Symphony No.103 "Drumroll" in E flat Major

Shortly after the death of Prince Nikolaus I Esterházy, the orchestra was disbanded by his heir, and Haydn was released from his duties. However, in accordance with the prince’s will, he received a generous annual pension and continued to hold the nominal title of Kapellmeister to the Esterházy family. In 1790, he settled in Vienna as a freelance composer. It was then that he received an invitation from Johann Peter Salomon, a violinist and impresario, to travel to London for a concert tour. They signed a contract for the composition of symphonies, giving rise to the series of twelve London Symphonies. The composer was welcomed in the British capital with great honors: special evenings and soirées were organized in his name, his concerts became major events, and he was even invited by King George III to remain in the country and reside at Windsor Castle. The premiere of SYMPHONY NO. 103 IN E‑FLAT MAJOR, THE DRUMROLL, took place on March 2, 1795, at the King’s Theatre during Haydn’s second visit to London (1794–95). Since Salomon had meanwhile canceled his concert series due to financial difficulties, the symphony was performed instead as part of the Opera Concerts by the famous Italian violinist Giovanni Battista Viotti, with the composer himself conducting an orchestra of sixty musicians - an enormous ensemble for the time. The success was spectacular; the audience applauded for an encore as early as the second movement. This symphony, together with his final one, No. 104 in D major, represents the culmination of Haydn’s orchestral output; it is no coincidence that he is called “the father of the symphony.” In his works, the classical four‑movement cycle is fully established: a sonata‑allegro movement (sometimes preceded by a slow introduction), a calm second movement, a minuet, and an energetic finale. Also characteristic of his style is the artful thematic development that becomes the principal driving force of the musical narrative. The surprising opening of Symphony No. 103, with its ominous timpani roll that “startled” early listeners, gave the work its popular nickname, The Drumroll. Even in his later years, Haydn remained a great joker and never missed an opportunity to tease his audience with wit. Mozart once said of him that he could entertain and shock, provoke laughter and deep emotion like no one else. Indeed, after this mystical introduction — in which the motif of the Gregorian chant Dies Irae (Day of Wrath) is woven — the sonata‑allegro suddenly bursts forth with joyful radiance. Another unpredictable twist appears in the coda, where Haydn unexpectedly brings back the timpani solo and the theme of the slow introduction. The second movement is exquisitely crafted as a set of variations on two contrasting themes: one in a minor key and the other in a major key. Here, the virtuoso violin solos (performed by Viotti himself at the premiere) and the delicate ornamentation in the woodwinds stand out. The minuet, written in a rustic spirit, features playful dialogues between the orchestral sections, while the trio is a true gem of chamber‑music writing. The call of the French horns opens the finale, which - in irrepressible motion and brilliant polyphonic interweavings - unfolds over the Croatian folk song Divojčica potok gazi (A little girl treads on a brook).