Haydn's 'Farewell'

Conductor Ian Page and his acclaimed period-instrument orchestra continue their revelatory MOZART 250 project with a triptych of three remarkable Haydn symphonies composed in 1772 – No. 47 in G, No. 46 in B, and the famous ‘Farewell’ Symphony, No. 45 in F sharp minor.

Symphony No. 47 was particularly admired by Mozart, and its palindromic minuet and trio is an outrageous feat of musical engineering, while No. 46 is full of quirky invention and ‘Sturm und Drang’ turbulence. The concert culminates with the superb ‘Farewell’ Symphony, its thrillingly iconoclastic opening movement and infinitely soulful adagio leading to the celebrated coup de théâtre of its ending, whose rare fusion of wit and pathos needs to be experienced live to appreciate fully.

Leading Haydn scholar Richard Wigmore sets the scene at 6.15 pm with an illuminating pre-concert talk.