Franz Joseph Haydn (1732–1809)
Piano Sonatas - Volume 11
Sonata No 1 in G (Hob.XVI:8) (1766[?1760])
Sonata No 61 in D (Hob.XVI:51) (?c.1794/5)
Fantasia in C (Hob.XVII:4) (1789)
Adagio in F (Hob.XVII:9) (1786)
Sonata No 14 in C (Hob.XVI:3) (?c.1765)
Sonata No 9 in D (Hob.XVI:4) (?c.1765)
Capriccio in G ‘Acht Sauschneider müssen seyn’ (Hob.XVII:1) (1765)
Thema con Variazioni in C (Hob.XVII:5) (1790)
Sonata No 62 in E-flat (Hob.XVI:52) (1794)
Allegretto in G (Hob.XVII:10) (1794)
Jean-Efflam Bavouzet (piano)
rec. 2021, Potton Hall, Dunwich, UK
CHANDOS CHAN20193 [80]
Volume 11 here concludes Jean-Efflam Bavouzet’s cycle of Haydn’s piano sonatas. As with Volume 10 (review), for me there’s one masterpiece, Sonata 62. The scene: a male and female contretemps. The male, a great Lord, weighs in with a loud, regal opening phrase. The Lady immediately imitates it softly (tr. 22, 0:07), extends it as a merry dance, then adds ruminations of her own (0:18). The Lord tries opening in more extravagant fanfare; the Lady rises above him with streams of demisemiquavers. She adds the second theme (1:21): high tessitura and dotted rhythms spaced out with silences of a shining elegance in Bavouzet’s fingers plus a devil-may-care, skittish edge. Then a surprise: her more sheenily attractive version of the first theme (1:39), to which the Lord adds by way of exposition coda a bit of bluster (1:58), second best to the Lady’s dancing demisemiquavers. The whole requires and gets from Bavouzet a virtuoso performance, but just as welcome is the lightness of his articulation of the high register dazzle.
The focus of the development (4:40) is the Lady’s second theme which expands into a greater variety of moods. There’s a long sequence of semiquavers where the Lord gracefully follows and blends with the Lady (4:56); but when she introduces showily commanding demisemiquavers (5:26) he becomes bullish (5:35) before the earlier truce is restored.
I compare Paul Lewis recorded in 2019 (Harmonia Mundi HMM 902372). Timing at 8:00 to Bavouzet’s 8:21, his slightly faster Allegro for me emphasises virtuosity at the expense of Bavouzet’s lightness. Lewis brings more urgency, but more grandeur than grace, though his Lady’s second theme has that and in particular Lewis makes her triumphant transformation of the first theme a moment of telling stillness and poise. However, Bavouzet’s charming alliance of the partners in that long sequence of semiquavers in the development, with Lewis seems just a hothouse chase.
In the Adagio slow movement in E major the Lady again has the limelight. It’s an aria of searching examination and finally declaration of love. The double dotted rhythms embody a halting scrutiny, the frequent and bold dynamic contrasts, scrupulously conveyed by Bavouzet, emphasise the difficulty and intensity of the process. The gentle start is soon invested with passion as distinct from just grandeur, though containing that. The theme grows as it proceeds, only attaining certainty and fulfilment at the end. Bavouzet adds extra ornamentation in the repeats, but here I’m uncertain whether it is necessary as for me it weakens the effect of the richer ornamentation of the return of the opening section. The E minor middle section (tr. 23, 3:13) is for me a brainstorm in which the protesting Lord in the left hand and the Lady’s recourse to fantasy in the right envisage an extreme version of the first movement’s contretemps. The movement and Bavouzet’s playing succeed in being both highly declamatory and confidential.
At the outset I feel Lewis, with sensitive attention to the crafting of the piece, offers emotion recollected in tranquillity rather than Bavouzet’s intensely direct emotion. But Lewis’ ending of the opening section, especially the climactic coloratura E (2:09 in Bavouzet) is more radiantly poised. However, I prefer Bavouzet’s ending the middle section in both climax and mid-air.
After two soft, innocent statements the Presto finale proves an uninhibited loud dance of semiquavers in the right-hand Lady while the left-hand Lord hangs on deftly to keep up before holding his own on the beat to counterpoise the offbeat Lady (tr. 24, 0:27), then together they double the power in the slower, excitingly emphatic material (0:36). In the middle section (2:40) rhythm is king with only an allusion to melody, so you’re cheered when it brightly pops back, especially with Bavouzet’s nimbly light articulation. Come the return to the opening, his ornamentation added to the paused notes mid-section (4:50) is spot on.
Less light articulation is the key difference in Lewis’ account, his semiquavers thrillingly frenetic but without the zest of Bavouzet. However, Lewis makes especially serene the stillness after the opening section second strain’s paused notes where Bavouzet (0:44) simply relaxes.
Since volume 4 of this series, major keyboard works other than sonatas have
been included. On this CD five appear for the first time. One such is the Six easy and pleasant variations in C. For the piano, yes, especially with the glittering, cheerful rise to the heavens Bavouzet produces in genial flow, never over pressing. A soprano would find the frequent top Cs taxing. The first is just 3 seconds into the theme’s presentation while in the final phrase of the second strain top E is reached (tr. 15, 0:40). Bavouzet adds a trill to the penultimate note in repeat to make an elegant rounding off. This is typical of his judicious and varied added ornaments in repeats which never become mannered.
The highlight of Variation 1 is reaching top F out of the blue (tr. 16, 0:26). In Variation 2’s first strain repeat, it’s arpeggiating three quavers falling in thirds (tr. 17, 0:14) to deliciously cheeky effect, while in the second strain repeat Bavouzet creates a carillon by re-scrambling demisemiquavers (0:45). Variation 3 diverts in its robust, low tessitura start in both hands in octaves, like grasping for a foothold, before playfully tumbling from the low gradient reached. In both strains of Variation 4 some sighing, falling chromatic semiquaver pairs are sent up in the repeats by Bavouzet adding trills, the first time at tr. 19, 0:18. Variation 5 is distinctive as the only one in C minor, whose cooler colour Bavouzet appreciates. His addition of appoggiaturas in the first strain repeat is a fitting enhancement (tr. 20, 0:20, 0:23) matching the sensitive climax in Haydn’s change to the repeat ending (1:27) which melds into the transition to the C major return for Variation 6. In the repeat of its first strain at tr. 21, 0:15 Bavouzet brazenly adds a note so he can make more outlandish the high tessitura counterpoise. Less contrasted than Haydn’s variations in string quartets and symphonies, these delight in subtle tweaking.
Michael Greenhalgh
