Franz Joseph Haydn: Symphony no. 45 "Farewell" mvt. 4
For most of his adult life, Haydn was employed by Prince Nicolaus (the Magnificent) Esterházy. He kept a roster of some of the finest musicians in Europe at the ready to satisfy his demands and whims. The prince maintained two residences--one in Eisenstadt, Austria, and one at the extravagant castle at Esterháza, in Hungary. After its completion, he began to spend more and more time at Esterháza, putting on lavish productions, but without expanding the living quarters for the musicians, which meant they had to leave their families behind in Eisenstadt. One year, frustrated musicians convinced Haydn to take action, so he, ahem, "orchestrated" a protest. (I'm sure I'm not the first person to use that pun!) He scored the conclusion of this mostly fairly standard symphony in a special way, and included stage directions. The prince got the message and gave the musicians their vacation...at least for that year.
Watch what happens here. This is definitely the funniest performance I found!
Vienna Philharmonic ("Farewell" section starts at 3:04 and goes for about 5 minutes)
In May 2017 I challenged my students to practice every day for 30 days in a row. In addition, I asked them to listen to 30 bite-sized musical selections I emailed daily. I collected my picks in this blog for posterity. So these are works I find particularly fun, interesting, or important, including a handful by composers who were born or who died in May. Please enjoy!