JOSEPH HAYDN

Symphonic music is, probably, the most significant area of ​​Joseph Haydn’s work. Of the more than 104 of his symphonies, at least 92 were composed before 1789, most of them for Prince Nikolaus Esterházy orchestra. Serving as a Vice-Kapellmeister of one of the best court orchestras of Europe, Haydn fine-tuned the orchestra for many years. Having started with modest orchestral works, in the second half of his life he determined the exact and constant line-up of the orchestra. Today, Symphony No. 22 in E flat major Der Philosoph (The Philosopher), written in 1764, is considered to be a great example of combining the stylistic features of late Baroque and early Classicism. Here the composer has successfully applied the slow-fast-slow-fast arrangement of movements characteristic of the Baroque sonata da chiesa; whereas the music language of this opus displays classically transparent harmony and concise musical phrases. All four movements are written in the same key. As was the case with most of his works, Haydn had nothing to do with the title The Philosopher given to this composition. Assumedly, the title was coined by the composer’s contemporaries due to the pensive character of the work, especially its first movement, in which the philosopher’s deep thought is portrayed by the continuous “ticking of time” imitated by string instruments.

The first Viennese classicist’s symphonic score features the Lithuanian Chamber Orchestra led by Nicholas Milton, an Australian master of the baton.