Haydn: Symphonies Nos. 26 'Lamentatione', 35 & 49 'La Passione' – Northern Chamber Orchestra, Naxos (CD)

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Product Details

• UPC: 4891030507210
• Catalogue Number: 8.550721
• Brand/Label: Naxos
• Composer: Joseph Haydn
• Conductor: Nicholas Ward
• Ensemble: Northern Chamber Orchestra
• Release Year: 1993 (recorded 27–28 October 1992)
• Genre: Classical – Symphony
• Country of Producing: [confirm] (this section of the back cover is covered by a sticker in the provided photos)

Product Features

• Format: Audio CD, DDD (fully digital recording), Stereo
• Total playing time: 54:51
• Series: Naxos Haydn Symphonies, Vol. 6
• Cover artwork: The Lamentation, by Petrus Christus

Overview

This disc gathers three of Haydn's so-called "Sturm und Drang" symphonies, written during the composer's brief turn toward darker, more emotionally charged minor-key writing in the late 1760s and early 1770s. Symphony No. 26, "Lamentatione," borrows Gregorian chant melodies associated with Holy Week liturgy, giving the whole work a genuinely mournful character rare in Haydn's output. No. 49, "La Passione," goes further still — it opens with a slow movement instead of the usual fast one, an unusual structural choice that immediately signals something more serious is happening. Between these two, Symphony No. 35 in B-flat major offers a lighter, more conventionally cheerful contrast. Nicholas Ward and the Northern Chamber Orchestra bring real intensity to the minor-key symphonies without overplaying the drama, and the compact chamber-orchestra forces suit this repertoire's tighter, more urgent character. Recorded at BBC Studio 7 in Manchester, this is a genuinely compelling entry point into Haydn's darker, more turbulent symphonic period.

Interesting Facts

• Symphony No. 26, "Lamentatione," incorporates Gregorian chant melodies traditionally associated with Holy Week, an unusual liturgical reference for a symphonic work.
• Symphony No. 49, "La Passione," unusually opens with a slow movement rather than a fast one, a structural choice tied to the "church sonata" format and its serious character.
• Both No. 26 and No. 49 belong to Haydn's "Sturm und Drang" period, a brief phase of darker, more emotionally intense minor-key symphonic writing in the late 1760s.
• The cover painting, "The Lamentation" by Petrus Christus, was chosen to echo Symphony No. 26's liturgical subtitle.
• This recording is part of Naxos's complete cycle of Haydn symphonies, one of the most ambitious budget-label recording projects undertaken.

Track Listing

Symphony No. 26 in D Minor, 'Lamentatione'

1. Allegro assai con spirito – 4:32 · 2. Adagio – 6:32 · 3. Minuet & Trio – 4:01

Symphony No. 35 in B Flat Major

1. Allegro di molto – 5:13 · 5. Andante – 6:01 · 6. Minuet & Trio – 3:45 · 7. Finale: Presto – 3:36

Symphony No. 49 in F Minor, 'La Passione'

1. Adagio – 8:04 · 9. Allegro di molto – 4:36 · 10. Minuet & Trio – 5:03 · 11. Finale: Presto – 3:11

Publishers

Naxos, part of the Naxos Music Group, recorded at BBC Studio 7, Manchester (producer John Taylor, engineer Don Hartridge, music notes Keith Anderson). Distributed by MVD Music and Video Distribution GmbH, Unterhaching/Munich, Germany.

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