I love Latin phrases which can be deciphered fairly easily into English if one puts their mind to it. In this case, the musical term tempo and the word mutate are excellent chances to come up with the 'changing of time'.
The very opening of Hob. 1:64 is a terrific example of how Haydn creates a balanced melody, and then plays with audience expectations. A single rising and falling motive is given at a piano dynamic, followed by two measures of low-string motion with four loud chords played o'er top. The restatement, which follows immediately after, plays the exact same soft melody, however, the four loud chords with low-string motion is now marked piano in its first half, with the forte dynamic delayed until the final measure. This is such a small portion of the first movement, but the intelligence, craftsmanship, and wit is keenly at the fore for each listener to hear.
Of course, Haydn uses this germ of a melodic and rhythmic idea to carry past what I just typed, and it is not long until he dallies with swings in and away from minor. By pairing up instruments, Haydn shows some economy of instrumentation, instead of all of the instruments playing all of the time, something I enjoy with these middle symphonies. And of course, the composer blurs the line of the recapitulation, creating something more daring and almost developmental, while still retaining the main ideas he initially set forth.
The previously mentioned nickname comes from the second movement, one which is filled with oddly placed rests and broken-up phrases and cadences. While this is an extremely gentle movement, Haydn inserts single forte chords amongst the pianos and pianissimos, although Ádám Fischer plays each tastefully and judiciously, instead of in an exaggerated manner. The Austro-Hungarian Haydn Orchestra nearly performs at the edge of hearing, creating quite a delicate atmosphere. One of the master's finest!
The Minuet is pretty gentle as well, with some little decorations adding to the its elegance. Fischer employs solo strings to bandy with the winds in their presence in this Trio. If I haven't used enough variations of the descriptor, the final movement is rather dainty as well. Fischer thankfully really lets the instrumentalists rough up the stormy minor section, contrasting the general feeling of elegance in this symphony.
After the three forte chords which open Symphony no. 65 in A Major, Haydn separates the melodic phrases with short rests, as if the music needs help to get going, like an old automobile. Then with the reappearance of those same three loud chords, the music finally runs like a top.
In the second-movement Andante, the strings open the musical phrase, only to have the oboes and horns finish it, showing Haydn providing all of his players a give and take within the entire ensemble. The first violins get quite a bit of time in the spotlight, including a quirky repeated note which lasts four bars as a solo, and then continues that same repeated note with the ensemble. While this music is quite delicate in nature, the little bit of fanfare-like material in the winds confuses the atmosphere some to my ears.
The Minuet is notable for a generous hemiola towards the end of each repeated section. I thought I had heard a similar use of hemiola in the last trio of symphonies I covered, but I wasn't sure if Fischer was phrasing it that way or if Haydn had intended it so. Here, there is no question Haydn has accented the beats to create the off-beat hemiola feeling. The Trio picks up the repeated notes of the first violin from the second movement, although these are a little more humorous in approach. Plus, the hemiola continues.
The fourth movement comes in the form of a spirited Gigue with horn fanfares. There is a strange linking portion from the first and second violins right before the exposition repeat and development which sounds very curious to my ears. The harmonies just sound so advanced and experimental, but that is the fun of exploring Haydn - the small things.
The first movement of Symphony no. 66 in B-flat Major almost opens like a Rossini overture. It is held back some at the start, only to have a feeling of building to something more rhythmically forward moving and outgoing. Of course, Haydn is more concerned with development later on, thus the comparison only runs so far.
Haydn's use of silence was one of the composer's great skills. The second-movement Adagio is yet another example of how he employed rests in a most effective manner. Once again, Fischer is very sensitive here, using the poco forte more as a tool for phrasing, rather than an explosive contrast, and the long crescendo is quite effective under the Hungarian conductor. One curious addition to this slow movement, at least for this listener, is an odd violin pizzicato, pitched rather low compared to everything else around it, sounding mightily out of place. On the other hand, I love the half-step murmur in the violins, although along with the pizzicato note, neither returns in the second half.
Violin repeated notes again! Smack dab in the middle of the Minuet, Haydn vacates the rest of the ensemble, and the first violins are alone with one note, repeated over multiple measures. Is this a trend or a coincidence? The Trio shakes things up by showcasing a solo oboe and bassoon with only violins and cello beneath.
The finale is completely devoid of winds for its whole first third, an unusual occurrence for sure. Meanwhile, the strings pussyfoot around quietly until the winds are finally let in, but even here, they are only added for doubling purposes. Haydn eventually ups the complexity, almost Baroque in nature, and that is when we finally hear independence amongst the instruments. Winds come and go for the rest of the runtime, making for a quirky conclusion.
Works
Symphony 64 in A Major 'Tempora Mutantur', Hob. 1:64 (18.19)
Symphony 65 in A Major, Hob. 1:65 (17.01)
Symphony 66 in B-flat Major, Hob. 1:66 (21.58)
Performers
Austro-Hungarian Haydn Orchestra
Ádám Fischer, conductor
Label: Nimbus / Brilliant
Year: 1997; 2002
Total Timing: 57.40
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