Haydn: Symphony 67 - 69

 

Compound meter is not a typical way for Haydn to open a symphony, plus the addition of a Presto tempo, also rather atypical, raises questions marks regarding this work.

The composer begins Symphony no. 67 in F Major in a light, skitterish texture, where Haydn simply sounds out an F-Major arpeggio for its melody, one which sounds unusually fanfare like against the dainty, yet pert start. 

I rather like the pastoral second subject as well, tying together a well-constructed movement. There is quite a bit to the development too, where Haydn shifts immediately to g minor (which Haydn will do again in Hob. 1:68 too!), an unusual move coming from the exposition in F and C Major. Otherwise, he gets a lot of mileage out of his motives, making for a substantial beginning movement.

Haydn once again employs rests to break up his phrases in the second slow movement, although at the restatement, instead of the short staccato articulations, he connects the same music with long-breathed legato. The first and second violins take a bit of the music to themselves here, punctuated by some martial winds retorts. At the end, Haydn calls for a col legno string effect, a strange marking for the Classical Era symphony.

A nicely hearty Minuet makes way for a most unusual Trio, where the first violin plays on an open string, while the second violins drones in double stops, sounding akin to a Hurdy-Gurdy. This effect sounds very 'Spanish/Muslim Renaissance' to my ears, a very singular musical setting from Haydn.

Perhaps the duple-meter Allegro for the final movement is to contrast against the unusual first movement time signature? The composer certainly teases the listener with a short 'swung' section, in the feel of compound rhythms. In any case, Haydn isn't yet finished with his surprises. While the opening music isn't too far removed from normalcy, the music slows down to an Adagio, orchestrated for a solo-instrument String Trio only. When the winds and other strings are allowed back in, there is still much more Adagio material to go before the composer ends on an Allegro button to the conclusion.

Mayhaps the cover art of a stage performance is informing some of the basis of oddities in these symphonies?

I have been enjoying how Haydn includes the entire ensemble in motive restatements, and it is no different in Symphony no. 68 in B-flat Major. In this case, the first is taken by strings while the second is handled by the oboes and bassoons. And if I can't state it enough, the now independent bassoons are a wonderful addition to Haydn's symphonies.

I thought I was done with Haydn's old placing of the Minuet and Trio as the second movement, but I guess he still has one left in him. Again, it is the Trio which receives the oddity, here in the form of marked accents on the final beat of the measure, putting emphasis on the lead-in beat instead of the typical downbeat. A little banter between strings and winds breaks up the textures for come variety as well

The third-movement Adagio bears an incessant ticking accompaniment, usually held by one of the string instruments. Is this a precursor to the Clock Symphony? I caught just the tiniest hint of a tick-tock pattern in the first movement, but the intervening Minuet cuts off any possible ties between the two movements, methinks. When the full ensemble finally joins, they end up in rhythms of DemiSemiQuavers, which even proceeds to sextuplet DemiSemiQuavers before slowing unwinding slowly, and the old ticking continues. Also, for any US readers, does anyone hear a hint of the US National Anthem in the starting melody? 😀

A Rondo forms the finale of Hob. 1:68, with the intervening contrasting portions given over to a bassoon duet in the first, and an oboe duet in the second. In the third and final contrasting section, I sense more of a developmental attitude rather than a showcase for any instrumental section. Also, the ritornello changes each time it comes back, keeping the listener constantly guessing as to what Haydn is up to. The humorous coda gives each instrument section a little solo at the very end, a nicely winking conclusion.

I had made the supposition in Haydn's early symphonies that nicknames were the likely the result of trying to make more money, most likely on the part of the printer/distributor. In the 'Laudon' symphony, we have the first anecdote I have run across to support such a theory. Listeners simply seem to gravitate to named symphonies first; perhaps a program, no matter how apocryphal, helps the listening process.

Whether I have mentioned it every time or not, the last handful of symphonies seem to contain fanfare figures, both outgoing and elegant in nature across the works. Is this an easy way to progress within the key for the composer, or is this simply a stylistic trait in these middle symphonies? In Symphony no. 69 in C Major, it is the oboes who pick up fanfare-like statement following the violins; this is an odd choice with the presence of horns, trumpets, and timpani on hand. The scalular second theme is a delightful contrast from the motion of the first, ably developed later on.

This 20th volume of Haydn symphonies on Brilliant Classics contains substantial slow movements, ones where Ádám Fischer usually doesn't repeat the first or second halves. In this trio of symphonies, he has kept the first section repeats, as is typical with this series. Each have approached 10 minutes in length, making the slow Adagio's the centerpieces of Haydn's symphonic creations. This one is very first-violin centered, generally relegating the rest of the instruments to a subsidiary role.

Haydn shifts the direction of a triplet figure in the opening melody of the third-movement Minuet, defying listener's expectations to some degree, but affording well-constructed contrast. The first section triplets fall, while the second rises, although Haydn reverses the effect again at the end of the second Minuet section, creating a well-balanced musical idea. The Trio is simply textured, with a solo oboe and violin sharing the limelight together.

The presence of trumpet and timpani really amp up in the Minuet, but it is in the fourth movement where we really get to hear these two instruments in all of their glory, with Fischer particularly egging on the timpani player. That said, a violin duet takes over an entire 30 seconds at the very start of the symphony before the tutti ensemble is allowed to enter. Haydn changes key to the parallel minor, the most substantial minor-keyed diversion thus far in this work. Of course, he transitions back to the major, where Fischer is eager to point out some of the dynamic contrasts, finally making a mad gallop to the concluding notes.

Works
Symphony 67 in F Major, Hob. 1:67 (28.06)
Symphony 68 in B-flat Major, Hob. 1:68 (22.46)
Symphony 69 in C Major 'Laudon', Hob. 1:69 (20.23)

Performers
Austro-Hungarian Haydn Orchestra
Ádám Fischer, conductor

Label: Nimbus / Brilliant
Year: 1997; 2002
Total Timing: 71.35