English Haydn Festival

Welcome to the 32nd English Haydn Festival set in the beautiful market town of Bridgnorth. The Festival offers a fascinating array of the music of Joseph Haydn and his contemporaries, performed in St Mary’s Church, built by the great 18th-century engineer Thomas Telford in 1792, set next to the spectacular remains of the Castle and overlooking the river Severn.

This year we explore Haydn’s Musical World - the impact made by Haydn on 18th century music, influencing fellow composers and enjoyed by the Kings, Tzars and Princes of Europe.

Haydn’s music is celebrated globally establishing classical forms like the symphony and string quartet. His influence on Mozart and Beethoven ensures his continued relevance in classical music and solidifies his legacy as the ‘Father of the Symphony and String Quartet’. His works are performed in concert halls all over the world, studied by musicians and adored by audiences. With a vast number of works ranging from trios and string quartets, symphonies and concertos to masses, oratorios and full scale operas, his music offers a rich variety for the listener. Haydn’s music is profoundly human, balancing deep emotion with humour, surprise and clever musical jokes all contributing to it’s universal and enduring appeal. Haydn himself once famously stated, ‘my language is understood all over the world’.