Haydn & His Protégés

Haydn’s role as friend of Mozart and teacher of Beethoven is famous, but perhaps less well-known is his extensive relationship with Joseph Bologne, Le Chevalier de Saint-Georges, who commissioned and premiered Haydn’s Paris symphonies with the dramatic and stylish orchestra of the Concert de la Loge Olympique. It was there that Marie Antoinette fell in love with Symphony No. 85, giving rise to its nickname, “La Reine.”