The history of artistic endeavour could almost be written as a litany of people who broke the rules in order to express their creative...

The second London visit: 99-104 (1794-95) This post is the fifteenth and final instalment in our survey of the complete symphonies of...

The first London visit: 93-98 (1791-92) Joseph Haydn was a master at creating expectation, anticipation. He knew what he was doing with...

More symphonies for Paris: 88-92 (1787-89) This is the thirteenth post in our fifteen-part series looking at all of Haydn's known...

As a young conductor in my 20s my focus was on being a serious conductor of serious things, taking myself oh so seriously and wanting...

Symphonies for Paris: 82-87 (1785-86) Haydn had been working for the noble Esterházy family since the early 1760s, and directed the...

The first freelance symphonies: 76-81 (1782-83) It might sound crazy to suggest this, but Haydn’s Symphony no 76 marks a turning point in...

The final symphonies for the Esterházys: 62, 63, 70, 71, 73-75 (1778-81) This post continues our journey through the symphonies of Joseph...

I never cease to be amazed by the vast amount of music which awaits our exploration. There are so many composers from past centuries -...

More symphonies for the Esterházys: 53, 54 (2nd version), 61, 66-69 (1775-76) This is part nine of our survey of all the known symphonies...

More symphonies for the Esterházys: 50, 54 (1st version), 55-57, 60 (1773-75) Hindsight is a glorious thing and looking back over an...

More symphonies for the Esterházys: 45-47, 51, 52 and 64 (1771-73) There's a Latin expression which pops up now and then - annus...

Hola, recepción a Graham’s Music. Soy Graham Abbott. Let’s start here. This music is the start of one of the most famous guitar concertos...

More symphonies for the Esterházys: 26, 42-44, 48 and 49 (1768-71) Looking back on the career of a creative artist is at the same time a...

More symphonies for the Esterházys: 35, 38, 39, 41, 58, 59 and 65 (1765-69) In 1989 I undertook a three-month study tour in the UK...

More symphonies for Esterházys: 21-24, 28-31, 34 (1764-65) In 1761 Joseph Haydn entered the service of the noble Esterházy family in the...

In 1960, Leonard Bernstein conducted a concert at The White House. At the end of the performance President Eisenhower said to him, "You...

The first symphonies for the Esterházys: 6, 7, 8, 9, 12, 13, 16, 40 and 72 (1761-63) In this post we continue our trek though the...

A batch of early symphonies: 3, 14, 15, 17, 19, 20, 25, 33, 36 and “B” (1760-63) The 106 or so known symphonies of Joseph Haydn...

In 2009 the musical world marked the 200th anniversary of the death of Joseph Haydn. Haydn’s contribution to the classical mainstream is...