Winder’s witty and summary dismissal of the less interesting Haydn symphonies, cranked out for aristo-soirées. And isn’t that a marvelous phrase: ‘brocaded people who have not washed’. Thus does Winder bring history to life.Â
Go easy on the comfits. Â
Some of the symphonies are in practice quite boring and reek of loveless background music for the aristocratic soirées of yesteryear, with brocaded people who have not washed for quite a while kissing hands, fluttering fans and peering through quizzing glasses. You can hit a really rough patch where you suddenly feel you have overdosed on lavender-flavoured comfits.Â
For a great sampling of Winder’s triologisms, and a quote-packed tribute to his earlier book on Germany, see our bestellar review.
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Source: Simon Winder, Danubia: A personal history of Habsburg Europe (London: Picador, 2013), pp. 280-81
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