Haydn Symphony 1 D major

A truly remarkable start to a long career.

Presto: it’s like “let’s roll our sleeves up and show them we’ve arrived”. It’s all there in a few bars: scales, arpeggios, songs. Fireworks basically. Every detail fits and you feel the music is inescapable. The recapitulation is so securing.

Andante: And already there’s Haydn himself with us. A song-like melody over a walking bass line with sudden dramatic gestures and then chord progressions that take you in their hand. Syncopations do their Haydn thing – extend time and create a sense of expectation. Towards the end, it’s like hearing birds courtship backwards and forwards.

Presto: Yep, it’s certainly presto. Lots of detail hidden behind the main thrust.

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