There is no piece of classical music quite as sentimental about orchestras as Haydn’s Farewell Symphony. One by one, as the last movement closes, the musicians walk off the stage, eventually leaving just two violinists to carry the notes of the final adagio. At the 1772 premier of the work in Hungary, each player poignantly paused to snuff out the candle that lit up their sheet music.
The composer’s original aim was to emphasise the fact that his tired musicians badly wanted a rest after a long season performing at Prince Esterházy’s castle. But today this famous ritual of departing orchestra members has fresh potency.
