Haydn: Piano Sonatas, Vol. 9

Featuring

Jean-Efflam Bavouzet
Joseph Haydn

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Compositional Technique

The Menuetto of Sonata No. 41 is a transcription of a movement from Haydn's Symphony No. 47, and features a musical palindrome where the second phrase is the exact retrograde of the first.

Performer Biography

Jean-Efflam Bavouzet, the pianist on this album, is a multi-award-winning artist, considered Sir Georg Solti's last discovery, and records exclusively for Chandos.

Critical Reception

An 18th-century review of Haydn's 'Opus 14' sonatas noted their 'odd flights, strange passages, and eccentrick harmonies,' and also commented on the palindromic nature of a minuet.

Composer Biography

Haydn's early sonatas, particularly the shortest and easiest ones, were often composed to help him earn a living by teaching harpsichord after leaving St Stephen's Cathedral.

Composition History

In 1779, Haydn signed a new contract with Prince Esterházy that removed the humiliating clause granting the prince ownership of Haydn's works, allowing Haydn to profit from his growing European fame.

Composition History

Haydn intentionally included two pieces with the same musical idea in a set of six sonatas published by Artaria, to demonstrate different treatments of the theme.

Composition History

Sonatas Nos. 48 to 52 and No. 33 were dedicated to the sisters Katharina and Marianna von Auenbrugger, talented pianists and daughters of a music-loving doctor; Marianna was also a composer.