinary story of how Haydn lost his head. Joseph Haydn's prodigious creativity earned him the titles Father of the Symphony and Father of the String Quartet. However, he was also occupied with sacred music throughout his career. This week, as Donald Macleod follows Haydn's journey from humble choirboy to Europe's most celebrated composer, he shines the spotlight on music from Haydn's many settings of the Mass. It's music that is as chock-full of invention and character as any of the instrumental forms he made his own. Today, Donald draws a picture of Haydn's immense popularity, not just as a comoposer but as a man. The affection in which he was held only grew as he entered old age. Mass in B flat major Harmoniemesse': Agnus Dei and Dona nobis pacem Nancy Argenta, soprano Pamela Helen Stephen, mezzo-soprano Mark Padmore, tenor Stephen Varcoe, baritone Collegium Musicum 90 Richard Hickox, conductor Trumpet Concerto in E flat major: movt I Allegro Wynton Marsalis, trumpet English Chamber Orchestra Raymond Leppard, conductor Symphony No 104 in D major London': movt IV Finale: Spiritoso London Philharmonic Orchestra Sir Georg Solti, conductor Die Sch怀pfung: Part 1 Nos 10-14 Ruth Ziesak, soprano Herbert Lippert, tenor Ren退 Pape, bass Anton Scharinger, bass-baritone Chicago Symphony Chorus Margaret Hillis, chorus director David Schrader, piano John Sharp, cello Joseph Guastafeste, double bass Chicago Symphony Orchestra Mass in B flat major Sch怀pfungsmesse': Kyrie and Gloria Susan Gritton, soprano Producer: Eleri Llian Rees for BBC Cymru Wales Donald Macleod focuses on the respect and appreciation offered to Haydn by his audiences. | |
| 2019 | 05 LAST | Popular Composer | 20190412 | 20200612 (R3) | Donald Macleod turns his attention to the high regard Haydn enjoyed from his friends, colleagues and audiences. Also, the extraordinary story of how Haydn lost his head. Joseph Haydn's prodigious creativity earned him the titles Father of the Symphony and Father of the String Quartet. However, he was also occupied with sacred music throughout his career. This week, as Donald Macleod follows Haydn's journey from humble choirboy to Europe's most celebrated composer, he shines the spotlight on music from Haydn's many settings of the Mass. It's music that is as chock-full of invention and character as any of the instrumental forms he made his own. Today, Donald draws a picture of Haydn's immense popularity, not just as a comoposer but as a man. The affection in which he was held only grew as he entered old age. Mass in B flat major Harmoniemesse': Agnus Dei and Dona nobis pacem Nancy Argenta, soprano Pamela Helen Stephen, mezzo-soprano Mark Padmore, tenor Stephen Varcoe, baritone Collegium Musicum 90 Richard Hickox, conductor Trumpet Concerto in E flat major: movt I Allegro Wynton Marsalis, trumpet English Chamber Orchestra Raymond Leppard, conductor Symphony No 104 in D major London': movt IV Finale: Spiritoso London Philharmonic Orchestra Sir Georg Solti, conductor Die Sch怀pfung: Part 1 Nos 10-14 Ruth Ziesak, soprano Herbert Lippert, tenor Ren退 Pape, bass Anton Scharinger, bass-baritone Chicago Symphony Chorus Margaret Hillis, chorus director David Schrader, piano John Sharp, cello Joseph Guastafeste, double bass Chicago Symphony Orchestra Mass in B flat major Sch怀pfungsmesse': Kyrie and Gloria Susan Gritton, soprano Producer: Eleri Llian Rees for BBC Cymru Wales Donald Macleod focuses on the respect and appreciation offered to Haydn by his audiences. |
| 2021 | 01 | A New Chapter Begins | 20210412 | Donald Macleod starts his survey of Haydn's string quartets with the composer's return to the form after some years, and excerpts from op 33/2 and op 51/1 as well as the fourth of his Prussian Quartets, opus 50. From his opus 0 and opus 1 of the 1750s to his unfinished opus 103 of 1803, Haydn's 68 string quartets span the major part of his compositional life. While he wasn't the inventor of the form, he's fully deserving of the epithet, the `father of the string quartet` as he elevated the form to new heights. It's his ideas that take the quartet from its 18th century antecedents to the conventions that are rather more familiar to us today. The conversational textures he created redefined the relationship between the four instruments. Always aware of his surroundings, and other musical influences, he used ideas and rhythms from folk music, dance, opera, the instrumental concerto and other genres for larger forces. He established a sequence