Book Review

[kenjari]

The Life of Haydn
by David Wyn Jones

I don't like Haydn's music; despite my best efforts, I have never been able to warm up to his work. However, he is a composer of major importance, so I felt like I should know a little bit more about him. This biography turned out to be ideal for my purposes - plenty of information and useful discussion, but not too long or involved. Jones is really good at contextualizing a composer's life and work, and that was real asset here. Not only did I learn a lot about Haydn, I also got a good picture of musical life in Vienna and London during the last half of the 18th century, and what it meant to work at the courts of the nobility. Reading about Haydn turned out to be more interesting than listening to his music.

Comments

[sovay]

Reading about Haydn turned out to be more interesting than listening to his music.

Ouch.

[kenjari.livejournal.com]

I always feel oddly disappointed about my inability to get into Haydn's music. He's a great composer - my not liking him doesn't change that - but I just can't get into him. I've listened to symphonies, quartets, The Creation, and even tried playing a piano piece, none of it has worked.

[sovay]

I've listened to symphonies, quartets, The Creation, and even tried playing a piano piece, none of it has worked.

I've sung The Creation. I could swear there was a piece of his that I do like and would recommend, but as I'm failing utterly to bring it to mind, possibly I've just confused him with Purcell or something embarrassing like that.

[apintrix.livejournal.com]

I didn't like Haydn for a long time, but came at him from an odd angle that worked for me: a live recording of Shostakovich's piano trio 2 with Rostropovich on cello that happened to have a Haydn trio as the 2nd half of the program. The Shostakovich enlivened the room, and with the energy and the ambiance of thick tonality still undissipated, the Haydn burst out in this amazing bright clarity. I hear that quality in a lot of his work now, and I love him for it; but without Shosti I couldn't have heard him that way, I think. It was like listening to baroque after Stravinsky's Pulcinella.

[kenjari.livejournal.com]

Hmmm, I'll have to see if I can track down that recording and give it a listen - it sounds like something that might work for me.