OUR STORY
Just over ten years ago, a group of musicians who were passionate about 18th-century music and period instruments and eager to play composers works that weren’t getting much attention in Australia came together. They looked at how things were done back in the time of Haydn —when musicians didn’t just stick to playing in an orchestra or being part of a string quartet; they did a bit of everything. They often played chamber versions of larger scale works, they sometimes played without a conductor and were led from the violin. So, the Big Question was asked, why not do that now?
So, they decided to throw out the rulebook and embrace the idea of exploring all of those things - drawing as close to the experiences and sound worlds of Haydn and his contemporaries as possible.
Why? Because it’s a fantastic experience for everyone - audiences especially.
And that’s how the spirit of the Australian Haydn Ensemble came to life,
and we’re still all about questioning, discovering, and exploring today.
OUR INSTRUMENTS
One of the key things to know about us is that we play on period instruments or accurate replicas from the time the music was composed.
So, what does that mean exactly?
Well, when we perform works by Haydn or Mozart, we use instruments and techniques from the mid to late 18th century that Haydn and Mozart would have known.
For baroque music, by composers like Vivaldi, we switch to instruments set up as they would have been in the earlier part of the 18th century - which means using baroque bows. And when we play Beethoven, we adjust our instruments to match those from the early 19th century.
This approach helps recreate the original listening experience of that time.
There are significant differences between period instruments and modern ones. For instance, our strings are made of sheep gut instead of metal, and our wind instruments often lack the valves found on their modern counterparts and are often made of wood rather than metal, which changes the colour and tone of the sound significantly.
Why do we do this? It's not solely about historical accuracy. It’s about bringing the music to life in a way that the composers would have heard it and it’s also about giving old music a fresh, vibrant feel today. it adds colour and vitality.
““It’s not about recreating the past - it’s about bringing the sounds to life in a way that makes them speak in the most vibrant way possible.””
The Australian Haydn Ensemble (AHE), under the direction of Artistic Director Skye McIntosh, is one of Australia’s leading historically informed orchestras and chamber music groups. AHE brings together world-class musicians who excel in both modern and period instrument performance and are highly committed to both historical research and performance. The group’s repertoire is principally music of the late baroque and early classical era. The Ensemble's name pays tribute to the great 'Papa Haydn' who was a central figure of the late eighteenth century in Europe.
Formed in 2012, AHE burst onto the Australian music scene with passion and energy. It has performed all over the country, including at prestigious internationally focussed Australian multi-arts festivals including the Adelaide Festival (2022), the Canberra International Music Festival (2022 and 2023), the Melbourne Festival (2016) as well as locally focussed events such as Festival By the Sea (QLD 2016), the Tyalgum Festival (2018), the Mornington Peninsula Festival (2019), the Organs of the Ballarat Goldfield’s Festival (2019) and the Canowindra festivals.
AHE made its debut international tour to the USA in October 2023.
AHE has built a reputation for its vibrant and accessible performances, which are faithful to the sound-worlds that would have been familiar to Haydn and his contemporaries.
AHE have received critical acclaim for its debut ABC Classics recording, The Haydn Album, which premiered at No. 1 on the Australian Classical Aria Charts. According to Gramophone magazine, ‘…this is a polished, style-conscious ensemble.’
The Australian Haydn Ensemble has collaborated with many leading international and Australian historical specialist performers including Midori Seiler (GER), Melvyn Tan (UK), Marc Destrubé (CAN), Catherine MackIntosh (UK), Charles Neidich (USA), Stefanie True (CAN), Erin Helyard (Australia), Neal Peres Da Costa (Australia), Sara Macliver (Australia), Helen Sherman (UK) and David Greco (Australia).