This later symphony by Haydn, one of his London Symphony’s is a far more advanced work than No 31 previously listened to in project one of this section. A far larger orchestra is used for this work, and the music is far more expansive with the greater tonal quality. Whilst No 31 would have been written for the small court orchestra at Esterházy, this was written for the larger forces of the London Subscription concerts at the end of the eighteenth century.
The first movement is in sonata form, and following a slow opening section (largo), the theme develops with a sharp change of tempo to vivace, brass is used to colourful effect as the work develops and there is also a flute solo before the recapitulation.
The second movement, at the slower adagio tempo opens softly and contains some fine melodic playing and is a very elegant slow movement, and contains a fine oboe solo passage. The third movement is build around a minuet, a popular dance of the time and the traditional third movement form in symphonies until Beethoven introduced the scherzo, this theme is developed and repeated before the trio section. The movement is completed with a repeat of the earlier minuet theme heard at the beginning of the movement.
The finale is at the much quicker presto tempo and this tempo is set from the opening bars of the movement. As the movement develops all the sections of the orchestra play important roles in developing the movement, which ends with a quiet section, when compared to the more dramatic close to symphonies that would become the norm from Beethoven’s time. I listened to the final minute of Beethoven’s first symphony as a contrast to this ‘quiet’ finish and Beethoven had already moved this style on as the climax to symphonic works by that time.