of movements, and within them, adapted sonata form, as well as making use of the minuet-trio, the variation, the rondo and fugue forms. Original, serious, yet with his trademark, irresistible humour never too far away, Haydn's quartets make up a unique body of work that justly receive both admiration and appreciation. Across the week Donald Macleod enjoys a masterclass in string quartet writing from one of the great masters of the form. His survey of Haydn includes complete performances of opus 50 no 4 - a quartet written for a King in the grandest of styles, the brilliant and theatrically inspired op 64, no 2, and the spritely and playful Lark Quartet. The versatile composer produced opus 71 no 2 with the largest of concert spaces in mind, and the series concludes with the second of Haydn's opus 76 quartets, the last complete set he wrote, and widely regarded as being among the supreme accomplishments of his career. In 1781 Haydn was about to embark on a series of business deals that would disseminate his music across Europe, and make him one of the most famous and most popular composers. It seemed the moment was right for him to return to writing for string quartets. String Quartet in E flat, op 33 no 2 ('The Joke') IV: Presto The Lindsays The Seven Last Words of Christ Hob XX.2 arr. for string quartet Sonata I: Vater, vergib innen Cuarteto Casals String Quartet, op 54 no 1 in G II: Allegretto Emerson Quartet Symphony no 98 Adagio Concertgebouw Orchestra Colin Davis, conductor Symphony no 94 in G major (Surprise) II: Andante Nikolaus Harnoncourt, conductor String Quartet, op 50 no 4 in F sharp minor Amati Quartet Producer: Johannah Smith for BBC Wales Donald Macleod's survey of Haydn's string quartets includes Op 33 No 2 and Op 50 No 4. | |
| 2021 | 02 | The Shakespeare Of Music | 20210413 | Donald Macleod's survey of Haydn's string quartets follows the events surrounding the 58-year-old composer's astonishing first visit to London, with op 64/6 and op 71/3. From his opus 0 and opus 1 of the 1750s to his unfinished opus 103 of 1803, Haydn's 68 string quartets span the major part of his compositional life. While he wasn't the inventor of the form, he's fully deserving of the epithet, the `father of the string quartet` as he elevated the form to new heights. It's his ideas that take the quartet from its 18th century antecedents to the conventions that are rather more familiar to us today. The conversational textures he created redefined the relationship between the four instruments. Always aware of his surroundings, and other musical influences, he used ideas and rhythms from folk music, dance, opera, the instrumental concerto and other genres for larger forces. He established a sequence of movements, and within them, adapted sonata form, as well as making use of the minuet-trio, the variation, the rondo and fugue forms. Original, serious, yet with his trademark, irresistible humour never too far away, Haydn's quartets make up a unique body of work that justly receive both admiration and appreciation. Across the week Donald Macleod enjoys a masterclass in string quartet writing from one of the great masters of the form. His survey of Haydn includes complete performances of opus 50 no 4 - a quartet written for a King in the grandest of styles, the brilliant and theatrically inspired op 64, no 2, and the spritely and playful Lark Quartet. The versatile composer produced opus 71 no 2 with the largest of concert spaces in mind, and the series concludes with the second of Haydn's opus 76 quartets, the last complete set he wrote, and widely regarded as being among the supreme accomplishments of his career. Pensioned off by the Esterhazy's, after serving the noble family for almost 30 years, then unexpectedly headhunted by an impresario, Peter Salomon, the timing was ripe for new pastures, and what an abundance of riches were awaiting him. Symphony in G, Hob 1 no 8 (Le soir) Presto - La tempesta The English Concert Trevor Pinnock, director Piano Trio no 40 in F sharp minor, Hob.XV:26 I: Allegro Kungsbacka Piano Trio Symphony no 92 (Oxford) I: Adagio - Allegro LSO Colin Davis, conductor String Quartet, op 64 no 6 in E flat major The Amsterdam String Quartet l'anima del filosofo Act 1 Sc 1: Filomena abbandonato Cecilia Bartoli, mezzo soprano Academy of Ancient Music Christopher Hogwood, director String Quartet no 56 in E flat major op 71 no 3 Hob III: 71:1 1: Vivace The Lindsays Donald Macleod's survey of Haydn's string quartets includes Op 64 No 6 and Op 71 No 3. | |
