Symphony No. 104 in D, Hob.I:104 "London"

The symphony opens with a slow, dark introduction in D minor, full of weighty pauses, before breaking into a bright, energetic main theme in D major introduced by the violins. Listen for how the mood shifts from serious to playful in just a few minutes.

The second movement, marked Andante, is a set of variations on a simple, songlike theme. Haydn interrupts its calm partway through with a sudden loud outburst in minor key, then returns to the gentle mood, a favorite Haydn trick of upending expectations.

The third movement is a minuet, a dance in triple meter, but sturdier and more emphatic than a ballroom dance would be. Its middle section, the trio, is quieter and more lyrical, built around a simple falling figure.

The finale is famous for its opening theme, which sits over a long, buzzing drone in the lower strings, evoking a bagpipe or hurdy-gurdy. Some scholars think Haydn borrowed a Croatian folk tune here. The movement builds to a full, confident close, a fitting final bow for the symphony that ended Haydn's cycle of over a hundred works in the genre.

Haydn wrote this symphony in 1795 during his second visit to London, where he had gone at the invitation of the impresario Johann Peter Salomon. By this point Haydn was Europe's most celebrated living composer, and London audiences were eager to hear new works from him. The symphony was premiered in London in 1795 and was warmly received. It turned out to be the last of the 104 symphonies Haydn wrote, capping a genre he had done more than anyone to develop over four decades. The nickname "London" was attached later, honoring the city where Haydn wrote his final and arguably most celebrated set of symphonies. It quickly became, and remains, one of his most frequently performed works.