Search - Franz Joseph Haydn, Jenö Jandó, Zsuzsa Kollár :: Haydn: Piano Variations

Thoroughly Delightful Haydn Rarities

J Scott Morrison | Middlebury VT, USA | 01/30/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Haydn was not an expert pianist, in spite of having written a slew of piano sonatas as well as piano trios that were all but piano sonatas with violin/cello accompaniment, and consequently his piano music tends to be just slightly unpianistic or awkward under the fingers. Nonetheless, he WAS Haydn and nothing he wrote was negligible. As for the present disc, consisting primarily of variation movements, I'd never heard or played any of them except for the semi-familiar A major version of 'Twenty Variations in G Major,' Hob. XVII:2. The G Major version, played here, differs in some respects (aside from tonality) from its better-known version, and is utterly charming with its cross-hand sections, its bustling left-hand accompaniments and its memorable variations on a simple tune. Jeno Jando plays it crisply and with high good humor and the whole thing comes off as a jeu d'esprit with all that familiar Papa Haydn wit in evidence. The other variations recorded here are similar in most respects. Equally impressive are the 'Arietta con 12 Variazioni,' Hob. XVII:3 and the Capriccio in G Major, Hob. XVII:1.



If one is not aware of the identity of 'Gott erhalte' as the same tune as 'Deutschland über Alles' one could initially be shocked by the set of variations on that tune which was, after all, original with Haydn; it was kidnapped by the Nazis for their purposes 130 years after it was written as a hymn in honor of the Austrian emperor and then used by Haydn in one of his 1797 string quartets.



The odd man out in this CD is the set of variations called 'Il Maestro e lo Scolare' ('The Teacher and Pupil'), written for teaching purposes. It is for piano four-hands and the variations alternate phrases by teacher and by pupil, harder followed by easier phrases. It is charming and must be fun to play for an actual teacher and pupil. Jando is joined here by colleague Zsuzsa Kollár.



This CD is part of a long series of Haydn piano CDs recorded by Jeno Jando, one of Naxos's house pianists. It was recorded back in 1996 but this seems to be its first release. The delay certainly was not because of any lack of value. This is a first-class issue. The music is fresh, tuneful, light-hearted and played beautifully.



Recommended.



Scott Morrison"

A chance to hear some rare music

Jane Marsh | Ithaca New York | 09/04/2009

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This compact disk has a fine selection of Haydn's music for solo keyboard, music that is not terribly well known. As this year is the 200th anniversary of this great composer's death, it is especially helpful to be able to hear this music, to listen to these fine examples of keyboard variations. They are very well played. As a pianist, I was looking for a particular piece, as I was interested in the performer's interpretation of the articulation, phrasing, and dynamics. The recording is very clear, and the playing is accurate and reliable. I recommend the recording to those who would like to learn about Haydn's style and about his unusual skill in writing variations."