Turning Points is the Kings Place series where you get to explore the hidden secrets of the great composers in history. Discover things about the music you’d never learn on Wikipedia at our pre-concert events. Find out what it’s like to play Haydn by asking the musicians. And hear your favourite movement again by voting for the encore.

This concert explores the first and last symphonies of Joseph Haydn, the composer credited with inventing the symphony as we know it. Understand how Haydn created the architecture of classical music by comparing two very different pieces. Our journey begins with a 27 year-old Haydn and his Symphony No. 1 – a symphony in miniature drawing influence from Baroque music. In contrast, Symphony No. 104, written in London and premiered when Haydn was 63, is an altogether more dramatic and mightier affair. Here Haydn – a London celebrity of the day – was at the height of his powers.

Special events free to Turning Points ticket holders

Study Afternoon: Building the Symphony
Join the OAE’s academic partners, the Open University, for a free study afternoon exploring what it was like to be part of the musical scene in the Vienna and London of the eighteenth century, as the newly-invented musical genre of the symphony gradually came to dominate concert programmes.
3pm to 5pm, St Pancras Room – To book please call the box office on 020 7520 1490

Pre-Concert Discussion
OAE players and guests from the Open University discuss the evening’s concert.
6.30pm to 7pm, Hall One

It’s not compulsory, but to get the most out of this Turning Points performance, you’ll need to agree to pass your contact details to the OAE after you’ve bought a ticket. Then they’ll let you know about all the extra activities they have planned. You will receive further information about this on confirmation of booking.