Haydn worked during a period that witnessed a great deal of stylistic change, including the evolution of keyboard instruments from the harpsichord to the pianoforte with its hammer action and greater dynamic flexibility. These rarely heard but influential early Piano Trios include music originally conceived for piano solo or baryton trio. The Trio in F minor is unusual for its elaborate ornamentation and darker key,and is highly at-tractive in its youthful freshness. The acclaimed Aquinas Piano Trio brings these un-justly neglected works vividly to life.

Much of Joseph Haydn’s musical life was spent in service at the palace of Eszterháza on the Hungarian plains, a complex of buildings to rival Versailles in magnificence. Haydn’s reputation abroad was, however, already considerable by 1790, and he was invited to travel to London where the delightfully lively and at times brilliantly virtuosic trios Hob.XV:16and 19were published. Further trios from the 1760s express music of sheer joy, all performed here by the acclaimed Oberlin Trio.

Haydn’s 30 Piano Trios were written at a time when the harpsichord was being replaced by the pianoforte and when a parallel change saw the emergence of sonata-allegro form. His earliest trios, such as the Trio in F major, Hob. XV: 40, were also known as Divertimentos or Partitas, whilst the Trio in G major, Hob. XV: 15, was part of a group that offers the performer the alternative scoring of flute over the more usual violin. They reflect the airy and nimble qualities that grace all of Haydn’s works in the genre.

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Haydn’s Keyboard Trios possess a rich variety of themes and musical inventiveness, with strong demands on the pianist. The C major is dramatic and eventful. Patterns are varied in the E major where Haydn gives the violin major lyrical statements, whilst in the E flat major he uses all his wit and guile to launch the finale’s captivating and joyful dance finale. The E flat major Hob. XV: 30 is notable for is subtle thematic development and commanding drama. Volume 1 (8.572040) of this series has been greatly admired, not least by Gramophone which stated that the Kungsbacka Piano Trio had nothing to fear from any other account.

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HAYDN: Symphonies, Vol. 28 (Nos. 37, 38, 39, 40)

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This release is the first volume in a series of new recordings in which the illustrious pianist Roman Rabinovich will record all of the piano sonatas written by Haydn for FHR. Haydn was a prominent and prolific Austrian composer of the Classical period and composed 62 keyboard sonatas. Written over a 40 year period or so, and displaying a variety of styles, the earlier sonatas were written for harpsichord and the last for the newly developed hammer-action fortepiano. Rabinovich is a brilliant interpreter of Haydn. Indeed, The New York Times hailed Rabinovich’s Haydn performances as ‘admirable interpretations, performed with a rich, full-blooded sound, singing lines and witty dexterity’. Each album will feature artwork illustrated by the pianist. Rabinovich has earned critical praise for his explorations of the piano music of Haydn, which include his 42 sonata cycle at the 2018 Bath International Festival. Rabinovich has performed throughout Europe and the United States in venues such as London’s Wigmore Hall, Leipzig’s Gewandhaus, the Great Hall of the Moscow Conservatory, and the Millennium Stage of Kennedy Center in Washington DC. Lauded as ‘a master of tone-color’ (International Piano, 2018), Rabinovich made his Israel Philharmonic début under the baton of Zubin Mehta at age ten. He was a top prize winner at the 12th Arthur Rubinstein International Piano Master Competition in 2008.

The first edition of The Creation by Joseph Haydn from 1803 is not composed with the German version of the world premiere in 1797, but the English version of the text which served Baron Gottfried van Swieten as a master copy. The release features a concert by Musica Saeculorum under the direction of Philipp von Steinaecker in the Cathedral of Brixen who used this English version of The Creation.

"• A live 1943 wartime recording of Haydn's Creation oratorio. • “Clemens Krauß both delighted and enthralled with a vivid performance of Haydn‘s Creation oratorio.. Three outstanding singers from his Munich entourage, Trude Eipperle, Julius Patzak and Georg Hann, together with the opera choir and Vienna Philharmonic, followed his unaffected musical direction as a masterly ensemble, lending this utterly native and yet world-famous work the musical honour it deserves.” - Wiener Krone Zeitung, March 1943"

Bart Van Reyn and Le Concert d'Anvers delve into two of Joseph Haydn's lesser-known symphonies. Dating from the autumn of 1784, when Haydn was nearing the end of his employment at the Esterh�zy court, both seem to anticipate the Paris symphonies that would shortly follow. Having been largely overlooked by historically informed performance specialists, Van Reyn's reading highlights the pair's mutual sense of artistic ambition, drawing out their concise but powerful musical drama. These are accompanied with Haydn's effervescent Piano Concerto in D major, featuring Belgian fortepianist Lucas Blondeel. Blondeel demonstrates his clear affinity with Haydn's solo writing, rendering a performance that captures the concerto's elegance while always sparkling with it's composer's characteristic wit.

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Haydn’s Symphonies Nos. 98 and 103 come from his set of 12 "London" symphonies, written at the height of his mastery and celebrity. With these pieces, Haydn accomplishes the rare feat of writing works that are both intellectually demanding and perfectly delightful. The recordings of Thomas Fey and his musicians are highly praised around the world for their personal expression, and precision of execution as well as their innate ability to detect the internal characterization of each movement.

Fey’s interpretations of Haydn’s symphonies rank among the best in international critical acclaim. This 20th installment with the Heidelberg Symphony Orchestra balances historical performance practice while using modern strings and historical brass instruments.

