Yesterday I attended a concert with Mr Cow, on Queen Anne Hill. The "Gallery Concerts" presented "Mr. Haydn Comes to London" which was a number of Haydn pieces written after his retirement, in London. Some of the instruments used were from a few years later than his London years, but still Haydn-period. The violin was made in Prague by Johannes Ulricus Eberle in 1807. The cello was made in Vienna by David Stadlmann in 1730. The square piano was by John Broadwood & Sons, London, ca. 1820. And the glorious soprano by Karen Urlie was spot-on perfect - skilled technically, beautiful tone, and enunciation enough that one could understand almost every word!
I've never been much of a Haydn fan, though to be fair I'd never delved deeply into his life's works. The concert changed that - hearing his music on the period square wooden piano gave it such a different life, than when played on a metal-framed modern piano.
After the concert and dinner at Snappy, I came home to pink skies and pink trees - the ornamental tree in my yard had burst out during the day!
