After enjoying Haydn’s quartets a few weeks ago (http://terrapinlistens2.blogspot.com/2008/08/haydn-string-quartets.html) I wanted to go back to his symphonies. When I had listened to them before they had made very little positive impression. Maybe it was because of Haydn’s accustomed place on orchestral concert programmes as a hors d’oeuvre rather than a main course. (Then again, the same applies to chamber music.) This time (I promised myself) it would be different.
Only it wasn’t. I am still underwhelmed. The one positive thing I got was realising how beautiful Haydn’s woodwind scoring is. But the brass and percussion, when used full-on, is so heavy handed, as in the slow movement of No 100, or the (in)famous “surprise” in No 94. I thought about listening to this again, in case I changed my mind, but I just couldn’t be bothered.
I hope I come back to these Haydn symphonies (or perhaps others) in a few months’ time and eat my words.
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