Joseph Haydn: Piano Trios

Charles Rosen wrote that Joseph Haydn's late piano trios were in terms of subtlety and depth of  expression as well as virtuosity along with Mozart's piano concertos “the most brilliant piano works before Beethoven“. Many of Haydn’s piano trios are still “accompanied sonatas”, the violin and cello spend much time doubling the right or left hand of the piano. This was maybe the reason, why this type of chamber music became more and more popular. Here the well-educated daughters could make a lot of impression on the expensive fortepianos bought by their fathers, while their brothers, fathers, servants or employed musicians of the court band played the easier string parts. The all-female dedicatees of Haydn's piano trios are perhaps another key to understand the expressive diversity we encounter in these works. On this album, the much-loved Altenberg Trio Wien presents five of these masterpieces and prove yet again that Haydn should never be underestimated.