The Sonata n° 50 is thought, by some musicologists, to be the lastof Haydn's works for solo piano, but it has been impossible to determine a positive chronology of the final three Sonatas. In any event, all three were written in 1794, and stand as masterful souvenirs of Haydn's sojourn in London. They were evidently intended for performance by the pianist Theresa Jansen, at whose wedding, the following year, Haydn was a witness. The C major begins with a' powerful "Allegro". Expansive in concept, it ranges from dramatic sections to pages of the utmost brilliance. The fragile, tinkly approach to Haydn simply will not work here (or indeed in the Sonata n° 52) — the performer must complement the inherent energy of the score, bring out its assurance and vitality. Cast in rather free, fantasia form, it glows with themes of the most uplifting nature. It appears, by the way, to have been written and published (as a separate "Adagio" in F major) some three years earlier than the rest of the Sonata. With the "Finale", we have a return to the Allegro tempo of the opening movement, but here the drama gives way to high spirited humor. Particularly effective are the amusing false starts and the unexpected modulations, devices that Haydn frequently favored in his mature symphonic works as well. The Sonata n° 52 affirms its stature with the very opening chords — dramatic punctuations that set the stage for an unraveling of music in the grand style. This is, perhaps, the most adventurous of all the sonatas — with its extraordinary harmonic design, its forays into near-romantic expressionism, its nobility of spirit. Its key relationships are remarkable, not only in terms of the striking modulations within movements, but also in the fact that the middle "Adagio" is daringly cast in E major — poles apart, harmonically speaking, from the outer movements in E-Flat major. This slow movement stands as well among the loftiest examples of Haydn's art — it contains music of grandeur, profundity and extraordinary warmth. By contrast, the "Finale" is a whirlwind Presto, brimming over with elan, and that zesty impertinence which marks Haydn at his most ingratiating.
Robert Sherman (from the original Liner Notes)
Nadia Reisenberg
Plays
Joseph Haydn
vol. 4
(1732-1809)
Tracks
Sonata n° 52 in E-Flat major, Hob.XVI-52 (62)
1 I. Allegro moderato 7:34
2 II. Adagio 6:33
3 III. Finale (Presto) 2:40
Sonata in C major, Hob.XVI-50 (60)
4 I. Allegro 8:28
5 II. Adagio 7:00
6 III. Allegro 5:24
*
Nadia Reisenberg - p
Recorded ca 1966