| 2021 | 03 | Tweedledum And Tweedledee Quarrels | 20210414 | Donald Macleod's survey of Haydn's string quartets continues with his famous Lark Quartet, excerpts from op 64/3 and op 54/3, and an assessment of the pros and cons of the composer's enormous popularity in the UK. From his opus 0 and opus 1 of the 1750s to his unfinished opus 103 of 1803, Haydn's 68 string quartets span the major part of his compositional life. While he wasn't the inventor of the form, he's fully deserving of the epithet, the `father of the string quartet` as he elevated the form to new heights. It's his ideas that take the quartet from its 18th century antecedents to the conventions that are rather more familiar to us today. The conversational textures he created redefined the relationship between the four instruments. Always aware of his surroundings, and other musical influences, he used ideas and rhythms from folk music, dance, opera, the instrumental concerto and other genres for larger forces. He established a sequence of movements, and within them, adapted sonata form, as well as making use of the minuet-trio, the variation, the rondo and fugue forms. Original, serious, yet with his trademark, irresistible humour never too far away, Haydn's quartets make up a unique body of work that justly receive both admiration and appreciation. Across the week Donald Macleod enjoys a masterclass in string quartet writing from one of the great masters of the form. His survey of Haydn includes complete performances of opus 50 no 4 - a quartet written for a King in the grandest of styles, the brilliant and theatrically inspired op 64, no 2, and the spritely and playful Lark Quartet. The versatile composer produced opus 71 no 2 with the largest of concert spaces in mind, and the series concludes with the second of Haydn's opus 76 quartets, the last complete set he wrote, and widely regarded as being among the supreme accomplishments of his career. Haydn swept an ecstatic London audience off its feet at his debut concert in 1791, but then a rivalry between two concert promoters left him uncomfortably at odds with a former pupil, Ignaz Pleyel. String Quartet op 54 no 3 IV: Presto Quatuor Ysaye Symphony no 92 in G major, Hoboken I/92, (Oxford symphony) IV: Menuet Berlin Philharmonic Simon Rattle, director Quartet op 64 no 5 in D major (The Lark) Doric Quartet Miseri noi! Misera patria! (Cantata), Hob.XXIVa:7 Christiane Karg, soprano Arcangelo Jonathan Cohen, director String Quartet no 50 in B flat major, Opus 64 no 3 IV: Finale - Allegro con spirito The Lindsays Donald Macleod's survey of Haydn's string quartets includes Op 64 No 3 and the 'Lark'. | |
| 2021 | 04 | Fame And Fortune Versus Loyalty | 20210415 | Donald Macleod's survey of Haydn's string quartets finds the composer on a return visit to London. In the 1794 concert season, to a packed Hanover Square Rooms' audience, Haydn presented the premiere of the second of his op 74 quartets. From his opus 0 and opus 1 of the 1750s to his unfinished opus 103 of 1803, Haydn's 68 string quartets span the major part of his compositional life. While he wasn't the inventor of the form, he's fully deserving of the epithet, the `father of the string quartet` as he elevated the form to new heights. It's his ideas that take the quartet from its 18th century antecedents to the conventions that are rather more familiar to us today. The conversational textures he created redefined the relationship between the four instruments. Always aware of his surroundings, and other musical influences, he used ideas and rhythms from folk music, dance, opera, the instrumental concerto and other genres for larger forces. He established a sequence of movements, and within them, adapted sonata form, as well as making use of the minuet-trio, the variation, the rondo and fugue forms. Original, serious, yet with his trademark, irresistible humour never too far away, Haydn's quartets make up a unique body of work that justly receive both admiration and appreciation. Across the week Donald Macleod enjoys a masterclass in string quartet writing from one of the great masters of the form. His survey of Haydn includes complete performances of opus 50 no 4 - a quartet written for a King in the grandest of styles, the brilliant and theatrically inspired op 64, no 2, and the spritely and playful Lark Quartet. The versatile composer produced opus 71 no 2 with the largest of concert spaces in mind, and