Sydney is blessed to have several high quality, middle size ensembles which fill the gap between orchestras and smaller groups. The Australian Haydn Ensemble was founded by Artistic Director Skye McIntosh in 2012. “Only the best” must surely be the in-house mantra. The ensemble is made up of a mixture of local and international specialist musicians who present HIP – Historically Informed Performance. That is, they do very deep research, gleaning as much information as possible on how to interpret the music. The goal is to perform how it might have been heard at the time quill was first put to paper.
Each instrument is either an original, dating back as far as 1710, or a carefully reproduced copy in the manner of instruments from the 1700’s-1800’s. So, the HIP performance presented by international quality musicians armed with these extraordinary instruments is as close as we can get to what nobility would have heard back in the day.
Haydn spent most of his career working for the powerful Esterhazy family. His job was composing for all manner of opportunities and events that required music. It might be background music for a picnic or for more attentive occasions such as Symphonies and Operas. Haydn’s output was extraordinarily large giving ample material for the Haydn Ensemble to play with.
For this final concert of the year, “Haydn’s Passion”, the Ensemble opened with “La Passione”, Haydn’s Symphony No. 49. The opening movement is dark and serious, a very difficult way to begin a concert requiring impeccable timing and unity. With such marvellous musicians on the stage, McIntosh lead them easily through this mournful beginning. There were moments of musical drama perfectly padded out by two very subtle horns.
Beyond the gloomy beginning, the Symphony perked up and was really enjoyable. It passes through a very wholesome Allegro di molto, a sprightly Menuet e Trio and finishing with Presto.
As a beautiful compliment to complete the first half of the concert was Mozart’s Violin Concerto No. 3 starring McKintosh in her debut as concerto soloist. No need for nerves, the whole ensemble snuggled in to support her. The opening Allegro movement featured a cadenza which she handled extremely well and her first smile appeared once the rest of the ensemble struck up after this cadenza. She could finally put her bow down for a few seconds and take a breath. In fact each cadenza seemed to allow her to relax and extend her confidence.
The adagio was just gorgeous featuring two flutes. It was the perfect tempo to lull a baby to sleep. Being opening “night” (late matinée), the audience contained many subscribers and supporters. So, it was no surprise that they were very appreciative of the debut for McKintosh giving much applause to close the first half of the concert.
After interval the Ensemble threw themselves into the tension of CPE Bach’s Symphony in E minor. It begins with excitement and drama, moves to a more relaxed tempo, finishing with a “Prestissimo” mimicking the playfulness of a rambunctious kitten. McKintosh also looked like she was enjoying herself now the most challenging part of the performance was behind her.
The concert closed with the much loved Symphony No. 29 composed by an 18 year old Mozart. The Menuetto from this work always feels like it is egging us on to sing the echo. We have to hold ourselves back from singing along, it is so much fun. The ensemble were smiling as well. Their lightheartedness was contagious, spreading all the way to the back of the Grand Circle.
In the final applause, it felt like the audience were not just showing their appreciation for the one performance. This gratitude was thanks for a culmination of so many years of effort that McKintosh has passionately thrown into keeping the Haydn Ensemble alive. They make such an important contribution to the arts in Sydney. They’ve entertained and uplifted many thousands of people here and overseas. When the going got tough over the past 4 years, small businesses and arts organisations were dropping like flies. We are so very lucky the Haydn Ensemble survived and can offer a massive thank you to McKintosh and her team.
The concert over all was an absolute delight. A wonderful way to finish off the year and Brava to McKintosh for her efforts. We look forward to seeing what is in store for 2025.
Program
HAYDN – Symphony No. 49 in F minor “La Passione”
MOZART – Violin Concerto No. 3 in G major
CPE BACH – Symphony in E minor
MOZART – Symphony No. 29 in A major
What’s on next year with the Australian Haydn Ensemble?: https://www.australianhaydn.com.au/
