Haydn: Piano/ Keyboard Concertos Hob. XVIII

[Jared]

I have recently purchased the Leif Ove Andsnes EMI disk of Piano Concertos (which I appreciate were originally for Keyboard/ Harpsichord) and enjoy them very much.

It appears that Haydn wrote 12 of these under 'Hob. XVIII' that is 1-11 and F2, however Nos 3,4 & 11 are the ones which seem to have been recorded on many occasions, whilst the others are very difficult to track down... even disks advertising themselves as 'Complete Concertos' such as the Ton Koopman on Philips, only includes 3,4,6,11 & F2, so why are the others so rarely (if ever) recorded? Is it that some were lost, or that ideas were rehashed into later Concertos, or simply not considered to be major works, worth recording?

I'd like to know your thoughts.. thanks.

[stenka razin]

The Concerto for Keyboard in D major, H 18 no 11, has always seemed to be by far the most popular of Haydn's keyboard concertos. It is easy to see why. It is a sparkling composition and very memorable.

[Lance]

Yours is a good question, Jared. I don't think there is a definitive answer to your question though. Like Mozart and a few of his concertos—namely his Nos. 20, 21, 23 and 27—are performed (and recorded) more than the others. Similarly, a few of Haydn's have always had audience appeal and popularity, especially the one in D minor. The D minor is one that sparkles, and has (perhaps) more melodic appeal. I cannot think of any musicological reason why the others aren't performed much. The same can be said of JS Bach's myriad keyboard concertos. Of that master's Double concertos, the one in C Major is usually the one that is heard most frequently. A good food-for-though question!

[josé echenique]

Andreas Staier goes for the same concertos as Adnes. I like this recording the best, fortepiano of course.

[fmnewyork]

I have recently purchased the Leif Ove Andsnes EMI disk of Piano Concertos (which I appreciate were originally for Keyboard/ Harpsichord) and enjoy them very much.

It appears that Haydn wrote 12 of these under 'Hob. XVIII' that is 1-11 and F2, however Nos 3,4 & 11 are the ones which seem to have been recorded on many occasions, whilst the others are very difficult to track down... even disks advertising themselves as 'Complete Concertos' such as the Ton Koopman on Philips, only includes 3,4,6,11 & F2, so why are the others so rarely (if ever) recorded? Is it that some were lost, or that ideas were rehashed into later Concertos, or simply not considered to be major works, worth recording?

I'd like to know your thoughts.. thanks.

Concertos 7 and 9 are usually omitted because #7 is just an arrangement of one of his piano trios and #9 is considered apocryphal. Also some of the concertos appear to have been written for the organ and haven't been recorded by pianists as far as I know. There is a Naxos box set that comes as close to complete as you're likely to find with some played on harpsichord or organ.

[Prometheus]

Hello, Jared!

I would definitely suggest the Concerto box set from Naxos. It has 6 discs and the keyboard concertos are varied between harpsichord, piano, and organ. It also includes the cello, violin, horn, and Lire Organizzate concertos. I bought all the discs as individual parts and have enjoyed them all.

[Jared]

thanks everyone for your (excellent as usual) contributions...

[Chalkperson]

I agre with Promethius, get the Naxos Box, you will find much to enjoy...

[rogch]

I am sure there is plenty to enjoy in the Naxos box set. I have heard some of Naxos' Haydn concerto recordings and they have been very good. But i still think the Staier recording on Harmonia Mundi is an absolute must for people who like this work even if they have other recordings. An amazing performance. And now it has been released at budget price.