Franz Joseph Haydn

Franz Josef Haydn (1732-1809) composed 12 concertos for keyboard. Of these, four were published in his lifetime, the second of which was the Concerto in D major, H. XVIII No. 11, published by Artaria in Vienna in 1784 and then by other publishers in Paris, Amsterdam, and London. Scored for pianoforte soloist with pairs of oboes and horns plus strings, the Concerto is in three movements. The opening Vivace has two themes stated twice, first by the orchestra then by the soloist, followed by a development section that concentrates on the first theme before the recapitulation, which only briefly recalls the second theme. The central Un poco Adagio in A major features a typically long-breathed melody for the soloists followed by a repeated note theme for orchestra and soloist. The closing Rondo all'Ungherese is built on an authentic Bosnian-Dalmatian folk dance called Siri Kolo, which Haydn uses as the opening theme and as the climax when it is played antiphonally by the soloist and orchestra in the form of a fanfare.