Haydn on Location: From the Court at Esterházy to London

Edouard Hammon (1819–1888). Haydn, in a Storm During His Crossing the Sea to London, England, date unknown, hand-colored engraving. © Lebrecht Music & Arts/Alamy Stock Photo

Encounter Lecture III

Haydn on Location: From the Court at Esterházy to London

For much of his life, Haydn was a court composer serving a noble patron in a relatively rural part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. That setting not only impacted what works he wrote to fulfill the court’s needs but also is reflected in the presence of a folk influence characteristic of the area, an inspiration that can be seen in the music of many Hungarian composers from Liszt to Ligeti. Haydn found international fame in the last two decades of his life, culminating in his celebrated visits to London, where he found an adoring public. This summer’s final Encounter, led by Ara Guzelimian, examines this range from country to city, from court to concert halls in Haydn’s works, a scope that will be illustrated by festival musicians in performance.