Joseph Haydn was an enthusiastic and successful hunter. However, he never participated in his princely patron's hunts, if only because he disliked riding a horse. But the "halali" and the other hunting signals and calls of the huntsman's work were familiar to him, and he quoted them in several symphonies. He was certainly not the first to do so: as early as 1725, Antonio Vivaldi had expressed his enthusiasm for the soundscape of the hunt in his violin concerto "La Caccia," and this piece, along with three Haydn works, is on the program of the latest edition of the Haydn 2032 concert series.
Like trumpets and timpani, the sound of the horns represented a part of the power, splendor, and privilege of the House of Esterházy. Haydn's Symphony No. 72, which must actually be dated much earlier than its number suggests, dates from the early 1760s, a time when no fewer than four horn players were active in the court orchestra. The work showcases their virtuoso abilities to the full. The final movement of Haydn’s Symphony No. 41 is also reminiscent of hunting music, while the finale of his Symphony No. 73 leaves no doubt about this—it was originally the overture to the opera "La fedeltà premiata," which depicts the hunt of the goddess Diana, who was adept at hunting.
This concert features the Il Giardino Armonico orchestra under the direction of Giovanni Antonini, and Dmitry Smirnov (violin) as the soloist. The literary contribution to the program is by the Zürich writer and performance artist Thomas Meyer.
Tickets are CHF 30-90 for adults and half-price for youths and students.

Website
kulturticket.ch/12808/joseph-haydn-stiftung-basel/event/1540

Where
Don Bosco Basel
Waldenburgerstrasse 34
4052 Basel

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