Joseph Haydn's music is characterized by elements of surprise and a constant foiling of audience expectations, often with a witty sense of humor.
Composition History
The Trio Hob.XV:26, the last work on this album, was written during Haydn's second stay in London and dedicated to Rebecca Schroeter, an amateur pianist with whom he had a deep personal relationship.
Compositional Technique
The keys of the four Haydn trios on this disc (C, D, E, F#) form an ascending progression corresponding to the tritone, an interval historically known as the "diabolus in musica" due to its dissonance.
Interpretation
The Trio Jean Paul believes that understanding 18th-century rhetoric and articulation is key to interpreting Haydn's music on modern instruments, despite their different sound characteristics.
Performer Biography
The Trio Jean Paul is named after the romantic author Jean Paul, reflecting their affinity for Robert Schumann's works and their artistic focus on the speech-like and rhetorical elements of music.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Before composing a piece, Haydn would often conceive and write down a story for it, which he would then destroy after completing the score.
Performer Biography
The Trio Jean Paul, founded in 1991, has won First Prizes at international competitions in Osaka (1993), Melbourne (1995), and the German Music Competition.
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