Pianist Ekaterina Derzhavina (be careful in searches, her name has been transliterated several ways and may still reside in databases under older spellings) recorded an entire box set of Haydn's piano sonatas, on nine CDs, and received generally positive critical notices. She has a sort of bond with Haydn and his quiet sense of humor, and it's also on display in this group of variation sets and short pieces that make up an addendum to the sonata series. There's a reason these works are all but unknown: Haydn's brand of ...
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Pianist Ekaterina Derzhavina (be careful in searches, her name has been transliterated several ways and may still reside in databases under older spellings) recorded an entire box set of Haydn's piano sonatas, on nine CDs, and received generally positive critical notices. She has a sort of bond with Haydn and his quiet sense of humor, and it's also on display in this group of variation sets and short pieces that make up an addendum to the sonata series. There's a reason these works are all but unknown: Haydn's brand of humor was dependent on being able to play with the listener's expectations, and that's more likely to happen in larger works. Nevertheless, there are any number of charming moments here. The opening Capriccio in G major, Hob. 17/1, is a delicious miniature. There are variation sets, arrangements for piano, and pieces that sound like sonata movements discarded for one reason or another. Sample the Fantasia in C major, Hob. 17/4, which was written in 1789 and has an abrupt manner...
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