Search - Haydn, Dezso Ranki :: Piano Stas #54-62 / Fantasy in C / Vars in C & F

On these two CDs, recorded in 1976, are the greatest of Haydn's masterpieces for the piano. Ránki proves an outstanding Haydn player. Unlike many sober-sided pianists, he captures Haydn's humor in the finales of Nos. 54, 60, and 62. In No. 62, he nearly rivals the brio and virtuosity of Sviatoslav Richter in his legendary 1960 live performance. But this is not the only side to Haydn or Ránki, as we hear in the touching Andante and Variations in F Minor, played with dignity and restraint. There is some variation in sound from one recording session to another; a high E on the piano sounds tinny in some pieces; and the excellent program notes should have been better edited. But this remains a highly recommendable reissue. --Leslie Gerber