Haydn: Symphony No.45 in F sharp minor (“Farewell”, 1772)
Allegro assai
Adagio
Menuet:- Allegretto
Finale:- Presto – Adagio
The “Farewell” is certainly one of Haydn’s most famous symphonies, yet the music itself may seem rather less familiar than the story behind it. The summer of 1772 was a hot and steamy one at Prince Nikolaus Esterházy’s magnificent new Rococo palace on the shore of the Neusiedlersee, and the resident musicians were becoming more and more agitated by the prince’s increasingly long extensions to his seasons – and their resulting delayed return to their families (who were not permitted to reside at Esterháza). Haydn’s promised intervention on their behalf took the form of this extraordinary symphony which, just as its finale was rushing headlong to the expected conclusion, suddenly changed direction completely; dramatic silence surprisingly gave way to a radiantly lyrical Adagio in A major (maybe to put the prince into a benign mood…?). But then, one after another, each player reached the end of his part, blew out his candle and departed, leaving just two violins playing alone (Haydn and his Concertmaster Tomasini). The hint was taken, so the following day everyone was despatched back to Eisenstadt (the original Esterházy family seat).
This clever and witty trick has tended to obscure a number of paradoxes, not least the sheer beauty of the final “farewell” Adagio itself, with its wonderful transition from the relative major back to the tonic F sharp; also the opportunity it offers for virtually every musician, from 2nd oboe to double bass, to enjoy a little moment in the limelight before his/her signalled leave-taking (marked “nothing more” in the score by the composer). But perhaps more significant is this work’s membership of a group which has become known as Haydn’s Sturm und Drang symphonies(literally “Storm and Stress”) – presumably arising from a literary movement of the same name, itself originating in particular works of the period by such writers as Rousseau and Goethe, whose expression of inner turbulence and unrest created a troubled impact on contemporary European minds.
With Haydn’s promotion in 1766 to full Kapellmeister at Eisenstadt, followed by the opening of Esterháza the same year, his creative freedom and experimentation soon took wing: in 1770 – 1774 alone he produced 17 symphonies and 12 string quartets (Opp.17 and 20), several piano sonatas, plus numerous operas and liturgical works. Symphony No.45 is undoubtedly one of the finest and most original of all these compositions, characterised by an unusual wildness and vehemence in its outer movements – as “stormily stressful” as any music he ever wrote. Yet the contrast at its centre could hardly be greater, with a warmly positive menuet in F sharp major (featuring hunting horns in its trio) preceded by a gentle caressing Adagio, whose weird harmonic wanderings and drawn out timelessness create a strange impression of understated unrest – and homesickness…?
Were it not for the prevailing personal circumstances amid the swampland on the Hungarian plain, this symphony might well have followed the precedent of its predecessor and raged right to the end in the minor mode. But for once, musicians won the day – and so we are left with a precious moment of pure theatre.
© Alan George
All Alan’s articles
