Haydn at St James 2016
St James Church,
Lower Hutt. Saturday, 2 July.
Conductor Ben Robertson
The title of the concert is quite cleverly subtle. Haydn wrote many of his famous pieces whilst in London very nearly at the Court of St James which is the official residence of the British Crown. He was famous but isolated in rural Hungary before then. London brought experience of fame. The St James here though is the Central Hutt church which we value for its location and acoustics which make for excellent concerts. Following the massive effort needed for My Fair Lady, a relatively modest concert followed with two items: a concerto for the first half and a symphony for the second. In between was complimentary biscuits and tea.
Barrett Hocking playing the Trumpet Concerto
The concert opened with Haydn's 1796 concerto for Trumpet. The
soloist was the Principal Trumpet for Orchestra Wellington Barrett
Hocking. This is probably the oldest concerto for a modern trumpet as
it was composed somewhat in anticipation of the chromatic trumpet - not
invented for another 35 years. It would have been played on a less
vibrant and fluid instrument back then. This trumpet joyfully filled St
James.
| We welcomed back Ben Robertson as guest conductor for
this concert series. Barrett Hocking gave a virtuoso performance that delighted the audience. |
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Haydn Symphony No. 94 in G Major. "The Surprise"
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| The Surprise Symphony gets its name from a sudden fortissimo early in the second movement. It is rumoured to have been a joke on a sleeping member of the audience, but Haydn stated in his old age that it was part of the score and a deliberate jolt for the entire audience. That aside, it is possibly the most Classic of the classical symphonies, still popular 220 years on. |
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| The closing final tutti bow. |
Supported
by the Hutt City Council
©2016
Anton Erasmuson.