Jean-Efflam Bavouzet, the pianist on this recording, was invited by Sir Georg Solti to make his debut with the Orchestre de Paris in 1995 and is considered the Maestro's last discovery.
Critical Reception
A 1785 review of Sonatas Nos 54, 55, and 56 in Carl Friedrich Cramer's Magazin der Musik noted that they are "more difficult to play than one might imagine at first sight" and "demand the greatest possible precision and a highly assured taste."
Recording & Production
This album was recorded using 24-bit / 96 kHz technology, which offers a dynamic range up to 48 dB greater and 256 times the resolution of standard 16-bit recordings.
Composition History
The Sonata No. 37 (Hob. XVI: 22) was part of the first group of six sonatas published in 1774, which Haydn personally oversaw and dedicated to his patron, Prince Nicolas Esterházy.
Composition History
Sonatas Nos 54, 55, and 56 were likely composed as a 'pedagogical' wedding present for Princess Marie Esterházy, who was fifteen years old when she married the future Prince Nicolas II.
Instruments
The recording features a Yamaha model CFX grand piano, serial number 6295700, chosen by Jean-Efflam Bavouzet for its "wonderful comfort of the keyboard action, the refined sound, and the natural balance between bass and treble."
Composer Biography
Haydn cultivated the piano sonata genre from the mid-1750s until 1794-95, during his second visit to London.
