Joseph HAYDN
Symphonie No 54 en sol majeur
Orchestre de chambre de l'Académie d'État de Musique de Vienne
Hans SWAROWSKY
février 1952, Salle Mozart du «Konzerthaus» de Vienne
"[...] Symphony No. 54 in G major was composed during the year 1774 and, together with Symphony No. 56 in C major, forms the conclusion of one of the most fertile and productive half-decades in Haydn's artistic life. This remarkable period is popularly known as the composer's time of «Storm and Stress» («Sturm und Drang»), a sort of romantic climax in Haydn's way of thinking which affected every single field of his many-sided activity.
Particularly characteristic of the symphonies which fall into this group is the use of minor tonality (No. 44 in E minor, 45 in F sharp minor, No. 52 in C minor, etc.); not only the outward employment of a minor key strikes us, but even more the use of minor episodes within the frame of a composition in a major tonality. True, the first movement of Symphony No. 47 in G major contains a development section almost wholly couched in various minor keys.
Another important characteristic of these symphonies is the greatly increased stress on the Finale, which, as in the G major Symphony here recorded, has the power and strength of an opening movement. Even a cursory comparison with Haydn's Finales of a decade before — the trite, Italianized quick metres of 3/8 or 2/4, the stereotyped rhythmic patterns, the limited harmonic ranges — will show the great revolution which took place in the composer's conception of the final movement. The slow movements have two external points in common: the invariable use of muted violins and the use of the winds, which were almost inevitably dropped from the slow movements of Haydn's earlier symphonies. But more significant than these outward matters are the sudden depths of passion, the heartrending beauty which fill Haydn's adagios of this period. The adagio assai of Symphony No. 54 is typical of the poignant, melancholic, highly introverted thoughts which then dominated the composer's mind.
No, 54 is scored for a larger orchestra than Haydn ever before used — indeed, only Symphonies 99, 100, 103 and 104 with additional clarinets surpass the orchestral forces of No, 54: 2 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 bassoons, 2 horns, 2 trumpets, timpani and strings. Originally there was no introduction to the work; Haydn seems to have added it somewhat later. It was a happy thought to prefix the impish opening of the main movement proper with a majestic, solemn, nearly tragic adagio maestoso. The presto (4/4 alla breve) has a main theme given to the first bassoon and horns, assisted by the strings. The whole movement is driven by a fierce energy in the forte passages and by a humorous, quixotic calm in the piano sections — of which the main theme is one.
The adagio assai is a gorgeous movement, scored for oboes, horns, and strings with muted violins. It is one of Haydn's most inspired pieces of writing, full of harmonic and thematic invention and almost never without a certain almost unbearable sadness. After the double bar (conclusion of the first part), in G major, Haydn moves mysteriously into a unison (with horns) B flat. The effect is breathtaking. At the end of the movement there is a long cadenza for two violins, led up to by a crescendo — one of the dynamic marks Haydn had just "discovered".
The Minuet (Allegretto) contains a particularly fine rhapsodic trio for solo bassoon and strings.
The Finale (presto) has, as we have noted above, more the character of a first than a last movement; it contains a full-fledged development section and is formally the counterpart of the opening presto. Its second subject is particularly delightful, with a first violin part which elongates itself coyly over a sustained oboe tone. The body of the movement is built around a series of dynamic and rhythmic contrasts. [...]"
Hans SWAROWSKY enregistra cette symphonie pour le label Lyrichord en février 1952 (ainsi que précisé dans le texte de Howard Chandler ROBBINS LANDON publié au verso de la pochette: «All three works were recorded in the Mozartsaal of the Konzerthus in Vienna during February, 1952, under the technical supervision of Otto Leitner»), en même temps que l'Ouverture en si bémol K. Anh. C 11.05 (K.Anh.8, KV 311a) - dite „2e symphonie de Paris“ -, et la symphonie No 70 de Haydn, ces 3 oeuvres avec le «Chamber Orchestra of the Vienna State Academy of Music» - l'Orchestre de chambre de l'Académie d'État de Musique de Vienne - souvent plus simplement nommé «Akademie-Kammerorchester Wien» (à ne pas confondre avec le Wiener Kammerorchester, l'Orchestre de Chambre de Vienne).
Le tout fut publié sur le disque Lyrichord LL 32 - réédité peu après sur Nixa LLP 8032 (mentionné dans le 3e suppl. du «The World's Encyclopaedia of Recorded Music» (WERM)). Pour les deux symphonies de Haydn, il s'agissait de premières au disque (ce qui est confirmé par le WERM et ses suppléments): "[...] The two Haydn symphonies here recorded were played from manuscript; no record of a performance of either work for at least the last hundred years has been traced, so this record may be considered a sort of première [...]" Howard Chandler ROBBINS LANDON au début de ses notes publiées au verso de la pochette du disque Lyrichord LL 32.
Voici donc...
Joseph Haydn, Symphonie No 54 en sol majeur, Orchestre de chambre de l'Académie d'État de Musique de Vienne, Hans Swarowsky, février 1952, Salle Mozart du «Konzerthaus» de Vienne
1. Adagio maestoso - presto 06:06 (-> 06:06)
