H&H and CORO's New Live Haydn Recording to Feature Aisslinn Nosky, 9/10

CORO presents a new live recording from Harry Christophers and the Handel and Haydn Society, showcasing two contrasting Haydn symphonies: the virtuoso No. 6 (Le matin)andthe jubilant No. 82 (L'ours). Completing the disc is Haydn's Violin Concerto in G major performed by the orchestra'sfiery and expressive Concertmaster, Aisslinn Nosky.

As the Handel and Haydn Society approaches its 200th anniversary, Christophers comments, "I feel very privileged to take this august Society towards its Bicentennial. In 1815 Handel was the old, Haydn the new (he had just died in 1809), and what we can do is continue to perform the music of the past but strip away the cobwebs and reveal it anew." The new recording is available from Allegro Classical on September 10.

Franz Joseph Haydn composed an astounding 106 symphonies. "Le matin" was the first symphony Haydn composed for his new employer, Prince Paul Anton Ersterhazy, in 1761, after which he added "Le midi" and "Le soir." The flute, bassoon and violin are featured in this lovely work, whose slow introduction to the opening movement clearly depicts sunrise. Twenty-five years later, Haydn's fame had spread across Europe. Symphony No. 82 ("The Bear"), the first of the Paris symphonies, was written for the largest orchestral ensemble of the time. Thenickname derives from the opening of the finale, with its animal-like vigor and heavy drone-like bass line. Reviewing H&H's performance of the work last season, The Boston Globe said: "Christophers offered a reading of dramatic contrasts, from the thunder-and-lightning timpani and waltzing strings of the first movement ... to the sly false endings of the finale. The bear that danced to this performance would have to be very light on its feet."

Hailed as "a fearsomely powerful musician" by The Toronto Star, violinist Aisslinn Nosky will record all of Haydn's seldom-performed violin concertos over the next few years. The Canadian-born violinist is in demand internationally as a soloist and leader and was appointedConcertmaster of the Handel and Haydn Society in 2011.

Harry Christophers was appointed Artistic Director of Boston's Handel and Haydn Society in 2008. The Society is considered the oldest continuously performing arts organization in the U.S. and has given the American premieres of major works by Handel, Bach and Haydn. Itwill celebrate its Bicentennial in 2015. Upcoming plans for H&H and CORO include a live recording of Haydn's Creation and Handel's Messiah.

For more information, visit WWW.HANDELANDHAYDN.ORG and WWW.THESIXTEEN.COM.