Despite the splendor of the place, despite the luxury and festivities, Haydn's life in Esterháza Palace was not free of difficulties. For 28 years he well served his patron Prince Nikolaus, called The Magnificent for his taste for pomp and celebrations. He wrote symphonies and concertos for the court orchestra, but he also had to deal with the human group involved.
The parties went on without rest and the obligatory stay in the palace during the whole summer, and something more, caused tension among the musicians, generating many conflicts among themselves or with the prince's administration. (To appease them, Haydn had to compose, for example, his famous Farewell Symphony). The orchestra was small, its members did not exceed ten or twelve, but among them were renowned instrumentalists who, for the same reason, were suspicious of each other.
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| Joseph Haydn (1732 - 1809) |
And the greater the renown, the sharper the conflict. In the summer of 1769, the virtuoso cellist Joseph Weigl clashed fiercely with his colleague Ignaz Küffel and almost came to blows. Haydn had to intercede to calm the violent brawl. Two years later, the master had to deal with a brawl between another cellist and a flutist in a tavern in Eisenstadt, resulting in the flutist losing an eye.
Reducing the conflict
That is how turbulent Haydn's group of musicians was. In spite of this, and obliged to compose on a regular basis for his patron, the maestro would dedicate most of the concertos composed during his first years in Esterháza to one or another of the first-rate virtuosos in the small orchestra of Prince Nikolaus.
That is how turbulent Haydn's group of musicians was. In spite of this, and obliged to compose on a regular basis for his patron, the maestro would dedicate most of the concertos composed during his first years in Esterháza to one or another of the first-rate virtuosos in the small orchestra of Prince Nikolaus.
Cello Concerto No. 1 in C major
Probably composed between 1761 and 1765, Haydn's first cello concerto was written for the cello virtuoso Joseph Weigl, one of the curmudgeons. Its score was considered lost until the 1960s when it turned up among other documents in the National Museum in Prague. Structured in the classical manner in three movements, the third movement, marked allegro molto, is quite a challenge for the performer.
Movements:
00 Moderato
09:47 Adagio
17:58 Allegro molto
The performance is by the Russian maestro Mstislav Rostropovich and the Orquesta Sinfónica de la Radiotelevisión Española, which he also conducts. Madrid, 1985.
The concert lasts just over 23 minutes, the rest is applause.
