Move Records Australian classical & art music, est. 1968

Haydn 250th Birthday Celebration

Pianist Ronald Farren-Price marks Haydn’s 250th birthday with three major keyboard works: the Sonatas in E minor and C minor, and the Variations in F minor.

These performances come from a 1982 recital celebrating the anniversary. The C minor sonata is among Haydn’s most intense Sturm und Drang statements; the later E minor sonata offers brilliance and rococo craft; the F minor variations close the programme in a mature double-variation form long associated with Mozart’s memory.

The recording was made in the studios of the Australian Broadcasting Commission, Melbourne.

Reviews

While the convincing piano sound is a function of the recording engineers, the startling clarity of the music is simply the result of Farren-Price being immersed in that, and not in the technicalities of how to play it. I wish this fine recording a long and distinguished life, bringing to music lovers all over the world the same delight and satisfaction it has brought to me.

The opening E minor sonata was highly arresting in its threatening elegance. Farren-Price seemed hardly to falter in this glittering work; his technique was well matched to the built-in passion of the score.

... able to convey many of the wonders of these rarely heard works.

Artists

Photograph of Franz Joseph Haydn

Franz Joseph Haydn

Franz Joseph Haydn (1732–1809) was an Austrian composer of the Classical period, central to the making of the symphony, the string quartet and the piano trio. A vast body of chamber, orchestral and sacred music from his long career shaped the language of his age.

Photograph of Ronald Farren-Price

Ronald Farren-Price

Ronald Farren-Price is an Australian concert pianist of rare artistry, sensitivity and virtuosity. Clarity of expression and firmness of touch are the hallmarks of his style, which brings bold nobility to each performance.

Tracks

    Sonata in E minor No. 53, Hob. XVI:34 Franz Joseph Haydn

  1. i. Presto 3:21
  2. ii. Adagio 3:49
  3. iii. Vivace molto – innocentemente 3:46
  4. Sonata in C minor No. 33, Hob. XVI:20 Franz Joseph Haydn

  5. i. Moderato 6:14
  6. ii. Andante con moto 4:41
  7. iii. Finale – Allegro 3:38
  8. Variations in F minor, Hob. XVII:6 Franz Joseph Haydn 20:32

Performers

Contributors

No photograph: Arthur Horner

Cover design

Arthur Horner

No photograph: George Tibbits

Liner notes

George Tibbits

George Tibbits (1933–2008) was an Australian composer and architect. Self-taught in music, he wrote some forty-five works—among them five string quartets—nearly all given professional performances.

No photograph: Howard Birnstihl

Photograph

Howard Birnstihl

Howard Birnstihl is a photographer whose cover, exterior and general photography appears across many Move Records releases from the late 1970s into the 2000s.

Photograph of Martin Wright

Layout

Martin Wright

Recording engineer and director of Move Records, Martin Wright has well over fifty years’ experience in the industry and has been widely recognised for the calibre of his recordings.

Where to listen

Haydn 250th Birthday Celebration is available for streaming through Spotify and Apple Music. It can also be purchased through the iTunes Music Store.

Haydn 250th Birthday Celebration is available as a CD. It can be purchased online through Buywell Music or the Australian Music Centre which both offer online ordering.

Product details

Catalogue number
MD 3047
List price
$20.00 AUD
Total playing time
46 minutes 1 seconds
Producer
Margaret Hetherington
Recording Engineer
Linton Bryant
Peter Thorp
Credit
Arthur Horner
George Tibbits
Howard Birnstihl
Martin Wright
Release date
Musical work
copyright
© 1982 Australian Broadcasting Corporation
Sound recording
copyright
℗ 1982 Move Records
Category
Classical
Genre
Classical Era
Barcode
EAN 9314574304725

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