Haydn - Symphony No.52 in C minor

Joseph Haydn (1732-1809) was one of the most celebrated composers of his day, and is often called the "father of the symphony".  His 104 symphonies (apart from all his other music) show a fertile musical mind, and one that developed for a time away from other influences when he was Kapellmeister at the court of the Princes of Esterházy, and worked in the rural palaces in Eisenstadt and the new "Hungarian Versailles" at Fertőd.

Esterházy Palace at Fertőd

At court, Haydn wore a livery, and was tasked with running the musical affairs of the establishment. Both the princes that Haydn worked for were musical and he had his own orchestra available making the thirty years he spent there amongst the most productive of his life.

Of all his symphonies, No.52 is one of the few in a minor key. Composed around 1771, it's from a period when Haydn was influenced by the Sturm und Drang (storm and stress) literary movement, where music with more expression is composed while still using the stylistic conventions of the day.

There are four movements:

1. Allegro assai con brio
2. Andante (in C major)
3. Menuetto e trio (Allegretto)
4. Finale (Presto)

This recording from Neville Marriner and the Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields was released in 1970 on the Philips label. The engineers here have given the orchestra a drier, and in my mind less flattering sound than their Argo counterparts for whom the Academy also recorded extensively. My video is a one-shot wonder, so just close your eyes and get transported back to the Esterházy Palace of the early 1770s . . .

Don't forget to switch to the HD setting for the best quality - Google Drive videos don't allow this to be set automatically

Cartridge: SAE 1000LT

Phono amp: Graham Slee Reflex M

Turntable: Kenwood KD7010