Heart and soul

Donald Macleod assesses the different values Haydn placed on his friendships with a Viennese society woman of unimpeachable reputation and a vivacious London based widow, with music from Symphony no. 91 and The Creation.

The streets must have seemed like they were paved with gold when Haydn visited London in 1791. He was feted and applauded everywhere he went as one of Europe’s leading composers. He hobnobbed with royalty, the Prince of Wales commissioned a portrait of him from leading society portraitist John Hoppner. It’s still regarded as one of the best images we have today.

Haydn could hardly have imagined all this as a boy. His really is a rags-to-riches story. Born in 1732 in humble circumstances, Haydn's musical talent won him a position as a choir boy in Vienna's St. Stephen's Cathedral. However, he was forced to leave after his voice broke and, by the age of 17, he was on the streets, with only “three miserable shirts and a worn-out coat” to his name. Happily, his life did then take an upward turn. Haydn was employed by the Esterhàzys, one of the most powerful and influential families in the Hapsburg monarchy, for an astonishing 48 years.

But this week, Donald Macleod puts the public face of this internationally celebrated figure to one side. He’s going to be looking at Haydn through a narrower lens, drawing a picture of the composer through the relationships he enjoyed with some of his closest family and friends.

The part Frau Marianne Genzinger played in Haydn's life compares with none other. She was his most trusted confidante. Mrs. Schroeter was stylish and wealthy. Little wonder when their paths crossed, Haydn quickly succumbed to her charms.

Piano Trio No. 39 in G major, Hob.XV:25 'Gypsy'
III: Rondo all’ungarese
Beaux Arts Trio

Symphony no 91 in E flat major
II Andante
Berlin Philharmonic
Simon Rattle

Arianna a Naxos cantata, Hob.XXVIb / 2
Recit: "Teseo moi ben, ove sei?"
II. Aria "Dove sei, moi bel tesoro"
Kate Lindsey, mezzo-soprano
Arcangelo
Jonathan Cohen

Piano sonata no 59, HobXVI:49 in E flat major
I: Allegro
Paul Lewis, piano

Piano Trio in F sharp minor, no 40, Hob: XV:26
II: Adagio
Altenburg Trio Wien

Die Schöpfung, excerpt from Part 3, nos 29 and 30
Aus Rosenwolken bricht
Von deiner Güt’, o Herr und Gott.
Christina Landshamer, soprano, Eva
Maximilian Schmitt, tenor, Uriel
Rudolf Rosen, bass, Adam
Collegium Vocale Gent
Orchestre des Champs-Élysées
Philippe Herreweghe, director

Producer: Johannah Smith