Haydn: Symphony #45 (Farewell) 2. Adagio - Wood/LSO

Recorded 1934/London Symphony Orchestra Symphony No. 45 in F-sharp minor, the "Farewell" Symphony composed in 1772. It was written for Haydn&patron, Prince Nikolaus Esterházy, while he, Haydn and the court orchestra were at the Prince&summer palace in Eszterhaza. The stay there had been longer than expected, and most of the musicians had been forced to leave their wives back at home in Eisenstadt, so in the last movement of the symphony, Haydn subtly hinted to his patron that perhaps he might like to allow the musicians to return home: during the final adagio each musician stops playing, snuffs out the candle on his music stand, and leaves in turn, so that at the end, there are just two muted violins left (played by Haydn himself and the concertmaster, Alois Luigi Tomasini). Esterházy seems to have understood the message: the court returned to Eisenstadt the day following the performance. Sir Henry Joseph Wood, 1869 -- 1944 English conductor best known for his association with London&annual series of promenade concerts, known as the Proms. He conducted them for nearly half a century, introducing hundreds of new works to British audiences. After his death, the concerts were officially renamed in his honour as the "Henry Wood Promenade Concerts", although they continued to be generally referred to as "the Proms". Born in modest circumstances to parents who encouraged his musical talent, Wood started his career as an organist. During his studies at the Royal Academy of...