[TR24][OF] Joseph Haydn - Symphonies No. 88 & 101 - 2007 (Orchestral)

The Austro-Hungarian Haydn Philharmonic was founded in 1987 out of members of the Vienna Philharmonic and the prestigious Hungarian orchestras on the initiative of the conductor Adam Fischer. It was Fischer’s intention – before the fall of the "Iron Curtain" – to bring together the best musicians from these two countries in order to musically overcome the border by playing the works by Joseph Haydn. The obvious venue and base for the orchestra is the Haydnsaal in the Esterházy Palace in Eisenstadt – the location where Joseph Haydn composed so many of his works and which has remained virtually unchanged since the time when Haydn lived there.
The Haydn Philharmonic generally comprises 45 musicians, a few more than Joseph Haydn had available to him in the heyday of his time as court music director at Esterházy. Haydn’s works and those of his contemporaries dominate the repertoire, though works from the Romantic and modern eras are also performed.
The concerts given by the Haydn Philharmonic conducted by Adam Fischer are, like Haydn’s operas, a permanent fixture in the programme of the International Haydn Festival in Eisenstadt. At the same time, the orchestra has made a name for itself thanks to numerous tours and performances in Austria, Hungary, throughout Europe and in the USA and Japan.
Invitations to perform at the Vienna Konzerthaus and Musikverein, the Budapest Spring Festival and the Palace of Arts or the Schubertiade in Schwarzenberg, the Musikverein Graz, the Tonhalle in Zürich, the Victoria Hall Geneva, the Festival Hall Baden-Baden, the Berlin Philharmonic Hall, the Auditorio Nacional Madrid and Palau de la Musica Barcelona, the London BBC Proms or the New York "Mostly Mozart" Festival are all proof of the ensemble’s development as an internationally highly acclaimed orchestra.
In "Haydn Year 2009" the orchestra will celebrate the 200. anniversary of Joseph Haydn’s death with a performance of his Creation at the Esterházy Palace. Besides this the orchestra is invited to perform in the Vienna Konzerthaus, the Palace of Arts Budapest, the Luxemburg Philharmonie, the auditorio Nacional Madrid, in Brussels, Graz, Innsbruck and Brünn. In addition tours to Switzerland, Germany and Japan are on the schedule of this year.
Between 1987 and 2001 the orchestra has recorded all of Haydn’s symphonies for Nimbus records; the recordings of the symphonies 40 to 54 earned the accolade of "
Since 2004 Adam Fischer and the Haydn Philharmonic are re-recording the "London" symphonies by Haydn for the Dabringhaus & Grimm label in surround sound technique. The first recording of this set was awarded in 2006 the prestigious "Echo Klassik" award as well as the second with an Echo Klassik 2008.
Best of the Year" from the English music magazine Gramophone.

Big Beat
The premiere was celebrated with a big beat of a drum: "An irresistibly exuberant Haydn. Now what has gotten into those speakers!" (Pizzicato) And the immediate response came in the form of the Echo Classics prize for the Surround Recording of the Year. On Vol. 2 the Haydn Philharmonic under its founder Adam Fischer continues its success story with the Symphonies Nos. 88 and 101 and the Overture to the Opera L'isola disabitata.
Fiery Fortune
Although the prince's music theatre in Esterháza was destroyed by fire a few weeks prior to the first performance of the opera, the music was saved and with it the premiere. The original has been preserved until the present day in the famous Haydn Hall in Eisenstadt, a baroque ballroom with a magnificent marble floor that Haydn wanted to replace with a simple wooden floor. His wish was the prince's command, and the present recording does splendid justice to the remarkable acoustics.
Personal Persuasion
The Austrian composer created quite a stir when he conducted the performance of his symphonies in person at Salomon's Concerts. This task normally would have fallen to the concertmaster Johann Peter Salomon, who had urged Haydn to make the trip to London. Even the British press conceded that Haydn's conducting contributed significantly to the success of the concert series.
Symphonic Surprises
Joseph Haydn repeatedly surprised his public with inimitable jokes. In Symphony No. 88, by way of exception, he does not have the timpani and trombones appear until the Largo second movement. His contemporaries could hardly believe their ears because at the time such "military instruments" were strictly forbidden in slow movements. In the slow movement of Symphony No. 101 an accompaniment motif like a pendulum delights the listener (so much so that the work came to be known as "The Clock"). And, finally, a sharp dissonance startles weary souls out of their sleep: this too is a surprise symphony.