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V 6: SCOTTISH SONGS

KLAVIERSTÜCKE

Haydn, J.: Jahreszeiten (Die)

Haydn, J.: Schöpfung (Die)

Haydn: Symphonies Nos. 93, 94 & 103

HAYDN: Mass No. 3 in C major, "Missa Cellensis"

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The present recording is taken from a live transmission of the Academy concert of May 8, 1972, from the Nationaltheater in Munich. The early death of Karl Richter in February 1981 frustrated the intention of releasing one of the great oratorios from his performing repertoire, Joseph Haydn’s “Creation”, in a studio recording. Happily it has proved possible to obtain the present sound recording from the archives of the Bayerische Staatsoper and, with the kind consent of the participants, to prepare a technically enhanced release. Despite a number of remaining technical inadequacies, such as may be considered characteristic for historic recordings of this nature, this audio document gives a particularly fine impression of the ambience and the authenticity of a live performance with conductor Karl Richter – complementing, as it were, the many available studio recordings of his wide-ranging musical repertoire. Special thanks are due to the musicians and all involved at the Bayerische Staatsoper in Munich. For his help in advance preparation of this project, we wish to thank by name the opera house’s former Chief Executive of Administration Dr. Roland Felber!

Joseph Haydn's Stabat Mater, written in 1767, was the first church work the composer wrote after entering the service of Prince Esterhazy in Eisenstadt. Unlike almost all his other sacred works, it soon circulated in numerous copies and established Haydn's reputation as the leading vocal composer of his day. This recording under the direction of Frieder Bernius - joined by a distinguished line-up of soloists, the Kammerchor Stuttgart and the Hofkapelle Stuttgart - follows the new critical edition of the work by Carus. The Kammerchor Stuttgart ranks as one of the best ensembles of it's kind. In it's 50 years of existence, Frieder Bernius has formed the choir to an exceptional phenomenon that has been acclaimed by both audiences and the press. The choir's repertoire ranges from the 17th to the 21st century, and the ensemble is regularly invited to all the important European festivals and performs in the most prestigious concert halls. The ensemble is led by Frieder Bernius.

"Bavouzet’s Haydn is unmatched in its zest and its wit. But it is also substantial, informed and deeply rewarding."

--The New York Times on Bavouzet's Haydn Sonatas cycle, 2022

Following his acclaimed recording of Beethoven’s concertos with the Swedish Chamber Orchestra, Jean-Efflam Bavouzet returns to his exploration of Haydn’s sonatas, described by the magazine Gramophone as ‘a major modern recording landmark in the Haydn discography’.

As in previous installments, Bavouzet has programmed sonatas from Haydn’s early, middle, and late periods, giving added interest to the recital. Sonatas Nos. 10 and 2, dating from the 1750s and ’60s respectively, share the key of C major, but differ in form. The short No. 2 was almost certainly written for pupils whilst Haydn was working as a teacher. No. 10 is more ambitious and extensive. Sonatas Nos. 41 and 44 date from the early 1770s and show some influence from C.P.E. Bach and the Sturm und Drang [Storm and Stress] movement. More virtuosic than the earlier sonatas, in these the trademark humor of Haydn is also more evident. Sonatas Nos. 52 and 53 were composed a decade later and are conspicuously more demanding, technically and musically. As in the case of the previous volumes, this album was recorded at Potton Hall in Suffolk, on a Yamaha CFX Concert Grand Piano.

REVIEW

I am tempted to set my morning alarm to go off with Bavouzet’s Haydn C major Sonata; it’s guaranteed to fill the room with sunshine and youthful energy...all in all this is another remarkable addition to Bavouzet’s invaluable survey.

--Gramophone (Michelle Assay)

Jean-Efflam Bavouzet’s ongoing [Haydn] survey on Chandos is one of the glories of the 21st-century record industry, nine volumes and counting of playing that is poised and polished, as well as ideally flamboyant and aptly witty.

--New York Times (David Allen)

As ever in his Haydn cycle, Bavouzet provides a stimulating mix. Listen in turn to a cheerily scampering Sonata 10; a grand, poetic, dazzling personality in Sonata 44; a Sonata 2 in turns imposing and with a rounded melodiousness. All that is before Sonata 52’s sureness of melody, immensely varied rhythmically and in mood, and Sonata 53’s cagey then engaging hurtle.

--MusicWeb International (Michael Greenhalgh)

This new release is the eighth and final volume in this superlative cycle of the complete Haydn Piano Trios, performed by The Mendelssohn Piano Trio. Four works are featured, including Piano Trio in F Major, Hob. XV: 37, Piano Trio in E-flat Major Hob. XV: 29, Piano Trio in C Minor, Hob XV: 13, and Piano Trio in G Major, Hob XV: 32. The Mendelssohn Piano Trio was founded in 1997, and since their inception have performed more than 500 concerts in the United States, Europe, and Asia. They have also recorded an impressive fifteen albums, including the present cycle. The trio is pianist Ya-Ting Chang from Taiwan, violinist Peter Sirotin from Ukraine, and cellist Fiona Thompson from England. “…the fine young Mendelssohn Piano Trio presented a program so lush, substantial and richly flavored you wanted to eat it with a knife and fork.” (The Washington Post)

This new and highly-anticipated release of three symphonies of Franz Joseph Haydn follows the Royal Northern Sinfonia and Rebecca Miller's acclaimed recording of the works of CPE Bach with the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment: "Self-critical perspective is clearly not a problem for these artists... The unfurling description of a lover's kisses permit all kinds of glorious opportunities for the singers' seemingly telepathic understanding for chiaroscuro, impeccable tuning and innate grammatical sense" (Gramophone, Editor's Choice, May 2015)