Haydn: Symphony No. 18 in G major (with Score)

[@Raffael-Tausend]

Sehr interessante Satzstruktur. Mal etwas ganz anderes. Solte ich auch einmal ausprobieren. :-)

[@josef4692]

Ja oder? Das ist wirklich mal was spezielles. Bei solchen Satzstrukturen muss halt aber echt immer aufpassen. Das Minuet muss halt wirklich passend für ein Ende sein und das Andante muss in der Lage sein die Aufgabe eines ersten Satzes wirklich erfüllen können.

[@christianwouters6764]

Very good version. The tempo of the first movement is spot on. Other versions I heard are much to slow. What I don't understand, often the viola part doubles the bass an octave higher and so is here and there higher than the violins yet I can't hear that. I wonder what explains this.

[@aaronclaus7261]

Violas have a more subdued sound than the violins partially due to their body being smaller than acoustically necessary to match the size of violins/celli in order to allow players to play the instrument comfortably. This quirk allows violas to blend with the celli/bass(es) seamlessly like a organ with multiple stops open. Haydn takes this further in the opening movement, the 2nd violins occasionally dips below the cello line too, only supported underneath by the bass. Haydn was also incredibly adept at invertible counterpoint (counterpoint that is correct both above and below a given line) , and this orchestration could also be a way of subtly showing that off.

[@Raffael-Tausend]

I think there might be a bassoon playing alongside the basso continuo (if it may be called this, but I hear cembalo as well). That may be why the bottom staff is especially audible compared to the Violas.