Haydn's concertos are mostly early, but the well-known Trumpet Concerto is an exception and so is the D major Keyboard Concerto played here by Evgeni Kissin. The latter probably dates from around his fiftieth year but has a crisp youthful freshness, although we may wonder why we find little of the kind of adventurousness which the composer found for (say) his Opp. 20 and 33 String Quartets. At any rate, this Concerto is straightforward and though some have seen Mozart's influence in the slow movement, maybe what we hear is the common language of the time. The playing is pleasantly unhurried and the 'Hungarian rondo' finale dances along with an attractive zest, with the 16-year-old Kissin playing cleanly and agreeably, seeking no especial depths but equally falling into no unseemly mannerisms.
The C major Violin Concerto was written for Luigi Tomasini, the Italian concert-master of Haydn's court orchestra during the 1760s. It is Italianate to the point of seeming slightly, if elegantly, old-fashioned. Vladimir Spivakov plays the solo part and directs the Moscow Virtuosi with a sure hand, though some phrasing and articulation tend to be over-projected in, say, the first-movement cadenza. The violin is a bit close, but otherwise the recording, from Paris for this work and the Sinfonia Concertante, is good; so is that of the Keyboard Concerto, recorded in Vienna. The Sinfonia Concertante, first heard in London in 1792, is a more striking and serious piece altogether. Here the composer and the four soloists together show how effective two wind and two strings can be in this format, while Spivakov handles the violin recitative in the finale convincingly.
I was nearly blown out of my seat by the first chord of the C major Violin Concerto as presented by Malcolm Layfield and the 12-piece Goldberg Ensemble, but a big change in the normal position of my volume control allowed me to enjoy the rest of it more. Yet for all the competence of the playing, this is a stiffly military approach to the first movement, with inflexible rhythm and tone. However, though the Adagio takes 4'48'' against Spivakov's six minutes, it is more relaxed and the finale, too, is nicely sprung. The Cello Concerto has a certain self-conscious jauntiness in the outer movements, but is otherwise enjoyable, with an efficient soloist in William Conway.
The Double Concerto in F major was originally written for organ and violin, although even in Haydn's time the keyboard part was often played on the harpsichord, and it sounds well enough here. But I wish that we could have more relaxation in a movement marked Allegro moderato, where even the tempo (to say nothing of the mood) suggests something more forcefully driven, not to say metronomic; and have the players really thought what Largo means for the slow movement, I wonder? The Presto finale goes best, but these skilful artists—young ones to judge from their photograph—should try less to master Haydn (which, in one sense, they do) and more simply to enjoy him.
As recorded on the new Capriccio disc, in the account of the C major Violin Concerto the sound of Hans Kalafusz's violin and the Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra is also rather big for this music, and as so often nowadays I do just wish that we were allowed more often to hear a really soft dynamic. But it has a pleasant ripeness and sense of atmosphere and after this I have only praise. The soloist has a sweet, full tone and phrases with elegance and panache, while Marriner (what a good conductor he is) accompanies attentively and the balance between the violin and orchestra is nicely managed; the Adagio with its pizzicato accompaniment has a special lilting charm, and is preferable to the Goldberg Ensemble's performance in which the harpsichord is rather prominent. (There's a harpsichord as well in the Supraphon/Koch International performance, but it is used more delicately, as is that on the Philips version with Isabelle van Keulen.)
The A major Concerto, sometimes called the ''Melk Concerto'' after the Benedictine abbey in Austria where the manuscript was found, is a delightfully warm and lyrical piece. This is another stylish performance, with well chosen tempos. Despite its several tricky solo passages Kalafusz gives us consistently sure tone and intonation, while the orchestral strings are unusually refined. The Sinfonia Concertante is also excellent, with the first movement possibly on the brisk side but not sounding hurried. The four soloists are very sure and stylish, alone and in ensemble, and are balanced nicely within the orchestral framework. This CD gives us Haydnesque warmth, intelligence and humour in abundance.
The Supraphon/Koch International issue offers clear, robust playing and a recording to match, while Bohuslav Matousek is a confident and capable soloist whose sound is cleanly agreeable: a slight edge in the first movement of the G major Concerto may have something to do with the remastering (otherwise good if a bit bassy) of the original analogue sound. Though the quicker music of these concertos is more athletic than lyrical, and just once or twice the violinist rather snatches at a phrase, the result remains enjoyable; so are the neatly played slow movements. This CD may not offer the range and subtlety of the Capriccio but it comes at bargain price and should not disappoint a purchaser wanting three Haydn violin concertos together.
Against the above competition, the 42 minutes and two concertos (one by Mozart) of Isabelle van Keulen's Philips disc do not look very desirable. This prize-winning young violinist plays with skill, but I find no special insight in the outer movements of the C major Concerto, of which the first in particular is rhythmically inflexible and has a routine-sounding accompaniment. This is a pity, because the Adagio is in a different class; indeed, it is beautifully done.
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