Haydn & Mozart at the National Concert Hall

Yesterday evening I once again travelled into Dublin for a concert by National Symphony Orchestra Ireland at the National Concert Hall. No rain this time, I’m glad to say, either going there or coming back! The concert, under the direction of Artistic Partner Peter Whelan, was very definitely classical music in the sense that all three works were from the classical period of the middle to late eighteenth century. First up we had Symphony No. 22 in E♭ Major by Joseph Haydn. This is usually known as “The Philosopher”. I tend to think of Haydn’s music as expertly crafted but mostly a bit “middle-of-the-road” for my tastes. This symphony, written in 1764 has four movements. I found the first movement Adagio rather plodding but there is much to enjoy in this work, and it was given a good performance last night. Then, after the usual reorganization on stage to accommodate the NCH’s Steinway, we had Piano Concerto No. 17 in G Major by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, with soloist Jonathan Biss.…