Haydn, Piano Works

“No one else can do everything, jest and shock, create laughter and profound emotion, as Haydn can, and no one can do everything as well as Haydn can.” Those were the terms in which Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart praised his older colleague Joseph Haydn, with whom he remained close friends until the end of his life. It would be hard to find a better description of this music. Humour was an essential part of Haydn's musical language, but also of his character – at least if we are to believe the account of his contemporary Albert Christoph Dies, whose biography is based on conversations with the (already very elderly) composer: “Haydn explained that this was ‘a character trait of his that once came from an abundance of health... One is seized by a certain humour that cannot be tamed.’ ” However, reading this oldest biography of Haydn also gives us an idea that behind the cheerful, almost naïve façade lies a complex personality with a strong tendency towards melancholy and depression. Like every great composer, Haydn also looked into the abyss, especially in the later years of his life, when he suffered from increasing physical infirmity. The selection on this CD is a cross-section of the composer's successive creative phases. Haydn composed keyboard music over about four decades (ca. 1755-1796). In his day, the word “Clavier” was used as a generic term for various keyboard instruments that coexisted, namely the harpsichord, the clavichord, and the fortepiano (Hammerflügel). Depending on availability and purpose, either instrument was used. The clavichord was considered the best instrument for students to learn to play with nuances, and Haydn composed mainly on the clavichord. ....... Although on this recording I have decided to record all works on a modern grand piano, I found it important to take into account which instruments these pieces were intended for when deciding on matters of interpretation and performance. (aus dem Booklettext von Schaghajegh Nosrati)