Haydn: Symphony 79 - 81

 

Here is another trio of symphonies linked together by common cause. In this case, these were written for an event in Vienna rather than the prince at Esterházy palace.

All this means, is it brings us closer to Haydn being let loose upon Europe instead of contained in his own little corner of the world.

Symphony no. 79 in F Major has the happiest of pastoral openings I have heard in a great while. Even the linking transition material between primary and secondary motives contains beautiful harmonic movement. This is one exposition I would love to come back to again and again, a hallmark setting from the composer. 

Even Haydn must have known what he had on his hands, for the first-movement development happily sings the opening melody at its start. The resultant recapitulation is more developmental in character than repetitive, another strong attribute from Haydn.

As I had mentioned with the last trio of symphonies, the second movement is a slow song taken on its own merits without need of development or contrast from a Rondo or Theme and Variations. The major quirk is when Haydn changes the tempo in the last third of the movement from the opening Adagio to a cut-time Allegro, a surprise for all listeners. What its purpose is here, I don't have the slightest idea, for pasting a finale-style ending in the typically slow movement is a bizarre appearance. Once in hand, though, it is light and peppy, continuing the pastoral high spirits of the opening movement.

The Minuet and Trio is standard fare, with the Trio opting for a solo flute and oboe pairing with the violin. Ádám Fischer takes the music at a one-beat-per-bar tempo, faster than the typical Allegretto, conveying a waltz-like dance instead of the steadier Minuet. 

The fourth movement is in Rondo form, where the first minor-key episode tries to add some aggression to the music and the second more triumphal with complex motion. The returning 'A' music is given to bassoon and violin instead of the usual tutti ensemble, providing a little more contrast until the last exclamation of the main idea.

After a rather lightweight minor-keyed symphony in Hob. 1:78, it is good to hear the trenchant moving bass line opening Symphony no. 80 in D minor. Haydn still seems to have his sights on happier times, though, with the very last few bars of the exposition set in a surprising rustic dance texture. 

The composer suddenly transitions from F Major to D-flat Major between the exposition and development, with many more distant harmonic shifts to follow. Plus, that strange folk dance idea returns amongst prolongated rests and pauses, finding Haydn in rather a cheeky mood. If that wasn't all, he completely changes the key to D Major to end the movement altogether. So much for the symphony being centered in D minor!

The second slow movement which follows is in a two-section song form again, and since Fischer observes the first repeat, it is one of some substance and length. The third-movement Minuet returns to D minor, but only for a short while, since even the first half of the Minuet seems more interested in moving to F Major; plus the Trio completely moves back to D Major. It does have a lot of personality though, with short note lengths rampant throughout.

Well, I am flummoxed. The final movement of Hob. 1:80 in D minor remains in D Major during its runtime. It doesn't even have any particular wont to venture into minor either! Oh well...

What is ear catching here is the odd across-the-bar-line, syncopated rhythmic set up, keeping the listener off kilter until the rest of the ensemble enters with rushing semi-quaver figures. This rhythmic oddity is enough to set this movement apart from all others he has written, one which must have been tough to perform in its time.

Most point to the long-held harmonies opening the first movement in Symphony no. 81 in G Major as an unusual introduction. The cello rhythmically repeats one note as a pedal, while the second violin enters afterwards holding an unresolved note, as does the first violin which follows beyond that. Until some motion occurs, exactly where the music is heading remains a big question mark for the listener. Haydn will use this idea throughout this movement, integrating a curious bit of harmonic ambivalence to the work.

A lilting tune played by flute and violin begins a second-movement theme and variations, one which is very first-violin centered throughout. Haydn does break for one grouchy minor-keyed variation, adding more winds to the texture. Otherwise, he prefers light sounds in the rest of the variations, including a plucked portion, ably brought to the fore by the Nimbus engineers.

Another waltz feeling inhabits the third-movement Minuet, followed by a Trio where the 'duet du jour' is bassoon and violin. The harmonies are curiously static in the Trio, where Fischer makes the accompanying strings sound like a metallic hurdy-gurdy. A light, jovial closing movement follows, without much in the way of strife nor harmonic surprise. After all, delights exist in known quantities as well. 😉

Works
Symphony 79 in F Major, Hob. 1:79 (20.45)
Symphony 80 in D minor, Hob. 1:80 (22.32)
Symphony 81 in G Major, Hob. 1:81 (22.08)

Performers
Austro-Hungarian Haydn Orchestra
Ádám Fischer, conductor

Label: Brilliant Classics
Year: 1998; 2002
Total Timing: 65.45