Looking for Haydn keyboard sonatas recommendations

[J.A.W.]

I am looking for CDs or a CD-set with Haydn's keyboard sonatas, but so far I haven't found any that are totally satisfactory. I have the Alfred Brendel set, but I'd like to expand my collection. I've listened to audio samples of the big Christine Schornsheim box with various "period" instruments (it bored me to death, which surprised me as I like her version of Das wohltemperierte Clavier - at least most of it), Jean-Efflam Bavouzet, Marc-André Hamelin and Leif Ove Andsnes, all on piano, and I've heard a few snippets of Andreas Staier and Ronald Brautigam, both on fortepiano, an instrument I'm not really fond of; to my ears it is limited in its expressiveness and dynamic range, and this seems to hamper Brautigam's set.

Any comments on those interpretations and/or any recommendations?

Edited October 6, 2012 by J.A.W.

[J.A.W.]

Just listened to audio samples of the Staier set again and I must admit that his fortepiano playing is excellent and the sound of the instrument(s) is better than what I'm used to. I like it a lot better than what I've heard of Brautigam's big Haydn keyboard sonatas set.

[Larry Kart]

Have you tried Jeno Jando on Naxos? I have several volumes of that series and am happy with them.

Also, it's just one disc, but I think this Andrew Rangell Haydn album is excellent:

http://www.amazon.com/Andrew-Rangell-Plays-Haydn-Sonatas/dp/B002VRNJ9E/ref=sr_1_1?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1349570914&sr=1-1&keywords=rangell+haydn

[J.A.W.]

I've heard some of Jenö Jandó's Haydn sonatas and while I admit that he's a good pianist, his playing doesn't "involve" me, so to speak, to my ears it remains on the surface. I think he may have recorded too much - is there anything he hasn't done yet? Haven't heard the Rangell. Thanks for the recommendations, Larry.

At the moment I'm inclined towards Staier on fortepiano and Bavouzet on piano, though I'm not entirely convinced yet. I'm usually not a Hamelin fan, but his Haydn CDs sounded better to me than much of his other stuff. I'm not so sure the appreciation would last, though; there's something in his playing I don't like, but I can't put my finger on it. Schornsheim is definitely out; her playing sounded too cluttered and uneven to me, maybe due to the many different instruments she used.

Still searchin'...

Any other opinions and impressions would be more than welcome.

Edited October 7, 2012 by J.A.W.

[Larry Kart]

I know what you mean about Jando recording so much raising doubts, but often I find that he's very good or even better; e.g. his fine Bartok piano concerti. As for his Haydn versus Bavouzet's, compare Jando and Bavouzet's approach to Sonata No. 50, first movement -- the latter IMO diddly and mincing -- all "articulation," little sense of the music's harmonic meaning/movement -- the former right on the money in that last IMO crucial realm. Rangell's performance of that movement likewise, although it's also different than Jando's, more "shaped," which might not be to everyone's taste. Rangell's Sonata No. 50 can be found on Spotify.

[Larry Kart]

But then there's Glenn Gould's stop and start No. 50 on Spotify -- a hoot as one might perhaps expect; at times he sounds like he's playing a toy piano. I have maybe four LPs of Gilbert Kalish's Haydn on Nonesuch, never transferred to CD. A bit precious at times, IIRC, but definitely in the game.

[J.A.W.]

I know what you mean about Jando recording so much raising doubts, but often I find that he's very good or even better; e.g. his fine Bartok piano concerti. As for his Haydn versus Bavouzet's, compare Jando and Bavouzet's approach to Sonata No. 50, first movement -- the latter IMO diddly and mincing -- all "articulation," little sense of the music's harmonic meaning/movement -- the former right on the money in that last IMO crucial realm. Rangell's performance of that movement likewise, although it's also different than Jando's, more "shaped," which might not be to everyone's taste. Rangell's Sonata No. 50 can be found on Spotify.

I agree with you regarding Bavouzet's playing in Haydn, and it's what stopped me from getting his four Haydn CDs. I think he is better, more convincing in the Romantic and Post-Romantic French idiom, Debussy for instance. I slightly prefer Bavouzet to Hamelin's Haydn, though, that's why I said I'm inclined towards Bavouzet - as far as piano versions are concerned. As for Jandó, as I said earlier his playing leaves me "uninvolved", on the outside.

Hm, I've been listening to various versions of these keyboard sonatas for hours these last few days; maybe I should take a rest and try again in a few days or even weeks or so...

But then there's Glenn Gould's stop and start No. 50 on Spotify -- a hoot as one might perhaps expect; at times he sounds like he's playing a toy piano. I have maybe four LPs of Gilbert Kalish's Haydn on Nonesuch, never transferred to CD. A bit precious at times, IIRC, but definitely in the game.

At the risk of offending a lot of people I must admit I've always found Gould a hoot. I never liked anything he did.

[Larry Kart]

As someone said on YouTube of Hamelin's Sonata No. 50 first movement, "It sounds like he's playing an etude."

[J.A.W.]

Rangell's Sonata No. 50 can be found on Spotify.

No Spotify here.

Would that be Hob.XVI/50 or No.50 in the Landon numbering (= Hob.XVI/37)?

[edit]

Found the disc on AMG - it's No.50 in the Landon numbering.

Listened to the audio samples and I'm sorry, but it's not my cup of tea; the playing is somehow very quirky, with strange tempo changes.

Edited October 7, 2012 by J.A.W.

[Blue Train]

How about John McCabe's Decca set? It also adds in some compositions beside the sonatas.