the series concludes with the second of Haydn's opus 76 quartets, the last complete set he wrote, and widely regarded as being among the supreme accomplishments of his career. He was feted and adored, a free agent earning more money that he had done in his entire life, but when Haydn was asked to return home by his employer, Prince Nikolaus II it seems a difficult decision would need to be made. 3 German dances IX:12 - version for 3 part string orchestra (excerpt) I musici de Montreal Yuri Turovsky, conductor String Quartet in C, no 72, opus 74 no 1 II: Andantino grazioso Aeolian Quartet Symphony no 99 I: Adagio - vivace assai Les musiciens du Louvre Marc Minkowski, director String Quartet, Op. 71 No. 2 in D major Maxwell String Quartet Piano Sonata in E flat major, Hob XVI:49 (written 1789, pub 1790) II. Adagio e cantabile Paul Lewis, piano String Quartet no 59 in D major op 74 no 3 (Rider) IV: Finale - Allegro con brio Kodaly Quartet Donald Macleod's survey of Haydn's string quartets includes Op 74 No 2. | |
| 2021 | 05 LAST | A Generous Farewell | 20210416 | Donald Macleod's survey of Haydn's String Quartets reaches the composer's Opus 76 series, a high point in the final decade of his life. From his opus 0 and opus 1 of the 1750s to his unfinished opus 103 of 1803, Haydn's 68 string quartets span the major part of his compositional life. While he wasn't the inventor of the form, he's fully deserving of the epithet, the `father of the string quartet` as he elevated the form to new heights. It's his ideas that take the quartet from its 18th century antecedents to the conventions that are rather more familiar to us today. The conversational textures he created redefined the relationship between the four instruments. Always aware of his surroundings, and other musical influences, he used ideas and rhythms from folk music, dance, opera, the instrumental concerto and other genres for larger forces. He established a sequence of movements, and within them, adapted sonata form, as well as making use of the minuet-trio, the variation, the rondo and fugue forms. Original, serious, yet with his trademark, irresistible humour never too far away, Haydn's quartets make up a unique body of work that justly receive both admiration and appreciation. Across the week Donald Macleod enjoys a masterclass in string quartet writing from one of the great masters of the form. His survey of Haydn includes complete performances of opus 50 no 4 - a quartet written for a King in the grandest of styles, the brilliant and theatrically inspired op 64, no 2, and the spritely and playful Lark Quartet. The versatile composer produced opus 71 no 2 with the largest of concert spaces in mind, and the series concludes with the second of Haydn's opus 76 quartets, the last complete set he wrote, and widely regarded as being among the supreme accomplishments of his career. On 15th of August 1795, Haydn left England to resume his position of Music Director at the Esterhazy court. New challenges awaited him, but he considered the days he had spent in England to be the happiest of his life. String Quartet in G major, Op 76 No 1 III. Menuetto: Presto The London Haydn Quartet Recollection Hob. XXVIa:26 Elly Ameling, soprano Jorg Demus, piano Symphony No. 101 in D major 'The Clock II. Andante Scottish Chamber Orchestra Robin Ticciati, conductor Berenice che fai? Sarah Connolly, mezzo soprano Gabrieli Consort & Players Paul McCreesh, director String Quartet, Op. 76 No. 2 in D minor 'Fifths Chiaroscuro Producer: Johannah Smith for BBC Wales Donald Macleod's survey of Haydn's String Quartets arrives at the composer's Opus 76 set. | |
| 2023 | 01 | Disappointment And Solace | 20230424 | Donald Macleod compares and contrasts two of Haydn's closest and longest personal relationships, with music including his early Salve Regina and his celebrated Horn Concerto in D. The streets must have seemed like they were paved with gold when Haydn visited London in 1791. He was feted and applauded everywhere he went as one of Europe's leading composers. He hobnobbed with royalty, the Prince of Wales commissioned a portrait of him from leading society portraitist John Hoppner. It's still regarded as one of the best images we have today. Haydn could hardly have imagined all this as a boy. His really is a rags-to-riches story. Born in 1732 in humble circumstances, Haydn's musical talent won him a position as a choir boy in Vienna's St. Stephen's Cathedral. However, he was forced to leave after his voice broke and, by the age of 17, he was on the streets, with only `three miserable shirts and a worn-out coat` to his name. Happily, his life did then take an upward turn. Haydn was employed by the Esterh | |
