Haydn

[cloughie]

Bear in mind that the Mandryka who started this thread isn't the Mandryka who is a current contributor!

In which case I was unable to ‘Bear’ the greetings as he has bade his ‘Farewell’. Oh ‘Sturm und Drang’!

[Ein Heldenleben]

No

What about that little ditty in the Emperor string quartet, Op 76/3 (2nd movt)?

What a wonderful tune that is. Enough on its own to put Haydn into the Pantheon. I didn’t realise this till I read it a week ago but Noel Coward parodies the DÜA version his no less wonderful song London Pride.
Haydn has that rarest of all qualities in music - wit . He has plenty of other attributes as well obvs.

[LMcD]

What a wonderful tune that is. Enough on its own to put Haydn into the Pantheon. I didn’t realise this till I read it a week ago but Noel Coward parodies the DÜA version his no less wonderful song London Pride.
Haydn has that rarest of all qualities in music - wit . He has plenty of other attributes as well obvs.

[LMcD]

I've just watched on YouTube a performance by Ars Lyrica Houston of Haydn's Symphony No. 85. The orchestra, directed from the keyboard, comprised 24 players (only 4 of whom remained seated throughout). I'm not sure whether the increased clarity with which the contribution of each member could be heard was enough of a bonus to offset the lack of pomp and majesty (sic) that might have characterized a performance by a bigger band. One previous 'viewer' commented on the longueurs of the 2nd movement - Marie Antoinette's favourite - and I'm inclined to agree with him, but overall this performance made for a pretty enjoyable half hour.

[Mario]

My lack of knowledge of Haydn’s piano sonatas is shameful, but what little I’ve heard is wonderful.

A quick Wiki search tells me he wrote some fifty of them!

Erm, any pointers? What’s his Appassionata, Waldstein, Hammerklavier equivalent? Sorry Haydn-lovers, what I mean by that is what are considered his finer piano sonatas?

And if I wanted a complete set, any pointers please? Or should I choose individually?

Thanks.

[Joseph K]

My lack of knowledge of Haydn’s piano sonatas is shameful, but what little I’ve heard is wonderful.

A quick Wiki search tells me he wrote some fifty of them!

Erm, any pointers? What’s his Appassionata, Waldstein, Hammerklavier equivalent? Sorry Haydn-lovers, what I mean by that is what are considered his finer piano sonatas?

And if I wanted a complete set, any pointers please? Or should I choose individually?

Thanks.

You could do worse than check out Christine Schornsheim's box of Haydn keyboard sonatas - played on a variety of different instruments.

[RichardB]

You could do worse than check out Christine Schornsheim's box of Haydn keyboard sonatas - played on a variety of different instruments.

Yes indeed. Although I do prefer Ronald Brautigam's set (all on the same instrument) because I find him a more imaginative player in this repertoire.

There aren't really peaks and troughs in Haydn's sonatas like there are in Beethoven's, I think. But if I had to name a favourite it might be no.59 in E flat.

[Mandryka]

My lack of knowledge of Haydn’s piano sonatas is shameful, but what little I’ve heard is wonderful.

A quick Wiki search tells me he wrote some fifty of them!

Erm, any pointers? What’s his Appassionata, Waldstein, Hammerklavier equivalent? Sorry Haydn-lovers, what I mean by that is what are considered his finer piano sonatas?

And if I wanted a complete set, any pointers please? Or should I choose individually?

Thanks.

Years ago, for reasons I can't explain, I because totally addicted to Ivo Pogorelich playing #19, this

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rKUogHpX0O0&ab_channel=ArnoldvanderWaals

I still love it, and I also love Robert Hill playing the same piece

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ucyHenGRp2k

I'll also mention something else which appealed to me very much for a long time, though it's not a sonata -- Bart van Oort playing the F minor varitations

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LBTXt921DmM&ab_channel=BartvanOort-Topic

As far as sets of sonatas are concerned, as far as I'm concerned Deszo Ranki's and Tom Beghin's sets are the ones which, over the years, I've found myself going back to most. Ranki's performances were the ones which really convinced me that this music was interesting.

Oh, I almost forgot, another one I became addicted to was Gilels in Sonata 30

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pdWyr_r_r74

Egorov too

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ds0WiQ0kwU&t=152s&ab_channel=wimmoh

[MickyD]

Yes indeed. Although I do prefer Ronald Brautigam's set (all on the same instrument) because I find him a more imaginative player in this repertoire.

There aren't really peaks and troughs in Haydn's sonatas like there are in Beethoven's, I think. But if I had to name a favourite it might be no.59 in E flat.

I agree about Brautigam. I have Schornsheim too, and she is interesting as we can follow the development of Haydn's sonatas on a variety of instruments (including the harpsichord to begin with). But Brautigam really does such an excellent job in his set that I think it must be my top choice. I would say the same for his complete set of Mozart piano works too.

[silvestrione]

All the Brendel Haydn recordings are marvellous, in my view, and it's a selection, which is also good in my book!

But I also love the CD by Denis Kozhuchin, of nos 59, 38,47, and 39.

Then there's a sublime late live version of the F minor variations, by Sviatoslav Richter.

[Mandryka]

I think the recorded complete cycles of keyboard sonatas are

Beghin
Brautigam
Odiaga
Schornsheim
Oort
Olbertz
McCabe
Buchbinder
Dershavina
von Alpenheim
Walid Akl
Carmen Piazzini
Jando
Dütschler
Colombo
Timofeyeva
Bavouzet (complete?)

[ahinton]

I think the recorded complete cycles of keyboard sonatas are

Beghin
Brautigam
Odiaga
Schornsheim
Oort
Olbertz
McCabe
Buchbinder
Dershavina
von Alpenheim
Walid Akl
Carmen Piazzini
Jando
Dütschler
Colombo
Timofeyeva
Bavouzet (complete?)

I believe that Hamelin has also recorded most if not all of them for Hyperion.

[Mario]

I should of course thank everyone for their contributions.

As Brendel seems to do little wrong to my ears, I may start with his selection.

Thanks again to all. Much appreciated.

[Mandryka]

I should of course thank everyone for their contributions.

As Brendel seems to do little wrong to my ears, I may start with his selection.

Thanks again to all. Much appreciated.

Good choice. He brings out the fun in the music.

[richardfinegold]

Years ago, for reasons I can't explain, I because totally addicted to Ivo Pogorelich playing #19, this

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rKUogHpX0O0&ab_channel=ArnoldvanderWaals

I still love it, and I also love Robert Hill playing the same piece

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ucyHenGRp2k

I'll also mention something else which appealed to me very much for a long time, though it's not a sonata -- Bart van Oort playing the F minor varitations

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LBTXt921DmM&ab_channel=BartvanOort-Topic

As far as sets of sonatas are concerned, as far as I'm concerned Deszo Ranki's and Tom Beghin's sets are the ones which, over the years, I've found myself going back to most. Ranki's performances were the ones which really convinced me that this music was interesting.

Oh, I almost forgot, another one I became addicted to was Gilels in Sonata 30

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pdWyr_r_r74

Egorov too

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ds0...channel=wimmoh

Didn’t you start this thread, complaining that you didn’t care for Haydn? I guess you are allowed to change your mind in the intervening decade.
To our “Second OP” on this thread I would say that while there are a few Haydn Sonatas that stand out, there aren’t any masterpieces such as the “Named” Beethoven Sonatas. I think some of them were written as teaching works for various children of the Aristocracy and J.H. Is on autopilot.