Joseph Haydn: Symphonies Nos 6. 7 & 8

Although the titles "Le Matin", "Le Midi" and "Le Soir" have favored the popularity of the three works in our days, they served Haydn merely as an inspiring impulse to compose. Haydn's Symphonies Nos. 6-8 are programmatic music only to a limited extent: they were rather an ideal basis for the strong desire to experiment of the new, imaginative vice-kapellmeister of the virtuoso Eszterházy court orchestra. These compositions, whose form tends more towards the Baroque concerto than the classical symphony, suggest that Haydn wanted to show his employer the individual virtuosity of each of his musicians. The three symphonies are characterized by their varied arrangement, themes and orchestration, which show Haydn to be an extremely imaginative composer who skillfully put his court orchestra in the "right light". This production is the first installment of the new series "Esterházy Music Collection" with the Orfeo Orchestra conducted by György Vashegyi on the Accent label. It will be dedicated to the presentation of musical treasures of the Esterházy family, many of which had been largely neglected over the centuries. The recording of these Haydn symphonies took place in the Apollo Hall of the Esterházy Castle Fertod-Eszterháza, with it's fine historical acoustics that are among the best in the world.