Discovering Masterpieces – Haydn – Symphony No. 94

Discovering Masterpieces – Haydn – Symphony No. 94

Watch the series ‘Discovering Masterpieces’! Your audio-visual concert guide to the great masterpieces of classical music. The series brings you 20 half-hour documentaries on 20 classical masterpieces: acclaimed experts, famous soloists and outstanding conductors take you on a journey back to the time and place of composition. In today’s documentary, Joseph Haydn’s best-known Symphony, No. 94, also known as the ‘Surprise Symphony’, is discussed. Its second movement is the most popular and gave the symphony its name: legend has it that the sudden beat of the timpani was meant to rouse members of the audience who had fallen asleep. Pianist Robert Levin tells the story of the legendary “surprise” and shows, on piano, the special characteristics of the composition.