Joseph Haydn

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The life and work of Austrian composer Joseph Haydn, with a focus on his often neglected operas. Presented by Donald Macleod. For much of his working life, Haydn lived and breathed opera and some of his best music was written for the stage. But until recently, his operas have suffered from chronic under-exposure. Donald Macleod blows a few layers of dust from these unfairly neglected works. If Haydn's operas have failed to catch on, it's certainly not the fault of the music. Donald Macleod considers the composer's dreadful choice of libretti. In terms of textual turkey, La vera costanza is a prime offender, yet it contains some of Haydn's most inspired music.