MusicWeb International One of the most grown-up review sites around 2024
60,000 reviews
... and still writing ...

Search MusicWeb Here Acte Prealable Polish CDs
 

Presto Music CD retailer
 
Founder: Len Mullenger                                    Editor in Chief:John Quinn             


CD REVIEW

Some items
to consider

new MWI
Current reviews

old MWI
pre-2023 reviews

paid for
advertisements

Acte Prealable Polish recordings

Forgotten Recordings
Forgotten Recordings
All Forgotten Records Reviews

TROUBADISC
Troubadisc Weinberg- TROCD01450

All Troubadisc reviews


FOGHORN Classics

Alexandra-Quartet
Brahms String Quartets

All Foghorn Reviews


All HDTT reviews


Songs to Harp from
the Old and New World


all Nimbus reviews



all tudor reviews


Follow us on Twitter


Editorial Board
MusicWeb International
Founding Editor
   
Rob Barnett
Editor in Chief
John Quinn
Contributing Editor
Ralph Moore
Webmaster
   David Barker
Postmaster
Jonathan Woolf
MusicWeb Founder
   Len Mullenger

alternatively
Crotchet

 

Joseph HAYDN (1732-1809)
Piano Sonatas Vol. 1
CD 1: No. 50 in C major, Hob XVI:50 [15:22]; No. 40 in G major, Hob XVI:40 [9:20]; No. 46 in A flat major, Hob XVI:46 [20:26]; No. 41 in B flat major, Hob XVI:41 [9:49]; No. 52 in E flat major, Hob XVI:52 [20:11]
CD 2: No. 23 in F major, Hob XVI:23 [16:45]; No. 43 in A flat major, Hob XVI:43 [14:23]; No. 24 in D major, Hob XVI:24 [12:01]; No. 32 in B minor, Hob XVI:32 [13:50]; No. 37 in D major, Hob XVI:37 [11:38]
Marc-André Hamelin (piano)
rec. Henry Wood Hall, London, 13-15 December 2005. DDD 2 CDs for price of 1
HYPERION CDA67554 [75:07 + 69:24]

 

Experience Classicsonline


“I was cut off from the world; there was no-one within my vicinity
to make me unsure of myself or to persecute me; and so I had to become original.” (Griesinger)

This is perhaps the best known quote about Haydn, and that fame is apposite since these words illuminate so well Haydn’s approach to composition.

Being a salaried employee his life in service involved a great deal of routine. It also involved submitting to the demands, not to say whims, of his employer. It’s doubtful for instance whether Haydn would ever have composed work for the baryton if Prince Nikolaus had not been a keen exponent. Some have argued that he probably wouldn’t have essayed opera if Nikolaus hadn’t added an opera house to his palace at Esterhaza. This is a view supported by the allegedly professional but “uninspired” results he achieved, at least compared to his symphonies or quartets - albeit a judgement which is gradually being modified by a gentle stream of productions and recordings.

Given its limited recital exposure, I suppose some might make similar accusations about Haydn’s keyboard music. Even though he admitted having only a modest prowess at the instrument, he began virtually every day by trying out ideas at the keyboard, which from the 1780s was a fortepiano. Moreover as Richard Wigmore points out in his excellent notes, Haydn thought enough of the genre to compose a substantial corpus of 60-odd sonatas, which traversed almost his entire composing life.

Although these were initially somewhat lightweight and based upon the severely classical models of musicians like Galuppi and Wagenseil, they soon developed through the influence of C.P.E. Bach and various popular idioms into the “magnificent, often prophetic works written for public performance in London”.

Whilst the body of sonatas by his great friend and contemporary Mozart is somewhat smaller, both have suffered something of the same neglect. As teaching material they feature frequently, but in terms of outings on the recital platform they tend to be limited to a select few. Complete cycles of both are no longer a rarity, but with the greatest respect to the artists involved, those of the Haydn sonatas have not featured the involvement of really front-rank pianists – pianists who could turn heads, and influence minds.

So to receive a set of ten sonatas from an exponent of the calibre and stature of Marc-André Hamelin is most welcome. Hamelin has enjoyed a most fruitful association with Hyperion over the years, although I guess in the public consciousness he is most readily associated with the extreme, wrist-breaking repertoire of the 19th century romantic virtuosos. It’s therefore a double pleasure to have him in works where dexterity, albeit more understated, is nevertheless an important asset.

