The optimism and positivity that breathes through the work of Joseph Haydn was bound to attract Leonard Bernstein, who performed numerous recordings of the great Austrian composer’s symphonies, both in New York and Vienna. While these interpretations aren’t “historically informed” per se, they do perfectly reveal the “spirit” of this music, with energetic tempos, a fair dose of humour and constant vibrancy.
The Symphony No. 88 in G major follows the six Paris Symphonies, which it is an extension from. Writing it, Haydn had French audiences in mind and had in fact entrusted its publication to a Parisian editor. This symphony has always been a favourite among conductors, most likely because of the clarty of its writing and its final movement, which is very academic in writing and yet so popular in tone, with a main theme that irrevocably sticks to the listeners’ heads. A video shows Bernstein interpreting this Finale in Vienna, maliciously letting the orchestra play on its own while performing irresistible gestures and mimics.
The Symphony No. 102 was part of the twelve London Symphonies. Several critics underlined how much the first movement inspired Beethoven in his own symphonies. The Adagio that follows has a certain sadness about it, so rare with Haydn, who regains his joyful mood for a brilliant Finale, in which burlesque elements are designed to amuse the audience. © François Hudry/Qobuz