HAYDN: Piano Trios Vol.1 (4) – The Florestan Trio – Hyperion

by | Jun 11, 2009 | Classical CD Reviews | 0 comments

HAYDN: Piano Trios Vol.1 (4) – The Florestan Trio – Hyperion CDA67719, 64:28 ***** [Distr. by Harmonia mundi]:

Haydn’s piano trios are perhaps the purest example of the explosive growth in domestic music making in the late 18th century. As the piano became increasingly popular in well-to-do households in London, Paris and Vienna, demand for "accompanied sonatas" grew rapidly. Meant to show off the skill of the pianist and the instrument’s increasingly full-blooded sonority, these sonatas featured accompanying parts for one or two violins and a cello. Viennese newspapers of the late 18th century often contained notices in which noblemen advertised for servants(!) capable of accompanying difficult piano sonatas on violin or cello.

The amount of printed music published for domestic use increased dramatically as the market for accompanied sonatas expanded with the concomitant improvement in the piano. In a flurry of creativity suggesting just how much demand had increased, Haydn produced fourteen masterpieces in the form between 1793 and 1796 – six of them after the first set of London symphonies and eight after the second set.

Haydn’s accompanied sonatas are today always described as ‘piano trios’. This description is legitimate because of their musical quality for which comparison to later trios by Beethoven and other composers is justified. In Haydn’s trios the violin and cello devote most of their time doubling the piano part, with the violin occasionally playing counterpoint or passages containing answering phrases to the piano. The cello usually doubles the piano’s bass with occasional brief passages of independent music. It would be perfectly possible for some of the trios to be played as piano solos.

The first three of the four trios on this disc were dedicated to Rebecca Schroeter whom Haydn had met in London and with whom he developed an intimate relationship after becoming her music teacher. During his second visit to London in 1794-95 it is believed he composed the three trios H.24-H.26 for her. They are superb works, some of Haydn’s finest, containing piano writing of great brilliance. The Trio in C major H.27 is the first of a set of three trios dedicated to Therese Jansen and published in 1797 after Haydn had returned to Vienna. Therese was another pianist Haydn had met in London, one of Clementi’s best pupils and capable of masterful playing judging from Haydn’s writing for her. The trio features much bravura writing with the piano engaged in nearly ceaseless activity throughout the piece. All four trios exhibit Haydn’s mature compositional mastery, with an unusually improvisatory feel to the piano writing and a sense of wildness in the music that is different than anything else Haydn ever wrote.

The Florestan Trio plays these four works with grace and deep intelligence. Pianist Susan Tomes is spectacular with a mastery of dynamics that is often stunning. Her variegated tonal palette breathes life into this music, producing aural painting that can only be called prismatic. Her partners Anthony Marwood on violin and Richard Lester on cello match her superlative technique, creating moments of pure musical bliss. Their playing complements Haydn’s joyful music so that passages often sound as if they were made up on the spot. The effect is utterly enthralling. The Florestan Trio is already one of the finest trios in the world. On this superb recording they succeed in raising the ante. Further volumes in this series of Haydn’s piano trios are most eagerly anticipated.

Hyperion’s sound is clear and bright with an emphasis on the midrange. All three instruments are presented to their best advantage in a medium sized acoustic space that is pleasingly buoyant and alive. A slight reverberation provides additional warmth that gives each instrument a soft glow, heightening the listener’s pleasure.

– – Mike Birman

Related Reviews
Logo Pure Pleasure
Logo Crystal Records Sidebar 300 ms
Logo Jazz Detective Deep Digs Animated 01