Haydn Symphony No. 45 | Il Giardino Armonico | Giovanni Antonini

[maestrob]

Sometimes I feel we take Papa Haydn too seriously, in spite of the many humorous moments in his symphonies. Giovanni Antonini and Il Giardino Armonico demonstrate this side of Haydn most appealingly in this, possibly his most famous joke, Symphony No. 45 (The Farewell), composed as a response to his sponsor's refusal to provide additional funding, perhaps the earliest musicians' strike threat on record. Part of Antonini's much-anticipated Haydn cycle due to be completed in 2032, this live performance demonstrates why this group is now my go-to cycle of Haydn's symphonic oeuvre.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GMaM6ivx8X8

[Seán]

I think it's a great cycle and David Hurwitz hates it.

[maestrob]

I think it's a great cycle and David Hurwitz hates it.

He would!

[diegobueno]

Great performance -- and it demonstrates just how much more than a joke this symphony is, and just how proficient and effective period ensembles have become over the past 50 years. This performance is full of tension and radiates the "Sturm und Drang" which has become associated with this period of Haydn's career. I don't know that I want to spring for another set of complete Haydn symphonies (I have the Adam Fischer set as part of the Brilliant Classics Haydn Edition, as well as most of the Antal Dorati boxes on LP) but this one promises to be completely worthy.

I was just thinking that this performance makes the work sound more like a protest than a joke. I can imagine the musicians leaving the stage to join a picket line.