大象传媒

Donald Macleod begins by exploreing two Michael Haydn works of markedly different character, beginning with the Concertino for Horn, which showcased the talents of one of the virtuoso players at Haydn's disposal in the archiepiscopal court at Salzburg.

This contrasts with his Requiem for Archbishop Sigismund, a dark and brooding piece written to commemorate the passing of his late, lamented employer, but informed too by the composer's grief at the death of his only child. This is one of the works that established Haydn's reputation as a composer of liturgical music - and one which Mozart took as a model for his own Requiem.

Donald Macleod documents a major change in Haydn's life, with the arrival on the scene of the new archbishop of Salzburg, Hieronymus Colloredo - later to become infamous as the man who gave Mozart a kicking. Colloredo instituted a radical programme of reform that kept Haydn busy producing new music for the liturgy. Perhaps as a direct result, he composed relatively little chamber music - the Notturno in G for string quintet is one of the finest examples. (Mozart is known to have played viola in at least one performance - in Munich, in 1777.).

An examination of Michael Haydn's Missa Sancti Hieronymi, written to mark the 10th anniversary of the accession of his boss, Hieronymus Colloredo, to the archbishopric of Salzburg. It quickly became known as the 'Oboe Mass', on account of its highly unusual use of six oboes. Leopold Mozart was critical of what he regarded as Haydn's heavy drinking, but lavish in his praise of this impressive work, whose first performance he attended. The programme concludes with Haydn's Symphony in G, which until recently was thought to be by Wolfgang Mozart.
Michael Haydn composed 20 symphonies during the 1780s, but his Symphony in A major, written in 1789, was to be his last. Perhaps he decided he had nothing further to contribute to a genre which already included Mozart's 'Jupiter', composed the previous year. Or perhaps he was simply kept too busy writing church music.

Towards the end of 1800, Haydn's cosy and somewhat uneventful life was rudely interrupted by history - Napoleon's forces occupied Salzburg, and his apartment was looted. He was robbed of two silver watches and a month's wages, and the following year he travelled to Vienna in search of new income. One result was a commission from Empress Maria Theresa. Another was the offer of the position of Kapellmeister at Eisenstadt, taking over the reins from his brother Joseph - to his subsequent regret, he turned it down.

The story of Michael Haydn closes with another Maria Theresa commission - the Missa sub Titulo Sti. Leopoldi, written for the Feast of the Holy Innocents on 28 December 1805 and appropriately featuring boys voices. It's a charming work and a fitting conclusion to half a century of extraordinary musical productivity.

Show less