The only two examples on youtube I can find.

http://www.amazon.com/Haydn-The-Complete-Piano-Sonatas/dp/B0000041KC

Edited October 7, 2012 by Blue Train

[Peter Friedman]

I have and enjoy single CDs of Haydn piano sonatas by the following:

Anton Nel - MusicMasters

Emanuel - Ax - CBS

Gilbert Kalish - Nonesuch

Zoltan Kocsis - Hungaroton

Dezso Ranki - Hungatoton

Ivor Gotovsky - Pyramid

Not sure which if any are still available as I have had them for many years.

[Chuck Nessa]

How about John McCabe's Decca set? It also adds in some compositions beside the sonatas.

McCabe (as they were issued I purchased 3 Argo boxes) sounded dead/uninvolved emotionaly to me.

Edited October 7, 2012 by Chuck Nessa

[Larry Kart]

A comment on McCabe's Haydn from a knowledgable fellow on Rec.Music.Classical.Recordings:

"I think it's terrible -- he irons out dynamic contrasts and accents, narrows Haydn's rather wide range of

tempi to a sort of moderato ma non troppo; they all end up sounding pretty much the same, in a bad way."

[J.A.W.]

Hm, finding one or two satisfactory (at least to me ) versions turns out to be far more difficult than I thought. I've listened over and over again to audio samples of the Staier (fortepiano), Hamelin and Bavouzet discs and a few others (all on piano) and none of them make me very happy. As I've said several times before I don't like fortepiano and, although Staier's instrument on his set doesn't sound bad, I can't get used to the thin tone and the lack of dynamic range and depth*. On the other hand a Steinway or Bösendorfer often seems to sound too "big" for these sonatas, at least to my ears. As for the various interpretations I've listened to, I've yet to hear a CD or set that I find convincing. I threw Schornsheim's big set out of the equation earlier on; I don't like the harpsichord in these works and the fortepiano, well, I've said enough about that.

[sigh]

*A case in point is Malcolm Bilson's set with John Eliot Gardiner and the English Baroque Soloists in Mozart's piano concertos. Bilson's fortepiano sounds thin against the orchestral background, it seems to drown as it were. Robert Levin's instrument in the later Mozart concertos with Christopher Hogwood and the Academy of Ancient Music doesn't sound better, it's even thinner - although the piano/orchestra mixing on some of those CDs seems to be a bit better.

Edited October 8, 2012 by J.A.W.

[David Ayers]

It's easy: learn to play them then you can hear them however you like!

[J.A.W.]

It's easy: learn to play them then you can hear them however you like!

It's even easier: I decided to give it a rest

[brian_minsk]

Here are some I like. Try these and let us know what you think:

Yakov Kasman (took me a couple listens to warm up to it, but wow...)

http://spoti.fi/QSI5FL

Gilbert Kalish (not great, but very good)

http://spoti.fi/RDNDa2

Also, any of Deszo Ranki's Haydn.

[Larry Kart]

Listened to Kasman.

[mikeweil]

... I threw Schornsheim's big set out of the equation earlier on; I don't like the harpsichord in these works and the fortepiano, well, I've said enough about that.

Althought that is historically correct, as you might know, since Haydn was rather late in acquiring a fortepiano.

What I found satisfying, too, is a well played clavichord, if you like the sound of that instrument.

BTW - I never judge the sound of historic keyboard recordings from sound samples - MP3s are too LO-FI for the complex sound spectrum of these instruments.

[J.A.W.]

... I threw Schornsheim's big set out of the equation earlier on; I don't like the harpsichord in these works and the fortepiano, well, I've said enough about that.

Althought that is historically correct, as you might know, since Haydn was rather late in acquiring a fortepiano.

What I found satisfying, too, is a well played clavichord, if you like the sound of that instrument.

BTW - I never judge the sound of historic keyboard recordings from sound samples - MP3s are too LO-FI for the complex sound spectrum of these instruments.

I agree. However, I have listened to fortepiano recordings on my system a few years ago (Ronald Brautigam in the Mozart sonatas is one of them) and I didn't like what I heard.

It might all be historically correct, but that doesn't mean I have to like it

Edited October 17, 2012 by J.A.W.

[mikeweil]

Of course not. But after listening to the same CD of harpsichord music on different equipment with widely varying sound results, I always judge new audio components with harpsichord and clavichord CDs (and jazz, of course). I have a good friend who loves harpsichord music and the way it sounds on my gear, but on her Hi-Fi it's rather harsh.

[king ubu]

Guess this one would make a good CD for testing then:

Btw, no one asked about that here, but: I love Gould's six late Haydn sonatas very much!

[Д.Д.]

Listened to Kasman.

Don't care for Haydn too much, but Kasman is an excellent pianist, love his Prokofiev.

[Larry Kart]

Listened to Kasman.

Don't care for Haydn too much, but Kasman is an excellent pianist, love his Prokofiev.

Funny -- Liking Kasman's Haydn I tried his Prokofiev 8th, a work I love, and found that he hustled it virtually to death, especially the final movement, which IMO needs both motoric energy and a certain pathos/yearning. Kasman there is utterly brusque; compare him to Richter, for one. I also like Tedd Joselson's way with the 8th (on an old RCA LP).

[soulpope]

Regarding Haydn Sonatas, I strongly recommend to (I`m tempted to say urge)you austrian pianist Roland Batik. Being a scholar of Fritz Gulda, he made a worthy effort to record the complete cycle in the mid to late 90`s.

His Sonata performances are anchored on precise articulation, but at the same time being playfull and mirroring Haydn`s gentle wit.Unfortunately he made subject recording for the japanese Camerata label, resulting in not too extensive distribution abroad.

For a first taste/try, get

Haydn: Klaviersonaten Hob. XVI/ 34, 45, 47, 48 und 51; Roland Batik; Camerata CM-546

http://www.amazon.com/Complete-Piano-Sonatas-6-Haydn/dp/B00005ABOA/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1352281472&sr=8-4&keywords=batik+roland