For the purposes of review I decided against considering the current issue in isolation, and therefore drew down from the shelves the three complete cycles in my own collection: John McCabe (Decca London 443 785-2 – 12 CDs), Carmen Piazzini (Arte Nova 74321 59202 2 – 9 CDs) and Christine Schornsheim (Capriccio 49 404 14CDs). McCabe and Piazzini are more strictly a comparison for Hamelin as they use a modern piano, whilst Schornsheim uses several different historic keyboards. I would have been very interested in adding Ronald Brautigam’s survey on fortepiano to the mix, but sadly I only have the set of early sonatas (1-20 BIS CD 1293/1294), none of which feature in Hamelin’s survey.

One final clarification however is necessary before proceeding. Despite attempts dating back to 1800 when Christoph Hartel (of Breitkopf and Härtel) produced a catalogue of Haydn’s sonatas, the ordering of these works still poses problems to the present day. Therefore it was no great surprise to find that cross-referencing the performances between these discs was not a straightforward task.

Broadly the three comparison sets agree on numbering and Hoboken catalogue numbers, whilst the Hyperion differs. So we find, for example, that on Hamelin’s disc (shortened hereafter to H) Sonata no. 50 becomes ...... no. 60 on McCabe’s disc (M), Piazzini’s (P) and Schornsheim’s (S).

Therefore to summarise the remainder of Hamelin’s set:

H no. 40 = MPS no. 40 H no. 41 = MPS no. 55 H no. 46 = MPS no. 31
H no. 52 = MPS no. 45 H no. 23 = MPS no. 38 H no. 43 = MPS no. 35
H no. 24 = MPS no. 39 H no. 32 = MPS no. 47 H no. 37 = MPS no. 50

Very well, mechanics apart ... what do the French-Canadian pianist’s performances actually sound like?

My initial impressions were very positive. Frankly I could easily run through the lexicon of adjectives ... not to mention superlatives, to describe the contents of this recital. Hamelin simply breathes new life into these works and to risk that tired old cliché ... they just “leap off the page”. Whilst I would in no way wish to rubbish the efforts of McCabe and co – or indeed ever contemplate discarding their recordings - in terms of dexterity, wit, charm, elegance, and quirky humour Hamelin is simply in a different league.

It’s not just a question of tempo, although this is clearly a factor. Any competent front rank pianist could play these works fast. It’s more the expression ... of quicksilver thinking and imagination which just seems to lift this music on to a different plane. The listener’s metaphorical lapels are grabbed ... and just not released.

Take the very first sonata on Disc 1 (H no. 50, M P S no. 60) the bald opening theme, immediately repeated and elaborated is developed later with seemingly endless resource and pleasure, the initial figure poking out through the texture like a mischievous child playing hide-and-seek behind a curtain. And although Hamelin’s basic tempo is fast he still manages to encompass that “wink in the eye” feel that gives the music such a lift.

Now and again (in Sonata 23 (H), or 38 (MPS)) some sliver of advantage is lost simply by the use of a modern piano. Although properly scintillating in the “toccata-like figuration” (Wigmore), I did feel Schornsheim scored over Hamelin purely through the use of a harpsichord. This is after all a sonata from 1773 - about seven years before Haydn acquired a fortepiano - and therefore suits the instrument better.

Also occasionally I felt a slight loss of gravitas in some of the slower music, especially comparing Hamelin with McCabe. Occasionally this was a result of tempo – though certainly not always. In the largo sostenuto of Sonata no. 37 (MPS no. 50) for instance, Hamelin is actually 5 seconds slower than McCabe.

No perhaps these feelings originate more in the circumstances of the Decca recording. For McCabe I think there was not just a sense of discovery in his traversal - one composer respecting another? - but also a sense of responsibility. This was after all the first integral cycle of Haydn’s piano works and, as a serious musician, this desire to present to the public the “best possible case” for the sonatas emerged in his playing ... generally to good effect.

Having said that Hamelin does provide some beautiful sounds in the slower movements; try Disc 2 Track 2 (Sonata no. 23 again), to hear what I mean. Stumbling across this playing unexpectedly it could, for a few seconds, sound like some “lost” Chopin - without detriment to the memories of either composer. Meanwhile finales are dispatched rapidly; that of No. 37 (Sonata no. 50 - MPS) in just 3:08, but ... that said ... the tempo marking is presto ... one shared by no less than eight of the ten sonatas in the set.

