Haydn’s ‘London’ arranged by Salomon
The London is the last of the twelve symphonies Haydn wrote for London audiences. In Germany, it is better known as the ‘Salomon’ symphony, in honour of that famous impresario. However, Symphony No. 104 was first performed in the context of the famous Giovanni Battista Viotti's Opera Concerts, not in Salomon's concert series in London.
It was Salomon, however, who penned the arrangement for flute and string quartet which is discussed here. He arranged all of the twelve London symphonies for this grouping. It was a lucrative pastime that fed a seemingly insatiable public appetite for chamber music. Originally scored for two flutes, two oboes, two clarinets, two bassoons, two horns, two trumpets, timpani and strings, the arrangement necessarily omits some elements of the original. Nevertheless, it retains the character and essence of the symphony, and often the transparency of the small ensemble is perfect for the musical effect. It takes great skill to reduce a work for large orchestra to a small ensemble, and Salomon clearly understood his craft.
Today we will be looking at how the work sounds in its chamber version by Salomon. The dramatic D minor introduction of the London symphony is an example of one of the innovations which earned Haydn the epithet " The Father of the Symphony". Its sombre mood and relatively static motion is unusual for a Classical symphony. D major - the key of the symphony - arrives first with the uplifting Allegro. Haydn used a standard Classical structure, but filled it with evolving melodic fragments which constantly imitate each other and shift in unexpected directions.
Things to Listen for:
1st movement - Adagio - opening. Notice how Haydn creates a dramatic opening with two unison phrases followed by a more gentle third rendition. This is almost exactly the same as the opening of his famous ‘Seven Last Words’
Listen to the opening of the original full version of the work as compared to the chamber version by Salomon. The chamber version works really well and we don’t come away feeling ‘robbed’ of the essence of Haydn’s music. Salomon’s clever inclusion of the flute gives the illusion of a much bigger group.
Note after the slow introduction at [2:05] Haydn completely changes the mood and we move into a bright and bubbly Allegro.
LISTEN HERE:
Example 1. Haydn’s London Symphony No. 104 Arranged by Salomon for chamber ensemble- AAM with the Salomon Quartet
Example 2. Full original orchestral version - AAM with Christopher Hogwood
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