Exploring the Haydn Sonatas -- Nos. 11-16, 18
Robin Friedman | Washington, D.C. United States | 08/01/2009
(5 out of 5 stars)
"The year 2009 marks the 200th anniversary of the death of Joseph Haydn (1732 - 1809). I have decided to celebrate this anniversary by listening to and sharing my thoughts on Haydn's piano sonatas. The Hungarian pianist Jeno Jando has recorded prolifically for the budget-priced Naxos label. Jando recorded a highly-regarded cycle of Haydn's piano sonatas on individual CDs some years ago. Naxos has recently compiled the recordings into an attractively priced box set. But I want to review the original CDs to pay more attention to the individual works. I reviewed Jando's recordings of the first ten sonatas here on Amazon a couple of years ago and proceed chronologically with the next group of sonatas.
The seven piano sonatas on this CD are also early works. Precise chronology is difficult, but they were all composed prior to 1766. Haydn composed these works for the harpsichord. They are short and composed in an early classical style. At the time of these works, sonata form had not developed to the full styles of Haydn, Mozart or Beethoven. The order and content of the various movement in a work were not fixed. Of the seven works here, five are in three movements, one is in four movements, and one work, of questionable authenticity, is in two movements. All seven works are in the major key. Slow opening movements are almost as frequent as allegros. The only movement type that appears in all of these works is the minuet. These works are varied, delightful and beautifully played. The works are lively, mostly happy, and balanced among their movements. They offer insight into the development of Haydn's mature style. Here is a quick summary of each work.
The opening work, the three-movement sonata no. 11 in B-flat major, opens with a sprightly theme capped off by a little curlicue phrase. In the second movement, Haydn gives us a Largo which is formal, but already deeply sad and expressive with long trills over repeated chords. The finale is a minuet which, as do most of the minuets on this recording, contrasts a major theme with a minor, strongly syncopated theme in the trio.
Sonata no. 12 in A major opens with a reflective and highly ornamented andante with some lovely long legato phrases in triplets. The minuet is much lighter in character to contrast with the opening movement. The finale is short and quickly paced.
The longest work on this CD is the four-movement sonata no 13 in G major. A march-like opening is followed by a minuet which features some walking movements for the left hand. This work too has a surprisingly beautiful and moving slow movement in a highly embellished adagio. The contrasting finale is short and virtuosic.
Sonata no. 14 in C major opens with a Scarlatti-like theme played over repeated triplets. The second movement is a melancholy andante, without the force of the slow movements in sonatas 11 and 13. The work concludes with a lively, perky minuet.
The very short sonata no 15 in E major begins with a loud, rolled chord followed by a softer and longer answering phrase. The minuet features contrasts between its opening theme and subsequent minor key trio. The work ends with a lively and flashy presto.
Sonata no. 16 in D major is probably my favorite of this set. It has a slow, simple opening which develops in short phrases, a pattern of composition that would stay with Haydn. The theme also features sudden dips into the minor key. The second movement is a minuet whose theme is closely related to the theme of the opening movement. The trio is in the minor key with melodic passages in thirds for the right hand. The short finale includes some difficult writing and works to a surprise close.
The two- movement sonata in E-flat major may not be by Haydn. The opening, highly ornamented, movement is the longest on this CD. The work concluded with a short, trilling minuetto.
This is a lovely recording for lovers of early classical music and for listeners who want to explore the piano sonatas of a still under-appreciated composer.
Robin Friedman
"
Track Listings (21) - Disc #1