Haydn - Symphony No. 94 in G Major "Surprise" | Discovering Masterpieces of Classical Music

An informative and entertaining audio-visual concert at St. Irene Church, Istanbul (2001) with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Mariss Jansons and hosted by Robert Levin who analyzes the composer Joseph Haydn's most famous works.
Joseph Haydn - Symphony No. 94 in G Major "Surprise"
4:32 I. Adagio - Vivace assai
14:56 II. Andante
20:56 III. Menuet. Allegro molto - Trio
23:15 IV. Finale. Allegro di molto
Famous for the sudden fortissimo chord in the middle of its second movement- the 'surprise' of the title - Haydn's Symphony No. 94 is one of his most beloved masterpieces. Various theories have been advanced to account for this unusual interruption. The apocryphal story goes that Haydn simply wanted to wake up his drowsy audience, but the composer him self gave a different explanation, indicating that professional rivalry may have been at the heart of the matter: I was interested in surprising the public with something new, and in making a brilliant debut, so that my student Pleyel, who was at that time engaged by an orchestra in London and whose concerts had opened a week before mine, should not outdo me.'
Joseph Haydn was born in the small village of Rohrau in Austria on 31 March 1732 to Mathias, a wheelwright and magistrate, and Anna Maria. His was a musical family (both his brothers also became composers), and around 1738 he went to live with a relative, Johann Mathias Franck, in order to further his musical education. Two years later his voice earned him a place as a choirboy at St Stephen's Cathedral in Vienna, where he took lessons in the harpsichord and the violin, as well as singing. It was around this time that he also began to learn the basics of composition, studying the theorist Johann Joseph Fux's renowned treatise on counterpoint Gradus ad Parnassum. After his voice broke and he could no longer continue es a choirboy, Haydn began teaching, eventually coming into contact with the famous composer Nicola Porpora (1686-1768) and the librettist Metastasio (1698-1782). His reputation soon began to grow, and around 1757 he was appointed to the position of Kapellmeisterfor Count Morzin.
In 1761, however, Haydn moved to the court of the Esterházy family, where his tenure would last almost thirty years. lnitially he was only engaged as vice-Kapellmeister, but he was promoted to Kapellmeister when his predecessor in that post, Gregor Joseph Werner (1693-1766), died in 1766. Haydn was responsible for composing both secular and sacred music, and he was kept extremely busy. From 1776 onwards his duties increasingly included composing for and runnjng the opera house at the palace of Eszterhäzu,for which he wrote more than a dozen operas. In 1790 Haydn's comfortable life at court was disrupted when his employer Prince Nicolaus died. The Prince's successor Anton made it clear that he had no need of musical entertainment, and Haydn soon left Eszterháza for Vienna.
A year later Haydn was approached by the concert producer Johann Peter Salomon, who convinced him to travel to London. It was here that he composed the first six 'London' symphonies, including No. 94, the 'Surprise'. The work received its premiere at London's Hanover Square Rooms on 23 March 1792. It was a great and immediate success; critics wrote of wild applause and an enchanted audience.
Haydn remained in England until 1795, when he was offered his old position as Kapellmeister for the Esterházy family, this time under Prince Nicolaus II. He returned to Austria and lived the final years of his life as one of the most celebrated composers in Europa. After 1805 he became increasingly ill, and he died in Vienna on 31 May 1809.
The composer was affectionately known by his colleagues as 'Papa Haydn', and contemporaries often wrote about his good sense of humour. Haydn was a master of misdirection, guiding us through each playful eccentricity as it occurs.
The documentary explores each 'artificially embarrassing moment' - where the composer deliberately pretends to make clumsy mistakes - in turn, discussing the music in terms of harmony, form, textural contrast, phrase-length and overall mood. Haydn wants to 'play poker with the London public' by continually surprising them. The documentary compares Haydn to Mozart, both musically and in terms of character, and puts both in the historical context of the Enlightenment - in which music was broadly conceived as a civilising influence - und the emerging middle class. It frames Haydn as 'the father of the symphony', discussing his profound influence on future generations of composers.
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