Prince Nikolas Esterházy died in 1790. By that date, Franz Joseph Haydn had served him as the court composer for twenty-eight years. Nikolas was succeeded by his son Anton, who had little inclination for the arts, and who would reduce the small court orchestra to its minimum. Haydn, at almost sixty years of age, felt free for the first time. In Vienna, he would not lack offers. He did have several.
The most interesting came from the German violinist and concert organizer Johann Peter Salomon, who offered the maestro a substantial sum for presenting a series of concerts with new works in England.
Haydn disembarked in Dover on January 1, 1791. It was his first trip out of Austria.
A long stay
The reception was spectacular, and the stay was long and profitable. Haydn stayed in England for a year and a half, thus participating in two of the seasons programmed by Salomon. The maestro received innumerable courtesies and invitations almost daily, experiencing a life he had not imagined, at the antipodes of the reclusion, or almost, of Esterháza.
But there was also room for nostalgia and, perhaps, for anxiety. He writes: "...there are times when I wish I could fly to Vienna to be able to work in peace because the noise of the merchants in the streets is unbearable".
The premiere, the return, a new pupil
Symphony No. 94 was premiered in the second season, in the sixth concert of the twelve scheduled, on March 23, 1792, with Haydn conducting and Salomon as first violin. It was a success, as were all the concerts of that season and the preceding one. The season over, Haydn left London and England in early July. He promised to return in 1794. On his return, while passing through Bonn, he was introduced to a young 21-year-old musician, Ludwig van Beethoven. Haydn would be his tutor in Vienna.
Symphony No. 94 in G major
The work is the second of the so-called "London symphonies", the last ones composed by the composer between 1791 and 1795, those ranging from No. 93 to 104. As can be seen, upon Haydn's arrival in England, the master had composed no more nor less than 92 symphonies. Together with the rest of his work, they were requested for publication by the publishing houses of the great European capitals. Hence the reception and enthusiasm that the English public gave him.
Written in 1791 precisely in London, and structured in the usual four movements, the symphony owes its popular nickname to its justly famous second movement Andante, in the form of a theme and variations.
The "surprise"
The theme could not be more simple. As the sweet and naive melody unfolds, it becomes softer and softer and quieter, until it almost dissolves into silence. Just as the attentive listener's ears prick up as the melody escapes him, the full orchestra strikes a fortissimo chord. Then the music resumes its original candor as if nothing had happened.
The abrupt dynamic change is not marked in the original manuscript, and theories abound as to the master's reasons for including it later. Some propose that Haydn would have wanted to make the ladies jump out of their seats, just for the fun of it. Others, that he openly wished to awaken the "seniors" who, after an opulent dinner and a few too many drinks, abounded in the audience, falling asleep as soon as the music began.
Movements:
00:00 Adagio cantabile - Vivace assai
09:38 Andante (the longest movement; there are variations to suit all tastes; the "surprise" comes at minute 7:05, right after the introduction of the theme)
16:10 Menuetto: Allegro molto
21:45 Finale: Allegro di molto
Russian maestro Yuri Temirkanov conducts the St Petersburg Philharmonic.
