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July 26 & 27
PROGRAM NOTES

Franz Joseph Haydn

Symphony No. 88 in G Major

AT A GLANCE

Born: 1732
Died: 1809
Date of Composition: 1787
Instrumentation: Symphony
No. 88 in G Major is scored for
flute, 2 oboes, 2 bassoons,
2 horns, 2 trumpets, timpani
and strings.

It was Joseph Haydn’s karma to
come of age as the Baroque style
was morphing into the Viennese
Classical. With that came a bevy
of innovative genres that suited
the new era’s more public and
populist listeners. Symphony
replaced concerto grosso and
string quartet replaced trio sonata.
Haydn was perfectly situated to
get in on the ground floor of such
exciting developments, and in the
process became, if not the actual
inventor of the symphony, at least
its patron saint.
Newcomers to Haydn’s symphonies
might be overwhelmed by their Franz Joseph Haydn — Royal Collection
abundance; they number well
over 100. Fortunately, some
fall into handy groups, such as
the six written for a lavish Paris might dub them the “English compositional legerdemain
commission (numbers 82-87) Channel” Symphonies.) combined with forthright
and the final set of 12 stemming Symphony No. 88 in G Major, expressivity and honest cordiality.
from Haydn’s London visits in commissioned by violinist- Joseph Haydn was amongst
the 1790s (numbers 93-104). turned-promoter Johann Tost, the least neurotic of the great
Between those we find numbers stands high amongst Haydn’s composers, and his music is
88 through 92, often overlooked finest symphonic achievements. always good for what ails you.
amidst their better-known Here we have Haydn’s But that doesn’t make it insipid.
brethren. (Because they are sophisticated craftsmanship at its There’s an innate muscularity
situated between the “Paris” fullest evolution, in a downright and robust physicality to Haydn’s
and “London” groups, one breathtaking display of best work, as Symphony No. 88

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