# Haydn Piano Sonatas



## Guest

I love these works and prefer them infinitely to Mozart. Here's my hero Alfred Brendel playing the - wait for it - No. 59 Piano Sonata!! I attended a lecture by Brendel in Vienna in 2011 and it was all I could do to stop myself from rushing to the front and giving him a huge hug! What a musician! What a composer!


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## Pugg

Beautiful music, do try the Jeno Jando on Naxos, fresh approach.


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## Brahmsian Colors

I enjoy most of all Walter Olbertz's renditions of the Haydn Piano Sonatas (the complete set). For me, they strike an ideal balance between the technical and musical spheres. Also like very fine individual performances by Richter, Pogorelich, Jando and Von Alpenheim.


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## wkasimer

I like the offerings by Marc Andre Hamelin on Hyperion, and complete sets by Ekaterina Derzhavina and Rudolf Buchbinder.

Andreas Staier recorded three CD's for Deutsche Harmonia Mundi that are fantastic, if you like the sound of a fortepiano.


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## KenOC

wkasimer said:


> I like the offerings by Marc Andre Hamelin on Hyperion, and complete sets by Ekaterina Derzhavina and Rudolf Buchbinder.
> 
> Andreas Staier recorded three CD's for Deutsche Harmonia Mundi that are fantastic, if you like the sound of a fortepiano.


I listen mostly to Hamelin and Derzhavina. Two very different approaches, but both serve the music well.


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## Animal the Drummer

To each their own, but (though I don't have the set and haven't heard all of it) I haven't taken to what I *have* heard of Hamelin's version. To my ears some of the trickier passages become mini-display vehicles in his hands, which to me is out of place. I second Pugg's and Haydn67's recommendation of Jando and I also like what I've heard of Olbertz.


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## bharbeke

Here are pianists that have delivered some excellent performances of Haydn piano sonatas to my ears: Buchbinder, Hisamori, Derzhavina, Jando, Chaimovich, Brendel, McCabe, Escate, and Bavouzet.


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## Guest

bharbeke said:


> Here are pianists that have delivered some excellent performances of Haydn piano sonatas to my ears: Buchbinder, Hisamori, Derzhavina, Jando, Chaimovich, Brendel, McCabe, Escate, and Bavouzet.


I've heard Buchbinder in recital more than once at the Musikverein in Vienna - mostly with Beethoven - and he's a pianist who didn't move me on those nights, for some reason.

My own CD collection has Schiff playing the Haydn Piano Sonatas (the late ones) and his are persuasive performances also.


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## bharbeke

CountenanceAnglaise said:


> I've heard Buchbinder in recital more than once at the Musikverein in Vienna - mostly with Beethoven - and he's a pianist who didn't move me on those nights, for some reason.
> 
> My own CD collection has Schiff playing the Haydn Piano Sonatas (the late ones) and his are persuasive performances also.


I will try some Schiff sometime, then.

If you want to sample any by Buchbinder, I would try 40/25, 52/39, 54/40, 58/48, or 62/52. Those are some sonatas where he has outpaced several other versions I've tried.


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## Bulldog

For me, it's Brendel all the way.


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## DavidA

Bulldog said:


> For me, it's Brendel all the way.


I have a disc of Brandel playing Haydn's piano sonatas and that is very fine


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## tdc

Brendel for me too...

but over all I prefer the spontaneous magic of Mozart's Piano Sonatas to the more left-brained approach of Haydn.


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## Bulldog

tdc said:


> Brendel for me too...
> 
> but over all I prefer the spontaneous magic of Mozart's Piano Sonatas to the more left-brained approach of Haydn.


We lefties stick together like glue.


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## Marc

I thought that Derzhavina's set was OK, but not very well edited IMO. It's been some time since I last gave it a listen, but I recall extraneous 'clicking' sounds (especially audible with headphones on), and, in some cases, a piano with distracting 'ringing' tones in the _discant_.

Jenő Jandó's Naxos set is certainly as good as Derzhavina's, maybe even better, and pianists like Brendel or Pletnev are able to give Haydn's music more depth and variety.

My favourite set is Christine Schornsheim, who plays a range of beautiful period instruments: harpsichords, clavichords and fortepiano's.


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## jegreenwood

bharbeke said:


> I will try some Schiff sometime, then.
> 
> If you want to sample any by Buchbinder, I would try 40/25, 52/39, 54/40, 58/48, or 62/52. Those are some sonatas where he has outpaced several other versions I've tried.


I bought the Buchbinder box set a few years back at a very reasonable price. I didn't have any other Haydn sonata recordings and am reasonably happy with these. I do prefer the Mozart sonatas.

However, I heard Schiff in recital and was quite impressed. It was part of a Haydn weekend which he led: sonatas, piano trios, a lecture/demonstration and a literary reading by a current descendant of Count Esterhazy.


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## bharbeke

You are correct about the clicking on the Derzhavina set, Marc. It is not present on all the tracks, but it is very noticeable when it is there. Sometimes, the performance is able to shine brightly enough for me to ignore the extra sounds, but I would rather not have them at all.


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## Mal

CountenanceAnglaise said:


> ... Alfred Brendel playing the ... No. 59 Piano Sonata!! ... What a musician! What a composer!


Thank you for linking to this. Here's Jando performing the sonata:





Jando's is a good solid performance, but compared to Brendel I find it a bit stilted. Is Brendel's performance of No.59 in his four disc box set as good as here?


