Joseph HAYDN (1732-1809)
Sonata No. 53 Hob. XVI/34 in E Minor [12.20]
Sonata No. 60 Hob. XVI/50 in C Major [15.03]
Sonata No. 33 Hob. XVI/20 in C Minor (16.51]
Sonata No. 62 Hob. XVI/52 in E Flat Major [19.45]
Variations in F Minor [14.53]
Leon McCawley (Piano)
rec. 21-22 May 2016, St Catherine’s School, Bramley, Guildford, UK
SOMM RECORDINGS SOMMCD0162 [78.54]
Leon McCawley has recorded the complete piano sonatas of Mozart to considerable critical acclaim. It is good to see him now turning his attention to the piano works of Mozart’s great contemporary, Joseph Haydn.
The first work on this recording is Haydn’s Sonata in E Minor which was first published in London in 1784. McCawley brings a wonderful feeling of space, an enormous variety of touch and beautifully sculpted phrases to the Presto first movement. His account of the central Adagio is highly cultivated. I particularly admire the handling of Haydn’s extended ornamental lines which are played with finesse and precision. An infectious enthusiasm and an intense musicality flows through the finale which comes across as fresh and invigorating.
The next work on the recording is the Sonata in C Major which is the first of Haydn’s final three piano sonatas. There have been many fine recordings of this work by leading pianists but this must surely rank as up there with the best of them. Haydn’s runs and ornaments in the opening Allegro are crisply and elegantly played. McCawley continually brings out the wit and inventiveness of the music in highly innovative ways. His handling of the tight exchanges towards the end of the development section seem to transform the movement into an exuberant comic drama. The central Andante is graceful and elegant and the music flows in a natural and unaffected way. The finale with its quirky humorous sidesteps is an absolute delight.
Haydn’s Sonata in C Minor is a dramatic and technically demanding work which was first published in 1780. The first movement is marked Moderato and McCawley’s tempo seems spot on to me. The Sturm und Drang elements of the music come to the fore in the elegiac first subject. This is balanced beautifully with the major key section which follows; in McCawley’s hands this has a Mozartean quality. The central Andante has an irresistible lyricism while the technical fireworks of the finale are delivered with virtuoso aplomb.
The penultimate work on the recording is Haydn’s Sonata in E Flat Major which was the composer’s final piano sonata. This monumental work was written in the 1790’s and first published in 1798. The length, harmonic language and broad symphonic development in the work presage the work of Beethoven. McCawley’s account of the first movement has grandeur and whimsy in equal measure. The development section is handled with consummate skill and has a symphonic breadth and sonority. Rich chords open the Adagio second movement and here I love the way McCawley sustains the line. McCawley plays the rapid Presto finale as marked while maintaining clarity and evenness in the passagework.
The programme ends with the F Minor Variations which are the finest set of piano variations to emerge from the second half of the 18th Century. There are many leading pianists who have recorded this great work but once again this is a front-rank performance which compares with the best of them. There are gorgeous changes in tone colour as McCawley’s performance moves from F Minor to F Major. The ornaments, trills and runs are played with finely etched detail and I love the way the music blossoms out and grows organically as the performance progresses.
Overall, this is a superb recording which features first rate Haydn playing. The performances of the C Major Sonata and the F Minor Variations are exceptionally fine and among the best I have heard.
Robert Beattie
