Haydn / Brahms, Markus Stenz
The esteemed German conductor, Markus Stenz, takes charge of a performance of Symphony No. 100, Militärsinfonie, by Franz Joseph Haydn and Symphony No. 1 op. 68 by Johannes Brahms at Venice's leading opera house, the Gran Teatro La Fenice. Conducting the highly regarded La Fenice Orchestra, Stenz brings his talents to the fore over a series of concerts with the same programme, each performed in the wonderful auditorium known for its excellent acoustics.
The concert programme opens with Haydn's 100th symphony, one of the Austrian composer's so-called London symphonies which he composed for trips he made to the British capital in the 1790s. Scored in G major over the course of 1793 and 1794, Haydn probably wrote some of the music for this symphony in Vienna and some in London. What is known for sure is that the debut of the work took place at the Hanover Square Concert Rooms in London on 31 March 1794 with the composer conducting. The orchestration is nicknamed the Military Symphony in English and it features horns, trumpets, timpani, cymbals and a bass drum reflecting its somewhat martial nature. The Militärsinfonie was conceived when Britain and France were at war. Consequently, Haydn thought the military theme for the work would go down well at the time. It certainly did and has continued to please audiences ever since, remaining one of his most-performed London symphonies.
Johannes Brahms' First Symphony in C minor premiered on 4 November 1876 in Karlsruhe, a German city which was part of the Grand Duchy of Baden at the time. Initial sketches for the work date back to 1854 so it took the virtuoso pianist and composer a considerable amount of time to finish his first symphonic work. Brahms had been inspired to write a symphony in D minor to match Beethoven's great Ninth Symphony but he eventually settled on C minor despite several Beethoven-like touches that remained in the final orchestration. There is a particularly noteworthy introduction to the final movement which is similar to the opening of the symphony. This builds tension that is relieved when the horn section resolves to a simple yet clear tune in C major which, some note, is similar in nature to Beethoven's choral climax, Ode to Joy.
With two such thrilling pieces of music and a highly skilled maestro who has served as the Principal Conductor of the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra, among other prestigious appointments, in the past, these concerts will gratify and fascinate all attendees.