Selected Piano Works

Solo Piano Works:  (30:00)

    Piano Sonata No. 54 in G major, Hob. XVI /40   (1784)

            I.  Allegro Innocente  (play 2:00)

      This piece is played by Viviana Sofronitsky on a McNulty Walter piano.  Anton Walter (1752 - 1826)
was the most famous Viennese piano maker of his time.  Walter fortepianos were praised for their quality 
by Mozart, who bought his Walter instrument in 1782.  Haydn's own Walter piano can be seen in the
 Haydn museum in Eisenstadt.  

       18th century pianos used wooden harp frames instead of metal ones and had none to little padding
on the hammer heads (hence the metallic sound).  They had only 5 octaves of keys instead of today's 7.   
They also had no sustain pedal (but would by the time of Beethoven's Moonlight sonata in 1801.


    Piano Sonata No. 59 in Eb major, Hob. XVI/49    (1789)

          Alfred Brendel, piano  (21:20)

               I.   Allegro  (7:20)
 
              II.  Adagio e cantabile (B flat Major and minor)  (9:45)

             III.  Finale: Tempo di Menuet  (4:10)


     Piano Sonata No. 62 in Eb major, Hob. XVI/52  (1794)

          Valentina Lisitsa, piano  (17:00)

                 I.  Allegro (Moderato)  (5:30)

                II.  Adagio in E major and E minor  (7:40)

               III.  Finale: Presto  (4:00)


       Haydn wrote this work for Therese Jansen, an outstanding pianist who lived in London 
       at the time of Haydn's visits there in the 1790s.


    Andante with Variations in F minor, Hoboken 17/6)  (1793)

         Mikhail Pletnev, piano  (8:00)

     A very popular solo piano work by Haydn.  It has two themes, one in F minor and one in F major, 
     then has alternating variations on each theme.


Piano Trios:  (30:00)

    Piano Trio No. 29 in G major, Hoboken 15/15 (1790, with flute instead of violin)

           1.  Allegro  (play 3:00)


           In the lighter galant style but with shifts to minor keys (an updating of galant in the 1780s)


    Piano Trio No. 35 in C major, Hoboken 15/21   (1794)


          Sheryl Staples, violin, Desmond Hoebig, cello, John Novecek, piano

                1.  Adagio Pastorale, Vivace Assai  (8:00)

                2.  Molto Andante  (5:15)

                3.  Finale: Presto  (4:30)


    Piano Trio. 39 in G major, Hoboken 15/25   (1795)  "Gypsy"

         The Busch Ensemble
 
              III.  Rondo a l'Ongarese: Presto  (3:09)

          Haydn's most famous piano trio.  Nickname "Gypsy" is for the Hungarian rhythms in the last movement.


    Piano Trio No. 43 in C major, Hoboken 15/27   (1797)

         Trio Zadig 

              1.  Allegro  (5:25)
              2.  Andante  (5:00)
              3.  Finale: Presto  (3:24)

Composed for and dedicated to Theresa Jansen (Bartolozzi), a top female pianist in London.