FRANZ JOSEPH HAYDN (1732-1809) SYMPHONY NO. 8 IN G MAJOR, LE SOIR (1761) Scored for: flute, two oboes, bassoon, two horns, continuo and strings Performance time: 23 minutes First Grant Park Orchestra performance: August 18, 1941, Hans Lange, conductor Joseph Haydn’s Symphony No. 8, Le soir (“Evening”) comes as the final symphony in a set of three, following Symphony No. 6, Le matin (“Morning”) and Symphony No. 7, Le midi (“Noon”). The young composer had recently been hired as ViceKapellmeister at Prince Paul Anton Esterházy’s court in Eisenstadt, Austria. The prince, an Italian Baroque music enthusiast, asked Haydn to compose a semi-programmatic set akin to Vivaldi’s Four Seasons that tracked the passing of a day instead of a year. Eager to please his patron in his debut as court composer, Haydn wrote the set during his first few months at court in 1761. Though Haydn is often considered the “father” of the symphony, the genre had already begun to evolve from elements of the Baroque concerto, church sonata, and Italian opera overture. This early symphony nods to the style and form of Baroque concerti grossi in which musical material passes between a small group of soloists (the concertino) and full orchestra (the ripieno). This retrospective style could be Haydn’s way of flattering the prince’s musical tastes, but it also allows the individual musicians to shine. Haydn had the rare opportunity of having a premier orchestra at his fingertips to compose for, as Prince Esterházy had assembled a newly expanded orchestra for his court with some of the most talented instrumentalists out of Vienna. In a move to curry favor with his musicians as their new leader, Haydn showcases the talents of the orchestra as a whole in his Symphony No. 8 while also highlighting the individual players, particularly concertmaster and violin virtuoso Luigi Tomasini. The opening movement, marked Allegro molto, features a staccato melody in 3/8 time, which passes in variation between the strings and winds. The second movement is a heartfelt Andante that uses a traditional concertino group of two solo violins, echoed by paired solo bassoon and solo cello. This movement also gives the solo first violin plenty of moments to shine on its own. A pleasant Minuet and Trio follow, featuring a provincial double bass solo. The finale is the only explicitly programmatic moment of the symphony. In a nod to Vivaldi, Haydn titles this movement “La tempesta,” or the storm. Here, the sixteenth-note octaves in the first violin depict the approaching storm, the staccato notes in the orchestra below like the first droplets of rain. Then, a forte cascading figure in unison comes in like a heavy downpour. Later, tremolos in the lower strings suggest distant rumbles of thunder. In addition to appeasing the musicians, this symphony and the other two in the set must have assured Prince Esterházy that he had made an excellent decision in hiring the young composer. As it happens, Haydn would go on to serve the Esterházy court for the next thirty years in what would be one of the most fruitful musical patronages in history.
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