Haydn: Piano Sonatas Nos. 48-52

Featuring

Ronald Brautigam
Joseph Haydn

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Composer's Artistic Vision

Haydn's visit to astronomer William Herschel's observatory, where he looked into the universe through a 40-foot telescope, is reputed to be the moment he decided to compose The Creation.

Performer Biography

Ronald Brautigam, the performer on this album, is a leading exponent of the fortepiano with a particular interest in Mozart's music for the instrument, and has recorded a complete cycle of Mozart's solo keyboard music.

Composer Biography

Joseph Haydn, the composer, was once rumored to have died in 1805, prompting composers like Rodolphe Kreutzer and Cherubini to write funeral pieces for him.

Compositional Technique

Haydn's piano sonatas are considered a 'kaleidoscopic representation' of his process of freeing himself from the influence of Viennese composer Georg Christoph Wagenseil, who made important contributions to sonata form.

Composition History

The 'Auenbrugger Sonatas' are a collection of six piano sonatas by Haydn, named after their dedicatees, the talented sisters Katharina and Marianna Auenbrugger.

Interpretation

The term 'piano music' in the album notes should be understood as 'music for a keyboard instrument,' as Haydn composed for various instruments of his time, from harpsichord to modern grand piano.

Composer Biography

Haydn lived more than twice as long as Mozart; when Haydn was born, Bach and Handel were in the middle of their careers, and when he died, Beethoven had already produced his 'Pastoral' Symphony.