After his semi-retirement from working for the Hungarian Prince Esterhazy, Haydn spent several years in the city of London where he composed and premiered his final twelve symphonies (numbers 93-104).
All twelve "London" Symphonies were massively popular with the English audiences and remain part of the standard orchestral repertoire since their premiere.
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| LONDON'S HANOVER SQUARE ROOMS DURING A HAYDN CONCERT |
Symphony 95 is unique among the set of twelve because it is the only one to be composed in a minor key. It is also the only symphony in the set that does not begin with a slow introduction.
Haydn creates a large variety of moods with the various tonalities used, especially in the 1st and 3rd movements, both of which begin in C Minor and end in C Major.
