Extant Concertos

A list of Haydn's Concertos

        Note:  A more important composer of cello works during the classical era was Luigi Boccherini 

        (1743 - 805) who wrote 13 cello concertos and over 30 cello sonatas.  Mozart wrote only one

        cello concerto (now lost) and no cello sonatas.


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Cello Concertos

      Cello Concerto No. 1 in C, Hob. VIIb:1  (1761-5)

           Mischa Maisky, violin

                  3.  Allegro Molto  (6:30)  

            Not just the first movement, but all three movements are written in sonata form.  Haydn 
            composed this for longtime friend Joseph Franz Weigl, then the principal cellist of Prince 
            Nicolaus Esterházy's Orchestra.


      NOTE:  Haydn's first cello concerto is forceful and boisterous, while the second is mellower.


      Cello Concerto No. 2 in D, Hob. VIIb:2  (Op. 101)  (1783)

           Mstislaw Rostropovich, cello.   Academy of St Martin in the Fields

                    1.  Allegro moderato  (13:30)
                    2.  Adagio  (5:20)


Brass Concertos

      Horn Concerto No. 1 in D  (1762)  

      Trumpet Concerto in E-flat major  (1796)  written for his long-time friend Anton Weidinger.

           Maurice Andre, trumpet

               1.  Allegro (sonata form)  (6:00)  

           Anton Weidinger developed a keyed trumpet which could play chromatically throughout 
     its entire range.  Before this, the trumpet was valveless and could only play a limited range 

     of harmonic notes by altering the vibration of the lips; also called by the name of "natural 

    trumpet".  Most of these harmonic notes were clustered in the higher registers, so previous 

    trumpet concertos could only play melodically with the high register (e.g. Bach's).  Haydn's 

    concerto includes melodies in the middle and lower register, exploiting the capabilities of the 

    new instrument.

        There were attempts all over Europe around the mid-classical era to expand the range 

    of the trumpet using valves, but Weidinger's idea of drilling holes and covering them with 

    flute-like keys was not a success as it had very poor sound quality.  Thus the natural trumpet 

    still had continual use in the classical orchestra while the keyed trumpet had barely any 

    repertoire.  The valved trumpets used today were first constructed and used in the 1830s.


Piano Concertos

       Haydn wrote 11 piano concertos but only the last one is considered special.


    Piano Concerto No. 11 in D major,  Hob. XVIII/11  (1780-83)

          Mikhail Pletnev, piano

             1.  Vivace    (8:12)
 
             2.   Un poco adagio (8:41)
 
             3.  Rondo all'Ungarese  (4:38)




Violin Concertos

      Haydn's violin concertos are early works, and while decent, are not among his greatest works.

      Violin Concerto No. 1 in C major, Hob. VIIa:1  (ca. 1765)

      Violin Concerto No. 3 in A major, Hob. VIIa:3   (ca. 1770)

      Violin Concerto No. 4 in G major, Hob. VIIa:4  (1769)