BaL 8.12.18 - Haydn: Piano Sonata in E flat, HOB XVI:52

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

09.30
Building a Library: Iain Burnside picks a personal favourite from among the recordings of Haydn's Piano Sonata in E flat, HOB XVI:52
Written in 1794, this is the last and one of the greatest of Haydn's piano sonatas. In this piece Haydn expanded the sonata structure beyond its normal scope, explored unusual harmonies and developed his thematic material with unusual rigour. Haydn wrote it for the outstanding pianist Therese Jansen, who lived in London at the time of his visits there in the 1790s.

Available recordings:-

Ilse von Alpenheim
Arthur Ancelle
Wilhelm Backhaus
Tom Beghin
Malcolm Bilson
Rafal Blechacz*
Michele Boegner*
Ronald Brautigam
Alfred Brendel
Rudolf Buchbinder
Rachel Cheung
Julia Cload
Gary Cooper (SACD)
Ulrika Davidsson*
Ekaterina Derzhavina
Iván Eröd
José Feghali
Péter Frankl *
Andrei Gavrilov*
Glenn Gould
Monique Haas
Marc-André Hamelin
Stanley Hoogland
Vladimir Horowitz
Jeno Jando
Gilbert Kalish
Evgeny Kissin
Alexander Kobrin
Evgeni Koroliov
Lili Kraus
Anton Kuerti*
Geoffrey Lancaster
Dejan Lazic (SACD)
Hans Leygraf*
John Lill
Leon McCawley
John McCabe
Anne-Marie McDermott
Giovanni Mazzocchin*
Tomoko Ogasawara
Walter Olbertz
Bart van Oort
Theodore Paraskivesco*
Carmen Piazzini
Alain Planès
Mikhail Pletnev
Kadar Qian*
Anne Queffelec
Roman Rabinovich
Dezsõ Ránki*
Sviatoslav Richter
Alexander Romanovsky
Roberta Rust
Andras Schiff
Ragna Schirmer
Christine Schornsheim*
Andreas Staier*
Michael Studer*
Mark Swartzentruber
Dinorah Varsi
Zhi Xiao-Mei*
Gottlieb Wallisch (SACD)
André Watts
Alexis Weissenberg

[CallMePaul]

The Buchbinder box of Haydn's complete piano sonatas (plus other pieces) was a Christmas present last year. As well as the late sonatas, I have got to know the earlier, rarely played works from these recordings. In my view Buchbinder is an underrated pianist whose playing I first got to know when I heard his Edinburgh Festival Beethoven cycle on R3 a few years ago. However, I would like to supplement this box with a fortepiano version so will listen to this programme with great interest.

By the way, few collectors and editors still use the Hoboken numbering for these sonatas. The edition and numbering of Christa Landon has superseded Hoboken's and so this sonata should be described as No 62 or Landon 62, possibly with the old number in brackets afterwards.

[silvestrione]

Only just got to know this marvellous sonata (I know...).

Have heard Horowitz, Brendel, and Rafal Blechasz, the first and last on the radio. I was knocked over by the Blechasz in particular. Does the asterisk mean download only?

[Richard Barrett]

I remember clearly the first time I knowingly heard a Haydn piano sonata, it was maybe 15 years ago when I was browsing in a CD shop and trying to work out what this marvellous piano music was that they were playing. When I finally gave up and asked, it turned out to be Ronald Brautigam's disc of sonatas 48-52, so I eventually acquired his whole set, being somewhat amazed that Haydn had produced yet another enormous and beautiful body of work alongside those I already knew. So that's that as far as I'm concerned, for now anyway. I also have the complete Schornsheim set which I don't like as much apart from the fact that it's more varied in timbre by using several different instruments (harpsichord for the earlier sonatas). Anyway the E flat sonata under discussion is surely one of the most memorable. I look forward to hearing about the other fortepiano recordings I'haven't yet encountered.

[Bryn]

. . . Does the asterisk mean download only?

It would appear so, though Internet searches will often find discs no longer officially in the catalogue.

[gurnemanz]

Just listened to versions I have: Richter, Planès, McCabe from the complete set. All good, but I think my favourite listen and certainly the most fun, (and probably a BaL non-contender) was Maria Yudina in limited but very acceptable sound from 1951 on her 8CD Brilliant Classics set, (now only second hand). The recording is otherwise available, eg on this disc but I note that it is on what looks like an excellent-value bumper edition which is due out in a week or so. She makes McCabe sound very sedate.

