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SEEN AND HEARD
UK CONCERT REVIEW
The Southampton Haydathon - All 104
Haydn symphonies in three days:
Various
orchestras and conductors, Turner Sims Concert Hall, University of
Southampton, UK. 13-15.3.2009 (PCW)
The idea of playing all the Haydn symphonies in one event to mark the
bicentenary of his death and to raise money for Comic Relief (a
national fund raising event for charities at home and abroad and
held every two years in the UK. Ed) was the brainchild of
Craig Lawton and Tom Horn. Apparently it originated late one night
in an undisclosed watering hole in Southampton
about 2 years ago. It is not yet clear how much money has been
raised but they and a very committed group of musicians and fixers
did achieve their musical objective. And, having been to some of the
sessions, I have no doubt Haydn would have approved.
Haydn – Symphonies Nos. 1-104
The generally used ordering of Haydn’s symphonies by Mandyczewski is
now known to be highly approximate in places. Although they started
with “No. 1”, the organisers wisely ignored the
ordering altogether mainly for practical
reasons relating to orchestration. In between two formal concerts on
each day involving established orchestras – the Southampton
University Symphony Orchestra, Winchester Chamber Orchestra,
Southampton University Sinfonietta and Per Piacere – the “Haydathon”
orchestra filled in the gaps in open sessions. This was a “sign-up”
band with players coming and going as and when they were able to.
In the open session I attended on the Saturday morning there were
about twenty musicians present and one or two hiccoughs occurred.
First, it emerged that the music for only the slow movement of
Symphony No. 35 was available. Almost incredibly, someone in the
audience (of about ten) had a complete score of the work and from
that a makeshift set of parts was made of the other movements whilst
the rest of the programme was being performed. Later, a lady
conductor arrived (with the only score of it) just after the
Mercury symphony had been performed, Craig Lawton having had to
direct it using a spare part. His response was “Never mind – you can
conduct the next one (No. 46) at sight” and she did! Eventually,
Craig conducted more works than he was able to keep count of (at
least 50) and he also interjected on the harpsichord from time to
time. In cricketing parlance he would be described as a left-handed
all rounder.
If in the open sessions it was a question of “getting through”, the
final concert was something else indeed. On the face of it, a
concert of ten Haydn symphonies performed by an orchestra that have
never met, let alone rehearsed, might sound unappealing. But
conductor Robin Browning, who led six of the works, had gathered
together from far and wide a team of about 45 very able musicians
with amazing stamina – the “Haydn Farewell Orchestra”.
Unsurprisingly, given the lack of rehearsal, there were bits of
untidiness here and there but no more – at no stage did the music
break down. At 7.30 the orchestra positively launched into the
Laudon (No. 69) producing a pleasing sound and setting the tone
for the evening – brisk, committed and appropriately humorous
performances. Needless to say there were no repeats!
The programme then took us to
Patrick C Waller
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