Haydn: Symphony 43 - 45

 

Symphony no. 43 in E-flat Major sounds the most Mozart-ian of any I have heard so far.

What does this mean? To me, this is a combination of graceful melody-making alongside clearer textures, plus slower and simpler harmonic movement. Also, Haydn seems less interested wandering into minor for too long.

This is not a word of discouragement from me either; rather a noticeable attribute. After all, Beethoven and Mozart have to get their 'sound' from somewhere. Where better than Haydn?

In the first movement development, the composer gives us a quality false recapitulation, each time making me wonder if we have actually arrived. In this case, one of Haydn's wonderful pauses follows a false return, a staple from the composer. I do rather like how Ádám Fischer allows the violins to use portamento as well.

Similar to the opening, the textures are again simpler and the melody more songful in the second movement, keeping the music ever so light. Winds are kept to a minimum as well, but are held off until the right moment for differentiation to the mostly string-centered Adagio.

The Minuet is the heaviest playing we hear in Hob. 1:43, a well needed contrast up to this point. Fischer employs solo strings in the Trio for even more variance for the listener. The final-movement Allegro bears unusual length phrases, whose graceful main idea features a rather simple upward arpeggio which winds up coming back down in a scalular fashion. Only chugging strings bring the music away from gentle propriety.

I have not come across any particular reason for the subtitle of 'Mercury' for this symphony, but I am sure sales had something to do with it.

With Symphony no. 44 in E minor, we enter the period of Haydn's Stürm und Dräng proper, although we have come across a few minor-keyed symphonies before this one. Aside from the minor mode, what is most striking to me in this first movement is Haydn's stellar use of a motive; the listener never loses sight of his motivic development, particularly those unison rising fifths which are so effective, cemented by the half steps which finish off the melodic phrase. This main musical idea is so portentous and moody, it draws this listener in immediately. I could imagine this particular motive being used in a contrapuntal manner, but Haydn is not quite ready for that level quite yet.

A Minuet follows the first movement, one of only a handful of symphonies by Haydn which place the dance movement second. At Ádám Fischer's Presto tempo, this music almost becomes a Scherzo, and a ghostly one at that due to the minor key. Also, Haydn is in full imitation mode here, furthering what I believed could be attained in the first movement. An E-Major Trio provides the shortest bit of sunshine, before descending into the Bach-like imitative Minuet.

Perhaps that Trio is but a foretaste of the gentle, major-key Adagio which follows, here in the third-position slot. The gentle skipping of the violins opposite the sustained winds is a nice touch, again where the winds are used sparingly.

It is perhaps no surprise that Haydn ends back in E minor, although he has changed things up in the past, and will again in the future, so I never rest on my laurels with this composer. Haydn's finale is nervy and menacing, again showcasing a terrific unison melodic idea amidst a rhythmic underlay which propels this whole movement forward.

The subtitle for Hob. 1:44 is 'Trauer', or Mourning. The background of this nickname holds little veracity, I am sure, but apparently Haydn wished this symphony to be played at his funeral. He could have picked worse!

Of all Haydn's symphonies, the Farewell Symphony is probably his most infamous. Its opening movement is almost as nervy and menacing as the finale of the previous symphony. Once more, Haydn excels in his main motive, a descending arpeggio which settles to finish off the melodic phrase. I love these melodies from Haydn, for they are so easy for the listener to follow how he forms a movement, bends it to his will in the development, and then returns again. This motive is not only great in minor, but it works even better when he switches into major as well.

I've noticed with these middle-period symphonies, at least on this 12th volume, Haydn has chosen an Adagio tempo for his slow movement, instead of his beloved Andante in duple meter. This certainly provides the music a bigger break from the dramatics of the work, plus he often times these second movements to run longer than the opening and closing movements.

I haven't mentioned the key of F-sharp minor as of yet; it is not as complicated as it sounds, as it shares the same key signature as A Major, yet Haydn hardly ever sets music in this minor key. Well, if F-sharp minor sounds odd, the Minuet and Trio is set in the key of F-sharp Major, a rarity for sure. Just wait though, for the third measure boasts a D-Major chord, a mightily curious sounding harmony which blows my mind every time I hear it, and I love it!

A skittish Presto opens the last movement, again returning to the minor. I mentioned at the top that Symphony no. 45 in F-sharp minor is infamous, and here is where it really gets weird. Haydn finishes off the Presto only to segue into a completely new 'movement', or section, at an Adagio tempo. Little by little instruments drop out until only two violins are left to finish off the work. Much has been made of the story behind this ending, and it is certainly a unique compositional choice, melding practical employment issues and musical inspiration into one.

If all of this wasn't enough, there is one more curiosity I noticed. Hob. 1:45 is almost completely in triple meter. The fact the first three movements are set 'in three' is unusual enough, but after the final Presto (which is the only duple meter across the work), the Farewell coda is again in 3/8. I haven't found another Haydn symphony planned out in this manner as of yet.

It is easy to see why these minor-keyed symphonies are so popular. There is an extra ounce of emotional weight not often attained by Haydn writing in a major key.

Symphonies 43 -45 were recorded early in Ádám Fischer's Haydn project, so interpretive idiosyncrasies are less than I have found in his later recordings. Of course, the earlier the recording, the less the oboes are heard behind the strings in the acoustic. I think I have simply become used to the Haydnsaal acoustics by now, able to pick out what I need to from Haydn's music.

Since I am traversing Haydn's symphonies numerically, this volume is the meatiest I have come across, minus perhaps the 'Time of Day' symphonies. This is evidenced by the substantial run-times of this trio of symphonies, each gravitating towards 25 minutes, where the works before these were hanging out around 10-15 minutes.

Otherwise, Haydn's use of the Sonata-Allegro form is coming along swimmingly, although his transitions to recapitulations are often baffling. However, as works of musical contrast and musical development, these three are very satisfying indeed. The Stürm und Dräng aspect is mere sauce for the goose.

 

 

 

 

Works
Symphony 43 in E-flat Major, Hob. 1:43 (23.37)
Symphony 44 in E minor, Hob. 1:44 (22.56)
Symphony 45 in F-sharp Minor, Hob. 1:45 (26.17)

Performers
Austro-Hungarian Haydn Orchestra
Ádám Fischer, conductor

Label: Nimbus / Brilliant
Year: 1988-87; 2002
Total Timing: 73.11