Joseph Haydn: Symphony No. 88 in G major Hob. I:88 (1787)

0:10 Adagio - Allegro
6:34 Largo
12:15 Menuetto & Trio. Allegretto
16:56 Finale. Allegro con spirito

Score video of Haydn's Symphony No. 88. Description by Chris Morrison.

Haydn's Symphony No. 88 is a tuneful and inventive work that has rightly become a concert and recording favorite. It and its successor, the Symphony No. 89 in F, were written in 1787 for Johann Peter Tost, a violinist in Haydn's orchestra at the Esterházy court. Tost, who was also a not-quite-trustworthy businessman, sold the publishing rights for these two symphonies, along with Haydn's Op. 54 and 55 string quartets and some other music (including one work by the composer Adalbert Gyrowetz which Tost passed off as Haydn's) to the publisher Sieber in Paris, then managed to forget to forward the 300 gulden payment to Haydn.

The early life of the Symphony No. 88 is not well known. The work may have been premiered at Esterháza; it may also have been written with a Parisian audience in mind, as were the Symphonies Nos. 82-87 (collectively known as the "Paris" Symphonies). No. 88 was certainly performed in London in 1789, and helped to create the enthusiastically receptive atmosphere that greeted Haydn when he traveled there two years later. The nickname "Letter V" sometimes attached to this work refers to the catalog of the Royal Philharmonic Society in London; in the nineteenth century, many of Haydn's symphonies were known by their call letters in the Society's catalog.

The symphony's first movement is brilliant and energetic, its slow introduction leading into a fast main theme. After a dramatic development section, the main themes are repeated with added woodwind commentary. Of the main melody of the Largo second movement, Johannes Brahms is alleged to have said, "I want my Ninth Symphony to be like this!" The melody, stated initially by solo oboe and cello, is indeed sublime, and features a rich variety of accompaniments in its many returns. One particularly dramatic punctuation comes from the full orchestra, including the surprising first appearance of the trumpets and timpani. The succeeding Minuet is stately and rhythmic; its folksy middle section is played over a bagpipe-like drone. The Finale's main theme also has a folkish cast, and it is subjected to a brief but sophisticated development with much contrapuntal play (including a canon between the upper and lower strings). A rousing coda brings the work to a brilliant conclusion.

Source: Allmusic.

Antal Dorati & Philharmonia Hungarica
Decca

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