In Search of Haydn

As a follow-up to his well-received In Search of Mozart (see VL-3/10), writer-director Phil Grabsky looks at the career of Mozart's older Austrian contemporary, Franz Joseph Haydn (1732–1809), tracing young Joseph's rise from relative poverty through his three-decade directorship of Prince Nikolaus Esterházy's private orchestra and opera (which gave him the opportunity to compose a vast array of music in all genres), followed by late-in-life visits to Paris and London, and his final years back in Vienna. Most important, In Search of Haydn illustrates the composer's enormous importance in the development of some of classical music's most fundamental forms—the symphony, the solo concerto, the string quartet, and the keyboard sonata, while also detailing his contributions to opera, oratorio, and religious music. Crisp narration by Juliet Stevenson is blended with lovely location footage, fine artwork, and performance excerpts by exceptional artists including Ronald Brautigam, Marc-André Hamelin, and the Endellion String Quartet. DVD extras include extended performances and an interview with Grabsky. Offering a fine introduction to the man whom his colleagues called “Papa,” this is recommended. Aud: H, C, P. (F. Swietek)