JOSEPH HAYDN

Joseph Haydn, the “father” of the symphony and string quartet, and a prominent composer of piano sonatas was also an illustrious composer of vocal music. While living and working at the Esterháza Palace, the composer devoted a lot of time and energy to composition of operas. The opera house of the Esterháza Palace was famous for its splendour and opera performances were held every week here. In addition to writing operas, Haydn also arranged, prepared and conducted operas by other composers. His operas immediately earned great success and were willingly put on, however today Haydn’s operas have only historical significance, and we can hear and see them very rarely. His Italian opera The Desert Island (L’isola disabitata; libretto by Pietro Metastasio) is one of such. It was premiered on December 6, 1779 at the Esterháza Palace. For a long time, this stage work was best known for its dramatic overture, reflecting the spirit of the Storm and Stress (Sturm und Drang) literary and musical movement. The full opera score was published only in 1976.