[Bryn]

I have, in alphabetical order, Beghin (Blu-ray Audio), Brautigam (CD), Derzhavina (CD), Schiff (DVD) and Schornshiem(CD). I would not willingly part with any of them, but for me, the Beghin (a Chris Maene instrument built in 2005, after a Walter built after 1791, recorded in an acoustic modelled on that of the Festaal, Palais Lobkowitz, Vienna) just has the edge, at the moment.

[Bryn]

Just listened to versions I have: Richter, Planès, McCabe from the complete set. All good, but I think my favourite listen and certainly the most fun, (and probably a BaL non-contender) was Maria Yudina in limited but very acceptable sound from 1951 on her 8CD Brilliant Classics set, (now only second hand). The recording is otherwise available, eg on this disc but I note that it is on what looks like an excellent-value bumper edition which is due out in a week or so. She makes McCabe sound very sedate.

The forthcoming Yudina set does look very enticing. I might wait to see what happens via the the Amazon Marketplace before ordering though.

[MickyD]

I remember clearly the first time I knowingly heard a Haydn piano sonata, it was maybe 15 years ago when I was browsing in a CD shop and trying to work out what this marvellous piano music was that they were playing. When I finally gave up and asked, it turned out to be Ronald Brautigam's disc of sonatas 48-52, so I eventually acquired his whole set, being somewhat amazed that Haydn had produced yet another enormous and beautiful body of work alongside those I already knew. So that's that as far as I'm concerned, for now anyway. I also have the complete Schornsheim set which I don't like as much apart from the fact that it's more varied in timbre by using several different instruments (harpsichord for the earlier sonatas). Anyway the E flat sonata under discussion is surely one of the most memorable. I look forward to hearing about the other fortepiano recordings I'haven't yet encountered.

Snap, Richard - I too have both sets, and like you, I am a huge admirer of the Brautigam...I play it so often and love not just the playing but the ideal recording acoustic, too. I hope it will rank highly in this BAL. I feel the same way about Brautigam's complete Mozart set as well.

[Richard Barrett]

Snap, Richard - I too have both sets, and like you, I am a huge admirer of the Brautigam...I play it so often and love not just the playing but the ideal recording acoustic, too. I hope it will rank highly in this BAL. I feel the same way about Brautigam's complete Mozart set as well.

Brautigam's passagework in the last movement is quite amazing - a highly convincing demonstration of what the fortepiano is capable of. This afternoon I listened to Paul Badura-Skoda in this work (on Qobuz, though it isn't on EA's list). He of course was an important pioneer in the revival of the instrument and I have the feeling his work has been improved upon technically by succeeding generations of players, despite the deep sense of involvement and expression his performances always have (too closely recorded for you, I imagine, Micky!).

[MickyD]

Brautigam's passagework in the last movement is quite amazing - a highly convincing demonstration of what the fortepiano is capable of. This afternoon I listened to Paul Badura-Skoda in this work (on Qobuz, though it isn't on EA's list). He of course was an important pioneer in the revival of the instrument and I have the feeling his work has been improved upon technically by succeeding generations of players, despite the deep sense of involvement and expression his performances always have (too closely recorded for you, I imagine, Micky!).

Spot on, Richard...much as I love what Paul Badura-Skoda does, his recordings are far too close and dry for my taste. It's a shame as I would have liked to have got hold of his complete Schubert cycle. I just hope that someone like Brautigam takes on that project....at least for the moment I have the superb discs of Schubert that Staier did for Das Alte Werk.

[Pulcinella]

For me, this is exactly the sort of work the BBC MM cover disc was invented for: not something that would ordinarily be in my collection, but a work I'd be prepared to listen to at least once to see if I'm missing something.
I guess I'll have to listen to the programme instead.


PS: Actually, it's partly what Building a Library was invented for, too, at least for me!
PPS: One Haydn piano sonata has appeared so far, HOB XVI:50, played by Louis Schwizgebel. Must listen later.

[BBMmk2]

I used to play this one myself.

I have Marc-Andre Hamlin and Andras Schiff playing. Both excellent.

[Bryn]

Re #7, I quite forgot a few, including Staier, van Oort and Gould.

[mikealdren]

OMG it's a twofer and they didn't even warn us in advance.