Notes and Editorial Reviews
Emanuel Ax has made the Haydn sonatas his own in recent years; certainly few "major label" pianists have bothered to explore these delightful works systematically, and Sony deserves credit for supporting him in his efforts. The results certainly make a powerful case for following where the artist leads (when, as here, the artist knows where he is going), for both this and Ax's previous Haydn discs have been excellent in all respects, and he has been very enterprising in his mixture of familiar and unfamiliar works.
The sonatas included here offer a typically broad representation of Haydn's range as a keyboard composer. The most famous of them is No. 49 in C-sharp minor, with its tragic minuet finale (here
Read more
played with a powerful sense of barely muted grief). No other composer lavished so much attention on this simple dance form and discovered in it so much variety of expression. Note how appropriately Ax varies the pace of this dark piece as compared to the jaunty minuet finale of Sonata No. 34 in D.
Two sonatas in A-flat major, Nos. 31 and 35, open and close the program. No. 31 is a big work (nearly 20 minutes) and Ax plays it as such, with the bold contrasts of the broadly paced first movement and brilliant finale enfolding a poetic central Adagio. The concluding A-flat sonata brings the program to a very satisfying conclusion, its Moderato-Minuet-Presto sequence of movements providing a steady acceleration of excitement that Ax takes particular care to project effectively.
As a centerpiece, there's the big E-flat major Sonata No. 29, and here Ax avoids possible monotony between the opening Moderato and the ensuing Andante of nearly equal length. It's a beautifully paced performance, with a particularly jubilant account of the concluding Allegro di molto, one of Haydn's biggest sonata finales. The high-level recording sounds a touch bright in the loudest passages, but otherwise richly supports a program that will give listeners unalloyed pleasure.
--David Hurwitz, ClassicsToday.com Read less
Works on This Recording
1.
Sonata for Keyboard no 31 in A flat major, H 16 no 46 by Franz Joseph Haydn
Performer:
Emanuel Ax (Piano)
Written: 1778
Date of Recording: 06/2000
Venue: Academy of Arts & Letters, New York City
Length: 17 Minutes 43 Secs.
2.
Sonata for Keyboard no 34 in D major, H 16 no 33 by Franz Joseph Haydn
Performer:
Emanuel Ax (Piano)
Period: Classical
Written: by 1778; Eszterhazá, Hungary
Date of Recording: 06/2000
Venue: Academy of Arts & Letters, New York City
Length: 14 Minutes 33 Secs.
3.
Sonata for Keyboard no 29 in E flat major, H 16 no 45 by Franz Joseph Haydn
Performer:
Emanuel Ax (Piano)
Written: 1766
Date of Recording: 06/2000
Venue: Academy of Arts & Letters, New York City
Length: 19 Minutes 6 Secs.
4.
Sonata for Keyboard no 49 in C sharp minor, H 16 no 36 by Franz Joseph Haydn
Performer:
Emanuel Ax (Piano)
Period: Classical
Written: circa 1770-1775; Eszterhazá, Hungary
Date of Recording: 06/2000
Venue: Academy of Arts & Letters, New York City
Length: 13 Minutes 4 Secs.
5.
Sonata for Keyboard no 35 in A flat major, H 16 no 43 by Franz Joseph Haydn
Performer:
Emanuel Ax (Piano)
Period: Classical
Written: by 1783; Eszterhazá, Hungary
Date of Recording: 06/2000
Venue: Academy of Arts & Letters, New York City
Length: 12 Minutes 58 Secs.
Sound Samples
III. Finale. Allegro Di Molto
II. Scherzando. Allegro con brio
III. Menuet and Trio. Moderato
Customer Reviews
Average Customer Review: 
( 1 Customer Review )
much needed excellent performance of Hayden December 23, 2011
By M. Herman (Bronx, NY) See All My Reviews
"I love Hayden who is always overshadowed by Mozart. R Axe gives a vigorous abd wonderful interpretation of Haydens sonatas."
Report Abuse
Review This Title
