On Saturday, Oct. 18, at 11 a.m., the NCSSM-Durham Symphony Orchestra will be performing Haydn’s Symphony No. 104 in D major “London” (H. 1/104), along with works by Holbrook, Nunez and Tchaikovsky, in the ETC Auditorium on the NCSSM-Durham campus. Symphony 104 is the last of the 12 London symphonies, and is known (somewhat arbitrarily, given the existence of 11 others) as the London Symphony. In Germany, it is commonly known as the Salomon Symphony after Johann Peter Salomon, who arranged Haydn’s two tours of London, even though it is one of three of the last 12 symphonies written for Viotti’s Opera Concerts, rather than for Salomon.

The work was composed in 1795 while Haydn was living in London, and premiered there at the King’s Theatre on May 4, 1795, in a concert featuring exclusively Haydn’s own compositions and directed by the composer. The premiere was a success; Haydn wrote in his diary, “The whole company was thoroughly pleased and so was I. I made 4,000 gulden on this evening: such a thing is possible only in England.”

This concert is free of charge and, as always, families with small children are encouraged to attend.