Joseph Haydn arrived in London at the invitation of the impresario Johann Peter Salomon, and there between 1791 and 1795 he composed his twelve last symphonies, the monumental pieces of his oeuvre known as the London Symphonies (Nos. 93-104). Not only do these works constitute a high point of symphonic music, they also express the aspirations of the public concerts of the age: Haydn had a huge orchestra available to him, almost twice the size of what would generally be used for this repertoire today, with the number of wind instruments doubled, for example. The Haydneum aims to revive this sonic experience by interpreting well-known works in an entirely extraordinary performance. In addition to Haydn's symphonies Nos. 100 ("Military") and 101 ("The Clock"), the programme also includes two opera overtures, both commissioned by the Paris Opera: the one Salieri wrote for his 1786 opera Les Horaces, and the other from Cherubini's Démophoon from 1788. Both of these Italian-born artists - who settled in Vienna and Paris, respectively - had the opportunity to meet Haydn and drew inspiration from his music.

Presented by: Haydneum - Hungarian Centre for Early Music