Here in Symphony no. 55 in E-flat Major, one can immediately hear the forte vs. piano dynamic changes at the start. This also contrasts the severe dotted figures vs. the legato straight rhythms.
Ádám Fischer does a neat effect with the opening four forte chords. Instead of having the orchestra attack them equally, they have the subtlest of decrescendos across the four chords. I like this attention to detail, without becoming fussy.
I have mentioned the increased quality of Haydn's developments, where the composer often teases the listener with false recapitulations. He does so in this first movement as well, and of course, the actual recapitulations and codas are never straight forward either.
The 'Schoolmaster' variations which follow in the second movement are a lot of fun. Again, Haydn plays with the contrast of staccato and legato. Oddly, Fischer does not observe any repeats in this set of theme and variations, although this choice does not particularly bother me.
A nicely weighty Minuet begins the third movement of Hob. 1:55. It is the Trio though, written for two violins and cello alone, which seems the oddity here, although it is short lived. Fischer sets these as solo instrument portions.
I wonder how many of Haydn's symphonies contain two theme and variation movements? It can't be many, but time will inform this listener. At least Haydn has the sense to set this final movement at Prestissimo to contrast with the earlier Adagio variations, affording the ending a satisfyingly exciting conclusion, although elegance is ever a part of these variations. I should point out the second variation of wind instruments is a rather singular sounding moment in this movement.
Here we are back in C Major, which means trumpet and timpani time in Symphony no. 56. Thankfully, Haydn has become more tasteful using these instruments, or perhaps Ádám Fischer and the Nimbus team have better integrated these instruments so they aren't flat-footed, noisy affairs.
Many of the contrasts I described in the previous symphony's first movement could very well apply in Hob. 1:56 as well. A new attribute regards Haydn beginning to use fermatas to demarcate the sections of the exposition. Fischer goes a little too far by adding a ritard in the few bars just before the recapitulation, taking away the guesswork of whether or not Haydn is toying with us in another false recapitulation statement.
The winds are given some time to shine in the Adagio second movement, including bassoon, which is usually relegated to simply doubling the bass line. Here, it not only gets its own notes amongst the winds away from the strings, bassoon is allowed a fair bit of unaccompanied solo moments too.
This third-movement Minuet and Trio is one of the longest, if not the longest I have heard thus far from Haydn. The Trio, featuring solo oboe finds itself at its normal length, so it is actually the Minuet which exceeds capacity in its two long repeated sections. In the second section of the Minuet, Haydn inserts an ill-timed rest right before a cadence, a funny choice for sure. Fischer imbues the movement with a hearty swing, maintaining a delightful dance feel, and the full ensemble vs. solo string portions offer a nice bit of variety.
Perpetual motion triplets thrust the final movement forward with remarkable passages for unison ensemble playing. It doesn't go unnoticed how Haydn uses a fermata to divide the musical sections once again; I will be interested to see if he continues to use these for structural purposes. The unison triplets are roughly handled by the Austro-Hungarian Haydn Orchestra here, giving the concluding music some extra personality and character.
Haydn wastes no time surprising the listener with more piano vs. forte ideas in Symphony no. 57 in D Major, this time reversing the action from soft to loud, again in a terraced fashion. The difference lays in the opening movement's drowsy Adagio introduction, before the Allegro proper ever has a chance to enter.
A set of peaceful Adagio variations make up the second movement. Interestingly, each variation is bookended by a three-note pizzicato string lick, a nice unifying effect to bring the listener back to the opening theme. Once again, Ádám Fischer chooses not to repeat any of the variations.
Fischer also gives the Minuet a heavy-footed three feel, something I rather appreciate. The Trio is set in D minor, one of the rare settings of a minor key amongst this particular trio of symphonies. Even more, how Haydn moves from D minor to B-flat Major and D minor to E-flat Major without sounding out of place is the composer's talent.
Running triplets again feature in the final movement, here balancing delicate pianos opposite thrusting fortes. I have not seen the term mancando used in a Haydn symphony before, but he uses it in the last movement of Hob. 1:57 a couple of times.
Works
Symphony 55 in E-flat Major, 'Schoolmaster' Hob. 1:55 (20.50)
Symphony 56 in C Major, Hob. 1:56 (22.23)
Symphony 57 in D Major, Hob. 1:57 (24.38)
Performers
Austro-Hungarian Haydn Orchestra
Ádám Fischer, conductor
Label: Nimbus / Brilliant
Year: 1996; 2002
Total Timing: 68.21
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