Symphony No. 71
Flute, 2 oboes, bassoon, 2 horns, and strings
Program Notes by Martin Pearlman
Haydn composed his seventy-first symphony c. 1779-80, a time in his life when he was more deeply involved in opera than in symphonic writing. His symphonies of this period are not performed as often as others, but in this piece we find the imagination and humor that characterize Haydn's best work. The second movement, a set of variations, makes beautiful use of the wind instruments, and it ends surprisingly in concerto style, with a cadenza that ends with the traditional trill.
The minuet movement has an amusing waltz-like trio with two solo violins. At the beginning of the second half of the finale, there is surprising change of key from F to D-flat major. In the music at that point, Haydn has written "con permissione," perhaps in response to the criticism he had recently received for some of his musical surprises. This is but one of the many jokes and unexpected touches in the work.
Boston Baroque Performances
Symphony No. 71
February 5, 1983
NEC’s Jordan Hall, Boston, MA
Martin Pearlman, conductor