"Andante" from Symphony No. 94 in G major "The Surprise"

About the work

Haydn wrote Symphony No. 94 for his first London visit, and its 1792 premiere was a triumph. The second-movement Andante earned the work its nickname: a nursery-simple theme repeats ever more softly until the full orchestra and timpani crash in without warning — a joke, so the story goes, at the expense of dozing listeners. The shock past, the movement unfolds as a poised set of variations: Classical wit at its most economical.

Upcoming performances