The Academy of Ancient Music, Christopher Hogwood - Haydn: Haydn's Music for England (2011)

In September 1790, following the death of his princely employer, court composer Haydn and his entire orchestra were sacked. As he was considering this change in circumstances, Haydn received an unexpected visit from Johann Peter Salomon, a German impresario based in London, who made him a tempting offer: an opera, six symphonies and twenty other pieces to be written for the city, and a guaranteed income from a new concert series. So it was that, on 2 January 1791, Haydn arrived in England for the first of two visits that would leave an indelible mark both on the musical life of his host country and on the composer himself. This program was innovatively devised by one of the leading Haydn interpreters of our time, Christopher Hogwood, who also directs the performances and plays the fortepiano parts. It explores the more intimate side of Haydn, and the extensive notes by Hogwood himself give US a glimpse of the more intimate world of Haydn's relationship with the patrons and the many real friends he met while he was this side of the Channel. It intersperses songs with chamber music, includes a late but rarely-performed String Quartet (Op. 71 No. 3) and concludes with a delectable arrangement of the 'Surprise' Symphony for piano, string quartet and flute. Hogwood is, of course, well known for his Haydn interpretations and while his Haydn symphony cycle for L'Oiseau-Lyre will go down in recording history as one of the Great Incomplete Projects, this 2-LP set, originally recorded in 1978 for L'Oiseau-Lyre, now appears complete on CD for the first time.