Joseph Haydn’s symphonies underwent major changes between 1765 and 1775. During these 10 years, the symphony ceased to be a simple court entertainment or a graceful opera overture. It had become a serious concert work, requiring care and concentration, and the composer had become mature, with a perfect command of technique and a vivid imagination. The emotional element of these symphonies, especially in the minor keys, is strong, and is associated with the literary movement of Sturm und Drang (Storm and Stress). The symphonies are of greater volume, the themes are set out in a much broader manner and the episodes of development have become more dramatic. Surprising are the frequent effects exercised to shock the audience: strange and restless rhythmic figures, richer and more unusual harmonies, unpredictable dynamic effects, melodies that are stretched out or interrupted unexpectedly. A striking work from this period is the expressive and impetuous Symphony No. 49 in F minor, nicknamed La Passione by the listeners.

The symphonic score of the first Viennese classicist is performed by the Lithuanian National Symphony Orchestra. Christoph Eschenbach, a legend of the baton often hailed as a true phenomenon in the international league of top-class conductors, graces the conductor’s podium.