No ... I refuse to end on a churlish note. There are some swings and roundabouts when Hamelin is compared with the other musicians I have listed, and I certainly wouldn’t want to be without the Decca, Arte Nova or Capriccio sets. Indeed Schornsheim has become a great personal favourite. I am so pleased that news of Capriccio’s apparent demise may have been reversed by a management buy-out. Yet ... this Hyperion release must also get a hearty recommendation from me. If nothing else the sparkle, élan and sheer fine musicianship of Hamelin’s approach might just persuade you to seek out other recordings, and thereby widen your knowledge of one of Papa Haydn’s most rewarding, yet still under-appreciated, areas of repertoire.

No bad thing in Haydn anniversary year you might think ...

Ian Bailey

 

 

 


Advertising on
Musicweb


Donate and keep us afloat

 

New Releases

Naxos Classical
All Naxos reviews

Chandos recordings
All Chandos reviews

Hyperion recordings
All Hyperion reviews

Foghorn recordings
All Foghorn reviews

Troubadisc recordings
All Troubadisc reviews



all Bridge reviews


all cpo reviews

Divine Art recordings
Click to see New Releases
Get 10% off using code musicweb10
All Divine Art reviews


All Eloquence reviews

Lyrita recordings
All Lyrita Reviews

 

Wyastone New Releases
Obtain 10% discount

Subscribe to our free weekly review listing

 

 


EXPLORE MUSICWEB INTERNATIONAL

Making a Donation to MusicWeb

Writing CD reviews for MWI

About MWI
Who we are, where we have come from and how we do it.

Site Map

How to find a review

How to find articles on MusicWeb
Listed in date order

Review Indexes
   By Label
      Select a label and all reviews are listed in Catalogue order
   By Masterwork
            Links from composer names (eg Sibelius) are to resource pages with links to the review indexes for the individual works as well as other resources.

Themed Review pages

Jazz reviews

 

Discographies
   Composer
      Composer surveys
   National
      Unique to MusicWeb -
a comprehensive listing of all LP and CD recordings of given works
.
Prepared by Michael Herman

The Collector’s Guide to Gramophone Company Record Labels 1898 - 1925
Howard Friedman

Book Reviews

Complete Books
We have a number of out of print complete books on-line

Interviews
With Composers, Conductors, Singers, Instumentalists and others
Includes those on the Seen and Heard site

Nostalgia

Nostalgia CD reviews

Records Of The Year
Each reviewer is given the opportunity to select the best of the releases

Monthly Best Buys
Recordings of the Month and Bargains of the Month

Comment
Arthur Butterworth Writes

An occasional column

Phil Scowcroft's Garlands
British Light Music articles

Classical blogs
A listing of Classical Music Blogs external to MusicWeb International

Reviewers Logs
What they have been listening to for pleasure

Announcements

 

Community
Bulletin Board

Give your opinions or seek answers

Reviewers
Past and present

Helpers invited!

Resources
How Did I Miss That?

Currently suspended but there are a lot there with sound clips


Composer Resources

British Composers

British Light Music Composers

Other composers

Film Music (Archive)
Film Music on the Web (Closed in December 2006)

Programme Notes
For concert organizers

External sites
British Music Society
The BBC Proms
Orchestra Sites
Recording Companies & Retailers
Online Music
Agents & Marketing
Publishers
Other links
Newsgroups
Web News sites etc

PotPourri
A pot-pourri of articles

MW Listening Room
MW Office

Advice to Windows Vista users  
Questionnaire    
Site History  
What they say about us
What we say about us!
Where to get help on the Internet
CD orders By Special Request
Graphics archive
Currency Converter
Dictionary
Magazines
Newsfeed  
Web Ring
Translation Service

Rules for potential reviewers :-)
Do Not Go Here!
April Fools




Return to Review Index

Untitled Document


Reviews from previous months
Join the mailing list and receive a hyperlinked weekly update on the discs reviewed. details
We welcome feedback on our reviews. Please use the Bulletin Board
Please paste in the first line of your comments the URL of the review to which you refer.