Haydn: Keyboard Concerto No. 1 in C major, Hob. XVIII:1

A generous collection of Haydn Concertos, Overtures and Dances, this 2CD set offers the Philips recordings of the Cello Concertos and the Argo recordings of the remaining works. Although issued in various reissues, the Marriner/Argo Haydn Concertos have never before been offered collectively, and this collection offers a great opportunity to explore these recordings from 1966–69. Familiar works such as the E flat major Trumpet Concerto and the two Cello Concertos appear together with the little-known Organ Concerto. Also on offer are two sets of German Dances/Allemandes (both making their first appearance on CD) and a pair of Overtures, of which that for Acide e Galatea is a first-on-CD release.

These works are performed on the organ in the Neubaukirche, Würzburg, dating from 1986, so it is appropriate that this CD features a relatively modern organ concerto. Georges Athanasiadès was born in Switzerland and is a Canon at the Abbey Saint-Maurice in Switzerland. He has recorded many CDs and is frequently a judge of music competitions.

The Dutch baroque music specialist Ton Koopman has been the recipient of countless awards over the years, most recently for his recordings of the complete cantatas of J. S. Bach, and his ongoing series of the complete works of Dieterich Buxtehude. Alongside his regular orchestra, the Amsterdam Baroque, he is here featured as soloist in Organ Concertos by Joseph Haydn.

It is not easy to make a list of Haydn’s organ concertos. At one stage ten concertos were attributed to him, but now there are some serious doubt as to whether four of them are authentic. Secondly there is the choice of the solo instrument. In the second half of the 18th century the German word ‘Klavier’ could mean at least four instruments: pianoforte, harpsichord, organ en clavichord. There are some indications that suggest that Haydn himself had the organ or harpsichord in mind for instance for the Concerto in C Hob.XVIII, because he has written that down in the so-called ‘Entwurf-Katalog’ which he made of his own works.

As first violinist of the classical London Haydn Quartet Catherine Manson has performed in venues such as the Concertgebouw, Amsterdam, the Library of Congress, Washington and London’s Wigmore Hall in addition to starting several new concert series in the UK. The quartet’s recent recordings for Hyperion and Glossa have met with high critical acclaim. Ton Koopman founded the Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra in 1979. The group consists of internationally renowned baroque specialists who meet up several times a year and work together to prepare and perform new exciting programmes.

2CDs for price of 1

Performed on period instruments with the “Neue Dusseldorfer Hofmusik” under the direction of Mary Utiger who also accompanies on the piano. A rare musical experience.

Joseph Haydn’s concertos for keyboard instruments contain some of his most personable and readily enjoyable music.

Their lively fast movements framing lyrical Andantes, Adagios and Largos, never fail to delight with their unaffected virtuosity and galant charm.

Composed at a crucial juncture in the keyboard concerto’s development as a popular genre, Haydn’s contributions recall comparable works by Baroque masters such as Handel, match the Rococo grace of J. C. Bach, and occasionally point towards the larger-scale Classical piano concertos of Mozart.

“Ketil Haugsand, a Norwegian harpsichordist with considerable experience on the European early-music scene….[plays] music that blossoms with performances of sensuous elegance… very appealing.”The New York Times