| 2023 | 02 | A Cloud And A Silver Lining | 20230425 | Donald Macleod explains how a lucky break saves Haydn from unemployment, with music from the opera Armida and his glorious Cello Sonata in C. The streets must have seemed like they were paved with gold when Haydn visited London in 1791. He was feted and applauded everywhere he went as one of Europe's leading composers. He hobnobbed with royalty, the Prince of Wales commissioned a portrait of him from leading society portraitist John Hoppner. It's still regarded as one of the best images we have today. Haydn could hardly have imagined all this as a boy. His really is a rags to riches story. Born in 1732 in humble circumstances, Haydn's musical talent won him a position as a choir boy in Vienna's St. Stephen's Cathedral. However, he was forced to leave after his voice broke and, by the age of 17, he was on the streets, with only `three miserable shirts and a worn-out coat` to his name. Happily his life did then take an upward turn. Haydn was employed by the Esterh | |
| 2023 | 03 | Sibling Rivalries | 20230426 | Donald Macleod takes a closer look at Haydn's family ties, including his younger brother and fellow composer Michael, with music including Haydn's sparkling Keyboard Concerto in D. The streets must have seemed like they were paved with gold when Haydn visited London in 1791. He was feted and applauded everywhere he went as one of Europe's leading composers. He hobnobbed with royalty, the Prince of Wales commissioned a portrait of him from leading society portraitist John Hoppner. It's still regarded as one of the best images we have today. Haydn could hardly have imagined all this as a boy. His really is a rags-to-riches story. Born in 1732 in humble circumstances, Haydn's musical talent won him a position as a choir boy in Vienna's St. Stephen's Cathedral. However, he was forced to leave after his voice broke and, by the age of 17, he was on the streets, with only `three miserable shirts and a worn-out coat` to his name. Happily, his life did then take an upward turn. Haydn was employed by the Esterh | |
| 2023 | 04 | Coffee And Hot Chocolates | 20230427 | Donald Macleod appraises Haydn's warm friendship with Mozart and his trickier dealings with his pupil Beethoven, with music from Haydn's celebrated Opus 33 and Opus 64 quartets. The streets must have seemed like they were paved with gold when Haydn visited London in 1791. He was feted and applauded everywhere he went as one of Europe's leading composers. He hobnobbed with royalty, the Prince of Wales commissioned a portrait of him from leading society portraitist John Hoppner. It's still regarded as one of the best images we have today. Haydn could hardly have imagined all this as a boy. His really is a rags-to-riches story. Born in 1732 in humble circumstances, Haydn's musical talent won him a position as a choir boy in Vienna's St. Stephen's Cathedral. However, he was forced to leave after his voice broke and, by the age of 17, he was on the streets, with only `three miserable shirts and a worn-out coat` to his name. Happily, his life did then take an upward turn. Haydn was employed by the Esterh | |
| 2023 | 05 LAST | Heart And Soul | 20230428 | Donald Macleod assesses the different values Haydn placed on his friendships with a Viennese society woman of unimpeachable reputation and a vivacious London based widow, with music from Symphony no. 91 and The Creation. The streets must have seemed like they were paved with gold when Haydn visited London in 1791. He was feted and applauded everywhere he went as one of Europe's leading composers. He hobnobbed with royalty, the Prince of Wales commissioned a portrait of him from leading society portraitist John Hoppner. It's still regarded as one of the best images we have today. Haydn could hardly have imagined all this as a boy. His really is a rags-to-riches story. Born in 1732 in humble circumstances, Haydn's musical talent won him a position as a choir boy in Vienna's St. Stephen's Cathedral. However, he was forced to leave after his voice broke and, by the age of 17, he was on the streets, with only `three miserable shirts and a worn-out coat` to his name. Happily, his life did then take an upward turn. Haydn was employed by the Esterh |