With ‘Magnificent Oxford’ as the festival’s theme, this evening is a celebration of Haydn’s relationship with the City and the University, together with Jennifer Pike and Steven Devine – two exceptional musicians who have studied in Oxford, and the elegance and brilliance of the English Haydn Orchestra, on their first visit to the City.
I have much to thank this doctor’s degree in England; indeed, I might say everything; as a result of it, I gained acquaintance of the first men in the land and had entrance into the greatest houses.
— Joseph Haydn
Haydn came to Oxford in 1791, where he was conferred with a Doctorate from the University of Oxford. A ‘Grand Music Festival’ in the Sheldonian was fully reported in The Gentleman’s Magazine. ‘When Haydn appeared, and, grateful for the applause he received, seized hold of, and displayed, the gown he wore as a mark of the honour that had in the morning been conferred on him, the silent emphasis with which he thus expressed his feelings met with a unanimous and loud clapping.’
The Oxford Symphony was received with great acclaim, as ‘one of the most striking compositions ever heard’.
Renowned for her ‘dazzling interpretative flair and exemplary technique’ (Classic FM), violinist Jennifer Pike has taken the musical world by storm with her unique artistry and compelling insight into music from the Baroque to the present day. In demand all over the world, she is known as an artist of exceptional integrity and depth. Her ability to ‘hold an audience spellbound’ (The Strad) and ‘luminous beauty of tone’ (The Observer) have established her as one of the most exciting artists performing today.
fantastic touch and élan – Gramophone
Steven Devine combines a career as a conductor that of a solo harpsichordist and fortepianist. On the concert platform, he has directed everything from Purcell to Haydn and his friends and colleagues of the Classical period, with many orchestras and ensembles, including the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, the Academy of Ancient Music, and the English Haydn Orchestra – the orchestra for the English Haydn Festival
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