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## Pugg

I recently heard this guy playing( on disc that is): Jean-Efflam Bavouzet

https://www.prestoclassical.co.uk/classical/search?search_query=haydn++Jean-Efflam+Bavouzet

Great sound, they are on my wish list .


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## Bulldog

Mal said:


> Thank you for linking to this. Here's Jando performing the sonata:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Jando's is a good solid performance, but compared to Brendel I find it a bit stilted. Is Brendel's performance of No.59 in his four disc box set as good as here?


I find Jando's Haydn a rather pedestrian account; it lacks continuity and cumulative impact. In contrast, Brendel is a master of Haydn's dialogue while Jando merely plays the notes.


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## hpowders

Fine Haydn Keyboard Sonata performances: Brautigam on fortepiano, complete set.

Modern piano, various sonatas: Schiff, Ax, Becker and Yarden.


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## Mal

Here is Bavouzet in 50,






... and here's Brendel:






McCabe sounds very pleasant, but without quite the wit and broadness of expression of Brendel:






But that's just in first five minutes of 50... I'm not comparing them all! Don't want to devote my life to Haydn, yet...

I find Bavouzet sightly too flamboyent, Brendel seems to get just the right amount of brio. I'm a bit biased against Brendel at the moment, having not enjoyed his most recent Beethoven bagatelles CD. But I'm leaning back towards him in Haydn! Of course Brendel isn't a complete set, does he perform what most Haydn experts think are the best sonatas?


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## Omicron9

Pugg said:


> Beautiful music, do try the Jeno Jando on Naxos, fresh approach.


A big +1 on this. The Naxos complete Haydn PS with Jando is a true investment.

Regards,
-09


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## Guest

I have a number of the sonatas performed by Baart van Oort on Fortepiano. He is the best that I have heard so far with these fine works.


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## wkasimer

HIP: Brautigam
Non-HIP: Ekaterina Dershavina


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## Guest

Listen to and thoroughly enjoying this Haydn Sonata, No. 60 in C Major. Following along with the score too. What a wonderfully original voice Haydn had and I love these works more and more as time goes on: Manny Ax plays this one.


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## agoukass

I have many different recordings of the Haydn piano sonatas. I've found that enjoy Sviatoslav Richter's recordings a great even if they are a bit dry and pedantic sometimes as well as Glenn Gould's where speeds can some be on the eccentric side. The first volume of the Hamelin set is great and a wonderful introduction to these pieces and there is a recording of some of the piano sonatas by Lili Kraus, but they weren't my cup of tea. 

As far as complete sets, I have one that was released by Brilliant Classics many years ago where the sonatas are played on fortepianos by different pianists. I found it to be quite dull and might replace it with Buchbinder's or Jando's sets at some point.


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## joen_cph

Some good Haydn piano sonata recordings:

- *Rørbech* on the Classico label is a nice disc, should you stumble across it; seems available at a low price sometimes. Won awards in Denmark. Unfortunately, the pianist had to cancel her career early, due to a damaged hand.

*Andsnes* on EMI;

*Kissin* in Haydn/Schubert on RCA would perhaps be my first recommendation. A rather masculine, Beethovenian version.

















https://www.gramophone.co.uk/review/haydn-piano-sonatas-5


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## Josquin13

On a modern piano, I've most liked the Haydn playing of Ivo Pogorelich (one of his finest recordings), Alfred Brendel, Glenn Gould, Fazil Say, Andras Schiff, Deszo Ranki, Emil Gilels, Sviatoslav Richter, and Zoltan Kocsis. Ivan Moravec was also exceptional in Haydn, but didn't record much of it.

Among older recordings, I've most liked the Haydn of Nadia Reisenberg and Miecyslaw Horszowski. (& I wish Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli had recorded more than just the two Piano Concertos.)

On period pianos, I've most liked the Haydn of Malcolm Bilson, Christine Schornsheim's box set, and to a slightly lesser extent, Andras Staier, and Ronald Brautigam.

https://www.amazon.com/Haydn-Piano-...d=1527319771&sr=1-1&keywords=pogorelich+haydn

https://www.amazon.com/Haydn-Piano-...albums-bar-strip-0&keywords=glenn+gould+haydn

https://www.amazon.com/Sviatoslav-R...&qid=1527318796&sr=1-5&keywords=richter+haydn

Richter playing of Haydn's Piano Sonata in G Minor, H.XVI No. 44 on Disc 5 of the following DG box set: https://www.amazon.com/Sviatoslav-R...D=51UOvO0JjQL&preST=_SX342_QL70_&dpSrc=detail

https://www.amazon.com/Haydn-Piano-...&qid=1527320242&sr=1-1&keywords=brendel+haydn

https://www.amazon.com/Piano-Sonata...8&qid=1527320209&sr=1-1&keywords=Schiff+haydn

https://www.amazon.com/Piano-Sonata...UTF8&qid=1527320816&sr=1-1&keywords=say+haydn

https://www.amazon.com/Haydn-Keyboa...8&qid=1527319921&sr=1-1&keywords=bilson+haydn (& Bilson's earlier Nonesuch Haydn)

https://www.amazon.com/Joseph-Haydn...=1527320920&sr=1-1&keywords=schornsheim+haydn

https://www.amazon.com/Nadia-Reisen...320291&sr=1-1&keywords=nadia+reisenberg+haydn

On my wish list--I'd like to hear Walter Olbertz's complete Haydn box set, and Einav Yarden's hybrid SACD. I did recently hear Enrique Bagaría's Haydn on hybrid SACD and thought it was fine playing.


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## Enthusiast

I'm a Bavouzet fan.


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