Haydn Trio Eisenstadt - Haydn: The Piano Trios (8CD) (2008)

Haydn’s Piano trios are split into two sets, his early and late trios, the former seldom played except in the context of complete editions. The latter reflect the composer's full musical maturity and are greatly admired by critics. This complete set, new to Phoenix Edition collates all the works on 8 CDs released in good time to commemorate the forthcoming bicentenary anniversary of Haydn’s death in 2009.

Haydn’s early trios were composed in the mid-1750s when Haydn was Musical Director for Count Morzin. Haydn composed these in the style of baroque trio sonatas and he mostly chose “Divertimento”, “Capriccio” or “Partita” as a title. This makes it more difficult to determine how many works were specifically piano trios. In contrast to the earlier trios, the compositions from the 1780s and 1790s have titles such as “Sonate” or “Sonata” – the trios are representative of the genre “piano sonata with accompaniment” in which the piano was the focus of attention. These “late trios” are consistently more polished and demand far more virtuosity from the musicians.

Complete recordings give the listener an insight into the development of the genre itself but also Haydn’s ever more polished musical language and instrumentation. This complete box is performed by the multi award-winning Haydn Trio Eisenstadt who provide clear evidence here that every opus is a long way from being written off as “utility music”.

"The Haydn Trio Eisenstadt...are unfailingly stylish” Gramophone on a previous recording by the Haydn Trio Eisenstadt