Haydn: 4 Piano Sonatas; Mozart; Piano Concerto No. 20; Concerto Rondo; Rondo; Piano Sonata in F major

Alfred Brendel

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Haydn: 4 Piano Sonatas; Mozart; Piano Concerto No. 20; Concerto Rondo; Rondo; Piano Sonata in F major Review

by James Leonard

The idea behind this two-disc set of seemingly randomly chosen piano works by Haydn and Mozart is that the selections were in fact specially chosen by pianist Alfred Brendel from his four-decade discography for Philips. For listeners looking for a collection more representative of the composers, this set may be a disappointment. For listeners looking for a collection representative of the performer, this set may be of intermittent interest. For Haydn, Brendel has chosen three of his finest recordings -- the E minor, G major, and D major sonatas all performed with lucidity, intensity, and intelligence -- along with one of his least satisfying recordings -- the E flat major Sonata performed with a harsh tone, clipped rhythms, and apparently very little affection. For Mozart, Brendel has chosen three dry and hard recordings -- the F major Sonata, the D minor Fantasia, and the usually exquisite A minor Rondo -- along with a witty but uninvolved D major Concert Rondo with Neville Marriner leading the Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields and an ardent and compelling D minor Piano Concerto with Charles Mackerras leading the Scottish Chamber Orchestra. For listeners looking for the best of Brendel, this set may not be quite the thing. Try one of the Brendel volumes in the Philips' Great Pianists of the Twentieth Century series instead. Philips' piano sound is, as Philips' piano sound always is, astoundingly beautiful and astonishingly real.

Track Listing - Disc 1

Sample		Title/Composer	Performer	Time	Stream
Keyboard Sonata in E minor, H. 16/34
	1	1. Presto Franz Joseph Haydn	Alfred Brendel	05:55	Amazon
	2	2. Adagio - Franz Joseph Haydn	Alfred Brendel	05:06	Amazon
	3	3. Vivace molto, innocentemente Franz Joseph Haydn	Alfred Brendel	03:33	Amazon
Keyboard Sonata in G major, H. 16/40
	4	1. Allegretto ed innocente Franz Joseph Haydn	Alfred Brendel	09:10	Amazon
	5	2. Presto Franz Joseph Haydn	Alfred Brendel	03:13	Amazon
Keyboard Sonata in D major, H. 16/42
	6	1. Andante con espressione Franz Joseph Haydn	Alfred Brendel	09:51	Amazon
	7	2. Vivace assai Franz Joseph Haydn	Alfred Brendel	03:00	Amazon
Keyboard Sonata in E flat major, H. 16/52
	8	1. Allegro Franz Joseph Haydn	Alfred Brendel	08:17	Amazon
	9	2. Adagio Franz Joseph Haydn	Alfred Brendel	07:42	Amazon
	10	3. Finale: Presto Franz Joseph Haydn	Alfred Brendel	05:17	Amazon

Track Listing - Disc 2

Sample		Title/Composer	Performer	Time	Stream
Piano Sonata No. 12 in F major, K. 332 (K. 300k)
	1	1. Allegro Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart	Alfred Brendel	07:27	Amazon
	2	2. Adagio Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart	Alfred Brendel	05:12	Amazon
	3	3. Allegro assai Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart	Alfred Brendel	07:08	Amazon
	4	Fantasia for piano in D minor (fragment), K. 397 (K. 385g) Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart	Alfred Brendel	05:22	Amazon
	5	Rondo for piano No. 3 in A minor, K. 511 Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart	Alfred Brendel	10:08	Amazon
Rondo for piano & orchestra in D major, K. 382
	6	Allegretto grazioso - Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart	Alfred Brendel	05:47	Amazon
	7	Adagio - Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart	Alfred Brendel	02:17	Amazon
	8	Allegro Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart	Alfred Brendel	01:59	Amazon
Piano Concerto No. 20 in D minor, K. 466
	9	1. Allegro Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart	Alfred Brendel	14:13	Amazon
	10	2. Romance Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart	Alfred Brendel	08:41	Amazon
	11	3. Rondo: Allegro assai Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart	Alfred Brendel	07:27	Amazon