Rattle champions Haydn

Wagner Prelude and Liebestod from Tristan and Isolde
Bartok Piano Concerto No. 2
Haydn An imaginary orchestral journey

London Symphony Orchestra
Denis Kozhukhin, piano
Simon Rattle, conductor

Barbican Hall, London 11 July 2017
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Simon Rattle’s commitment to Haydn’s genius produced a memorable Barbican night.  For him this was a reprise of a concert in Berlin stringing together movements from various Haydn works into “An Imaginary Orchestral Journey”.  This type of thing has also been successfully done to Rameau by Marc Minkowski.

The Esterhazy Palace, Haydn's long-term home

As well as giving a more prominent platform for part of the “7 Last Words of Christ”, Symphonies 64, 6, 46, 60, 45, and 90 were excerpted as well as The Creation, The Seasons and the obscure L'Isola Disabitata. There was some lovely moments of fantasy, not least when the little known mechanical organ took centre stage.  Haydn wrote 17 pieces for mechanical organs, one of which was featured here before Rattle paused proceedings to listen to these little constructions being broadcast unadulterated from various locations around the Barbican Hall. Somehow both arch and evocative all at the same time.

Joseph Haydn

Luminous Mozart at Wimbledon Music Festival

Haydn String Quartet, Op. 20 No. 4
Mozart String Quartet No. 19 in C, K 465 "The Dissonance"
Beethoven String Quartet in E flat major, Op. 127

Quatuor Mosaiques

18 November 2013, St John's, Spencer Hill, Wimbledon, UK
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The programme was a balanced one of Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven.  One of the pleasures this enabled was witnessing the increased independence of the viola and cello as the evening progressed.  The cello's fairly perfunctory contributions to the Haydn, blossomed into the eloquence of the Mozart.  In the Beethoven the viola came alive. 
 
The concert served to underline three things.  The first, was the marvellous balance between individuality and team-work of Quatuor Mosaiques.  The luminous tone of their instruments and the mellow brilliance of Eric Hobarth's first violin the icing on the cake.  Second, what a supreme masterpiece Mozart’s Dissonance Quartet is, overflowing with wit, beauty and emotional eloquence. Third, what a fine thing that the Wimbledon Music Festival, can present A-grade ensembles like this in attractive acoustics at reasonable prices.  Bravo to all concerned.