WEEK OF 080811: HAYDN SYMPHONIES (FAREWELL & DRUMROLL)
Haydn: Symphony 45 (Farewell)
While walking down the stone stairs to go home one evening, I chanced upon Ore, a friend who formerly was a hallmate in my workplace. Upon our cordial catching up, I slipped to Ore that I had been listening to Schubert. I have often slipped casual comments to him about my growing interest and experiments with listening to classical music, for Ore had formerly played piano at Julliard. Ore often would ignore my nods to his past, for I surmise he (besides shy) is distancing himself from the world of classical music. Nevertheless, on this night, Ore's face lit up when I explained how I'd been listening to these works of art and emotion with diligence, and allowed me to extract his opinions. These two Haydn symphonies came out, and I am quite glad. I had overlooked Haydn, primarily because the classical composers had seemed to invoke emotion less often in their work. On the contrary, Haydn led a particular life apart from the critical society of the cities, instead spending a few decades composing for a rich Hungarian prince at his estate, with some freedom thus to explore the possibilities of music. This farewell symphony came during a time when the composer wrote many minor key pieces in parallel with a literary movement called "Sturm und drang" (Storm and stress), which emphasized bleak emotions in contrast to rationalism. This symphony begins with a frantic flight, perfect for working during, imparting my scattered mind with a focus on what is important. I admit that the slow Adagio movement had not sunk in by the end of the week's listening, but it is sublime and stately, avoiding sadness but wavers with its calm struggle.
Haydn: Symphony 103 (Drumroll)
This symphony begins with a ferocious warlike drumroll. I hate it. I spent some moments this week explaining to friends my hatred for the western trapkit (the rock drum set) and its violence and masculinity. Thankfully the drum only invokes the symphony and does not play so ferociously throughout. Admittedly, I was bored by much of this symphony. It's got some interesting challenging waves of sound, for the ordinarily dainty music of the classical period, but it still seems quite aristocratic for my tastes. The real reason Ore had recommended it was because it has, as its second movement, a set of variations -- an interest of mine. Unfortunately, these variations (although suitably peculiar, in that they originated from a folk tune, I believe) are not so varied at all. Was Beethoven the first to explode the variation form? Bach's Goldberg variations are quite revolutionary... So why were these so stiff? Perhaps because a wildly variant set of exercises would not have a place within a symphony? I do not know, but I'm a bit sad that I wasted my time listening to this, when I might have selected another symphony from the Sturm und drang period of Haydn's works.