Haydn: Piano Sonatas / Kobrin

Alexander Kobrin, piano

Hadyn
SONATA IN D MAJOR Hob. XVI: 37 / SONATA E MINOR Hob. XVI: 34 / SONATA B MINOR Hob. XVI: 32 / SONATA E FLAT MAJOR Hob. XVI: 52 / ANDANTE WITH VARIATIONS Hob. XVII: 6

Haydn composed 62 piano sonatas, although it is suspected that many works were lost. Through his life we can actually trace the changes in the development of the form itself. In the eighteenth century, sonatas were conceived to be played in the intimacy of one's drawing room as opposed to a concert hall. It is Beethoven whom we can credit with expanding the sonata's scope and imbuing it with increased virtuosity. In fact, Haydn considered his sonatas to be didactical material, works to teach his own students.

Highly influenced by C.P.E. Bach, Haydn's writing features a predilection for a monothematic exposition in which the first theme is also used in the dominant key area. The use of the Fugue, a Baroque musical form in his music, the double variations technique, in which the composer uses two themes, along with the development of the Rondo into a substantial form are also important features in his treatment of the Sonata. Haydn was a musical explorer and used the sonata as a workbench in which to try new concepts that he would later apply in the Symphonies. Early sonatas are in two movements with a Minuet all in the same key, but later he modifies this scheme, as the sonatas on this album verify.

Price: $25.98

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