Jean-Efflam Bavouzet pf

Chandos

This album concludes Jean-Efflam Bavouzet’s epic and scintillating cycle of the complete Haydn Piano Sonatas. Sandwiched between the first and last sonatas – the former delightfully without a hint of angst, the latter richly expressive and exploratory – lies a wealth of contrasts.

In No 61 in D major Hob XVI:51 there are startling departures from the norm. Its Presto finale is a reminder that although Beethoven claimed he learnt little from Haydn he was, from time to time, influenced by a love of the gnomic and whimsical. In the Fantasia Hob XVII:4 even the most hardened critic of Haydn will surely revel in music of such tireless wit and invention. Here Bavouzet has a mischievous twinkle in his eye, clearly delighting in every teasing surprise. As on previous occasions he makes it difficult to imagine Haydn presented with greater gusto, precision and charm.

Flawlessly recorded, Bavouzet reminds us that Haydn was the least po-faced of all composers.