Haydn Explosiv. A European career at the court of the Esterházy Princes

His music exploded on the scene like the kettledrum stroke in his “Paukenschlag” (“Surprise”) symphony – original, modern and ahead of his time.

The multi-media exhibition “Haydn Explosive” presents a characterisation of Haydn as a court musician which aims to make the composer live again for the public. Haydn was after all one of the few composers who was able to see a monument to himself with his own eyes – in his native town of Rohrau in 1796.

The exhibition is being shown in Schloss Esterházy as a supplement to
the regional state exhibition “The Haydn Phenomenon” and starts on 10 April 2009. The concept includes audio rooms staged as dramatic scenarios that vividly elucidate Haydn’s career strategies as a European star composer with roots in the court of the Esterházy Princes.

The exhibition concept of “Haydn Explosive” keeps to the internationally
successful model of “staging knowledge” – visitors walk around on “stages”,
joining the exhibits, media installations and auditory sources to become part of the overall scenario.

Contemporary art of the International top rank, exquisite eighteenthcentury
art works, important autographs from Haydn’s creative production
and everyday life, and other special exhibits all combine to make the exhibition
into a world of knowledge that is a rich experience in itself, equally attractive for
“the whole family”. Children have their own media trip – Haydn for Youngsters –
seen from the child’s eye view, of course.
 
A colourful carpet after a design by the American pop-artist Roy
Lichtenstein covers the floor, exhilarating wallpaper catches you by surprise as
soon as you enter the classicist colonnade of the Sala Terrena – two golden
columns evoke the “absolutist flair” of Prince Nicholas I “the Magnificent”. Contemporary art by Günter Brus, Franz West, Pipilotti Rist and the artists group Gelitin blend in with exquisite pieces from the Esterházy collections.

The opulence of prestigious exhibits is enhanced by large monitors
and theme-oriented audio and music installations – knowledge as a sensuous
experience.