After Mozart, it’s Haydn’s turn

After a yearlong jubilee celebrating Mozart’s 250th birthday, classical music fans can expect another series of concerts and festivals to mark two centuries since the death of Franz Joseph Haydn.

The highlight of the yearlong event will take place on May 31, 2009, the 200th anniversary of Haydn’s death, with worldwide performances of his masterpiece “The Creation,” organizers said Wednesday at a news conference in Vienna.

They said cities as far afield as New York, Tokyo and Sydney had already sent positive feedback and more were due to sign off on the idea shortly.