Search - Haydn, Walter Olbertz :: Piano Sonatas 3

Now we've gotten into the prime masterpieces among Haydn's piano sonatas. Those six final sonatas, written in England (numbered 47-52 here, but actually 57-62), carry Haydn's highest level of inspiration through every measure. Recordings of these works are somewhat more common than those of Haydn's earlier sonatas, but they're still not found every day on concert programs or celebrity pianists' CDs. All praise to Walter Olbertz, who plays every one of them with intelligence, feeling, and wit. We are lucky that this obscure series has been rescued from East German LPs, because the recordings still sound fine and the performances are deeply satisfying. --Leslie Gerber