Donald Satz writes:

>Bob Draper wrote concerning Haydn:
>
>>He was the first person to write operas with accelerated finales...
>
>That's probably because he knew that the audience wanted to get out
>of there already and go home.

Haydn's opera ouvre is an immotive issue.  I am on difficult ground here
because I still haven't got around to hearing those 3 "great" Mozart -
Daponte operas yet.  But by the same token I'll bet that a lot of Haydn's
critics haven't listened to any of his best operas.

One often finds that Haydn writers including HC Robbins-Langdon write
almost apologetically about the master's works.  They find excuses like:
Haydn was over-worked at Ezsterhazy Palace, he dumbed down his arias to
suit his italian soprano lover and he only had access to bad librettos.

This approach is quite wrong in my view.  There is nothing to apologise
for.  The middle-late operas like Armida, Linfedelta Delusa, Orlando
Paladino etc are very fine works.  The fact that they have not received
greater attention is due to the economics of opera production.  It is
much cheaper to keep performing a handfull of standard repertoire than
it is to revive operas.  Such considerations do not apply to other genre
particularly chamber works.  Thus we what I often refer to as the 'received
view' is perpetuated.

>>I predict that by the Haydn bicentenary 2009 we will witness a new
>>world CM order.
>
>That could well happen.  But, I doubt that either Mozart or Haydn will
>hold a high place in that new order.  My money's on Tan Dun, and that's a
>sad commentary to reflect on.  Actually, I forsee a world order controlled
>by global corporations with Tan Dun as the "corporate" music man.  I don't
>blame the corporate world.  So-called representative government hasn't done
>its job and will eventually abdicate control.  I think the corporations are
>salivating in anticipation.

You've got me there. Who's Tan Dun?

But in the Haydn year as in the Bach, Mozart, Purcell years the greediness
of Polygram, CBS etc will come to the fore.  They will seize the chance to
sell a few 10's of 1000's of Haydn boxed sets and for a while at least
he'll be come the best thing since sliced bread.  However, as the man is
severely underrated in my view, whereas the other 3 composers mentioned
aren't (maybe Purcell a bit), Haydn will get a welcome realignment.

Bob Draper
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