Haydn Symphony nº 58 Hob. I:64 A major ’Tempora mutantur’

Orchestra of XVIII century Frans Bruggen Unlike Symphonies 45-47 and 52, but like No. 51, this work eschews extremes in favour of wit and esprit — except in the slow movement. The opening Allegro con spirito begins quietly with a lyrical tune for the strings, unexpectedly joined by a contrasting forte motive for the full band. The continuation varies these contrasts in new ways, and we gradually realize that the entire movement is governed by wit, inventiveness, and unexpected (and often subtle) contrasts: of material, dynamics, instrumentation, and harmonic orientation. The overall effect is not easy to describe. A contrast of an entirely different sort is provided by the Largo, arguably the most eccentric movement Haydn ever composed. It is presumably the referent of the mysterious nickname for the symphony, ’Tempora mutantur etc.’, found on the (later) wrapper of a set of authentic parts now in Frankfurt. This Latin phrase surely refers to the moralising epigram by the Elizabe