JOSEPH HAYDN 1732 - 1809
SYMPHONY No. 96 in D MAJOR, "THE MIRACLE"

Adagio - Allegro
Andante
Menuetto: Allegretto
Finale: Vivace

The name "Miracle," by which Haydn's Symphony No. 96 has long been known, stems from an incident that occurred at one of the composer's London concerts. The only detailed account of the event comes from Albert Christoph Dies, Haydn's early biographer, whose Biographical Accounts of Joseph Haydn, published in 1810, describes it this way:
"When Haydn appeared . . . to conduct a symphony himself, the curious audience in the parterre left their seats and crowded toward the orchestra, the better to see the famous Haydn quite close. The seats in the middle of the floor were thus empty, and hardly were they empty when the great chandelier crashed down and broke into bits, throwing the numerous gathering into the greatest consternation. As soon as the first moment of fright was over and those who had pressed forward could think of the danger they had luckily escape and find words to express it, several persons uttered the state of their feelings with cries of "Miracle! Miracle!"

In fact, the work Haydn presented on that date was actually his Symphony No. 102 in B flat, but because Dies's report was for so long accepted without question, the "Miracle" designation became erroneously but irretrievably attached to Symphony No. 96.

Whilst this may not be the true "Miracle" Symphony, it nevertheless reveals the high degree of originality and inventive treatment of thematic ideas that mark the dozen symphonies Haydn composed for England. From a musical standpoint, that is miracle enough. The first movement begins, as in all but one of Haydn's "London" Symphonies, with a stately introduction in slow tempo. There follows an Allegro based on a confident theme that supplies all the ideas Haydn needs to build a rich and stimulating movement.
The second movement consists of a theme and variations. As in many of Haydn's slow movements, the composer presents a simple, but elegant, theme and weaves back and forth through many keys and orchestral colourings. After a stormy middle section in G minor, the main theme returns in the major, before an unexpected pause, followed by what is essentially an orchestrated cadenza featuring two solo violins, just before the end of the movement.
The minuet that follows is robust and grandly scored, its central trio section given over largely to the solo oboe, who plays a gentle Ländler (Austrian folk dance). Like the second movement, the finale opens in a genial vein, starting with the strings playing softly with occasional loud outbursts, but the development section modulates to a stormy minor section before returning to the main theme in the correct key with the flute and bassoon as soloists.