Haydn: Complete Keyboard Sonatas Volume 3

Lancaster’s brand of lyricism is unusual: hard-edged, hard-fought and hard-won, making for a different kind of expressiveness. It’s not beautiful but it holds your attention. A continually wayward... — MusicWeb International, July 2012 More…

Release Date: 23rd Jan 2012
Catalogue No: TP216
Label: Tall Poppies

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Haydn: Piano Sonata No. 59 in E flat major, Hob.XVI:49

Geoffrey Lancaster (fortepiano)

Haydn: Piano Sonata No. 54 in G major, Hob.XVI:40

Geoffrey Lancaster (fortepiano)

Haydn: Piano Sonata No. 40 in E flat major, Hob.XVI:25

Geoffrey Lancaster (fortepiano)

Haydn: Piano Sonata No. 47 in B minor, Hob.XVI:32

(each sonata is preceded by a prelude, either by Lancaster himself or from various sources contemporary with the composer)
Geoffrey Lancaster (fortepiano)

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Tall Poppies and fortepianist Geoffrey Lancaster continue to journey through Joseph Haydn’s complete keyboard sonatas. Lancaster presented the complete cycle of 52 sonatas in concert in Melbourne, Perth and Canberra to mark the Haydn Bicentenary in 2009, has recently presented excerpts in Sydney and London, and has been recording the works using period instruments from the unique collection of early keyboards at the ANU School of Music, where Lancaster is professor of music. Critically acclaimed as ‘a genius of the fortepiano’, Dr Lancaster is one of Australia’s most distinguished keyboardists and was the first Australian to win a major international keyboard competition. His honours include the ARIA Best Classical Album, Gramophone Best Recording, the Sounds Australian Award, the Order of Australia, and ACT Australian of the Year.

This series reveals the genius of Haydn. Lancaster plays with amiable virtuosity, embellishing as he goes, and finding all the latent humour and passion in these magnificent sonatas. His historically-informed performances bring clarity, originality, and insightful musical understanding to these works, the fortepianos responding with gusto to the drama and emotion in the music.

Reviews

July 2012

Lancaster’s brand of lyricism is unusual: hard-edged, hard-fought and hard-won, making for a different kind of expressiveness. It’s not beautiful but it holds your attention. A continually wayward individuality is stressed.

Limelight Magazine January 2012

In one particular way, these performances of Haydn's Sonata Nos 59 in E-flat Major, 54 in G Major, 47 in B Minor and 40 in E-flat Major are the antithesis of scholarly. Well, they are scholarly in the best sense, but are also free of any stuffiness or dryness, as Geoffrey Lancaster unleashes two reproductions of late 18th¬century fortepianos to bring out as much of the diversion, wit and unceasing drama that can be summoned from these scores. These are very free readings, seeking to express Haydn's amazing reservoir of lively inventiveness.

As part of his musical adventure, Lancaster reverts to a very old musical practice of adding a short Prelude before each sonata. Some of these are based on old original preludes from other hands; some are composed by Lancaster himself at the keyboard. And in another reversion to historical practice, he resiles from a literal reading of the score to add appropriate improvised embellishments.

Haydn: Complete Keyboard Sonatas Volume 3

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