Symphony no. 60 C major

Based on incidental music for Regnard’s comedy “Le Distrait”

Haydn’s “Il Distratto” is a symphony with a distinctly theatrical profile. It originated as music for a stage production at the Esterházy court, and that dramatic DNA remains clearly audible in the concert version. Rather than a tightly argued four movement symphony, the work unfolds in six movements, shaped by scenes, contrasts and quick changes of mood.

The opening has the character of an overture, moving from a ceremonial introduction into an energetic Allegro. Throughout the work, Haydn plays with abrupt shifts, pointed silences, quirky interruptions and highly expressive writing for strings and winds. The finale is especially famous for a moment of on stage comedy transferred into the concert hall: the violins begin with a deliberately mistuned string, briefly stop, retune within the music, and continue as if nothing had happened. It is not simply a joke, but part of the work’s broader theatrical concept.