HAYDN'S TIMES OF DAY | STATE OF THE ARTS

  AHE - HAYDN’S TIMES OF DAY                                                                  

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It is reputed that Prince Paul Anton von Esterhazy was fond of programmatic music. But most pieces we now consider programmatic were given their names only after they were conceived. Not so with Haydn’s so-called Times of Day symphonies.

Thee first symphony is Symphony No 6 in D major, later dubbed Le Matin (Morning). It begins sotto voce, as though anticipating a spectacular opening. Melissa Farrow emerges with a delightful theme on flute that is redolent of birdsong. The entire Allegro section lulls between loud and soft, busy and sparse. In the second movement we see the clearest expression of the morning theme – a rising sun depicted on violin. All this goes to show that programmatic music was not the preserve of the Baroque.

But it seems that Haydn was inspired by what came before him. The symphonies seem an adaptation of the concerto grosso form of yesteryear, and the Adagio concludes with a solemn Corelliesque peroration. The Menuet, too, gives prominence to the bass voices. It is unusual for its time, but one has only to think of the bassoon solo in Bach’s Orchestral Suites. Here we have a whimsical duet between Daniel Yeadon on cello and Simon Rickard on bassoon, which takes some arabesque turns.

The symphony that follows, Le Midi, is just as youthful. It opens, quite unlike Le Matin, with a slow ceremonial march. But it soon breaks into a vibrant series of tremolos and running passages synchronised among the violins. But the highlight was the second movement, which opens with a “Recitative”. It is fittingly operatic, and almost Romantic, in style. It features prominently Skye Mcintosh on violin, who negotiated the rhetorical flourishes with great effect and gave to it a song-like quality. The persistence and agitation of the rhythm is reminiscent of CPE Bach’s so-called “Hamlet” piece for clavichord and of the empfindsamer stil more generally. But it soon moves from brooding to delightfully galant. The menuetto and trio features tortuous passages for the violone, which Lara Vaughan performed with great skill.

After the interval came Lara Vaughan introducing a very peculiar instrument called the baryton. Its closest relative is the viola da gamba, but it features various added ‘sympathetic’ strings and, remarkably, a set of strings behind the fretboard which the player plucks to give an effect that is something like a sitar or harpsichord. Haydn composed 175 compositions for the baryton. And with the Baryton Trio No 70 in G major, one can soon see why. The first few notes were given to the baryton, which had a mellow and earthy timbre, much like the viola da gamba. Part of the motif was a series of consecutive notes for the plucked strings. It is a wonder how Vaughan could so deftly switch between the two. But altogether, although it is a perfectly agreeable piece, it is not particularly captivating.

The Divertimento a 8 voci No 1 in D major also features the baryton. It was designed skilfully by Haydn to accommodate the Prince’s then-fledgling skills on the baryton. But it is not just the baryton that shines here. Matthew Greco assumes centre-stages as the first violin takes something of a continuo role.

The Symphony No 8 in G major is Le Soir – Night. The first movement has a rustic sense to it, being a gigue in sonata form, and quotes a melody from a song in Gluck's Le diable à quatre – "Je n'aimais pas le tabac beaucoup" ("I didn't like tobacco much"). It also features a captivating and rapidly-modulating series of tremolos. The highlight is the finale, a Presto, where light interruptions by Farrow on the flute and Yeadon on cello cut through the business of the strings.