Linking Early Music: a Haydn Year

By Bernard Gordillo

Published August 21, 2019 at 6:45 PM EDT

In case you are not yet aware of it (or as a gentle reminder), 2009 is a Haydn year. Meaning, we are in the midst of commemorating the 200th anniversary of the death of Joseph Haydn, one of the most famous and prolific composers who lived in 18th Century. It is only fitting that a number of people have taken to mark the year in different ways.

BBC Radio 3 has made Haydn Composer of the Year.

Norman Lebrecht answers the question, "How do we do Haydn?".

Music reviewers at the New York Times weigh in on their favorite Haydn recordings.

Anne Midgette reviews the Haydn volume in the Oxford Composers Companion series (in paperback).

An all-Haydn concert at the Edinburgh Festival, with mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato and the Orchestra of the Age of Elightenment, was plunged into darkness for thirty minutes. Don't worry, it didn't affect the concert review.

A performance of a Haydn trio for viola, cello, and baryton (there were 126 of them written by Haydn for Prince Nikolaus Esterházy).

If Haydn isn't your cup of tea then a performance of Beethoven's Ode to Joy might interest you—not just any old Beethoven, mind you, but a recent performance at the Royal Albert Hall in London with a world-record-breaking 1,000 ukulele players that was, apparently, "as sublime as it was ridiculous."

In case you missed them, here are this week's blog posts:

"Masaaki Suzuki at Yale"

"Questions for Robert Green"

"Music of the Scottish Renaissance discovered at Stirling Castle"

"What's on Youtube: Antonio Valente"