Like yesterday’s CD of music for Lute and Strings, today’s CD of Concertini and Divertimenti for Piano is another a delightful surprise.

The first track – Concertino in C HOB XIV: 12, Movement I (“Allegro”) – reminded me of Glenn Gould’s rendition of Bach’s Brandenburg Concertos. The piano was all snappy and trill-y and bright. Loads of fun. Very lively.

Movement II (“Adagio”) definitely slows the tempo. But the piano is so lovely (in a Chopin nocturne sort of way) that the retarded pace is not depressing. More slightly melancholy, but not in an unpleasant sort of way.

Movement III (“Finale: Allegro”) is a bit less allegro than some I’ve heard. But, the sprightly interplay between the piano and the strings is delightful. A terrific blending of instruments.

Divertimento in C HOB XIV: 7 was equally fun to hear. Movement II (“Menuet”), especially, was lively and compelling.

Concertino in F HOB XVIII: F2 was more subdued, more stately, than the previous selections. But just when I thought it was going to go out with a wimper, not an altogether unpleasant one, Movement III (“Allego assai”) kicked in and flipped me on my ear. What a brisk, thousand-notes-a-minute piano piece this is!

Divertimento in C HOB XIV: 3 opens with a first movement (“Allegro moderato”) that features more fleet-fingered piano playing from Harald Kosik, but with more balance from the other musicians. It’s a nice piece. Movement II (“Menuet”) is a little slow for my tastes, and not bouncy enough as my favorite menuets are. But Movement III (“Finale: Allegro molto”) jars the menuet-induced reverie with a butt-kicking finale that, at just :45 seconds seems way too short. I would have enjoyed more butt kicking.

Quintet in E Flat HOB XIV: 1 Movement I (“Moderato”) introduces the horns, finally! As I noted in my previous blog entries, I love the sound of French horns. But the totality of Quintet in E Flat (especially the wistful Movement II – “Menuet”) is one of sadness. Or longing. That’s not necessarily a bad thing. But this is more like a Chopin composition than one of Bach’s Brandenburg Concertos. Which is fine. There’s a time and a place for each.

Granted, Movement III (“Finale: Allegro”) puts the snap back in the knickers. But I still got sadness as the overall mood of this piece.

Divertimento in C HOB XIV: C2 consists of two very short (less than two-minute) movements. It’s practically over before it begins.

Today’s music is provided by Haydn-Trio Eisenstadt, which is comprised of:

Harald Kosik piano
Verena Stourzh violin
Hannes Gradwohl cello

Plus, accompanied by these fine musicians:

Cornelia Loscher violin
Martin Brambock horn
Dominik Taschler horn

This is an immediate FAVORITE! among my Haydn CDs.

I’m sure you can find these compositions on YouTube if you wish to hear them. I’ll provide the first one for you just to give you an idea what I heard this morning:

Concertino in C HOB XIV: 12

See what I mean about the Bach Brandenburg reference? The piano playing has that crisp, syncopated sound and even a melody reminiscent of it, especially Glenn Gould’s snappy performance of it.

Incidentally, I have no idea when these pieces were composed. I can’t find information about it on any web site. So, for now, I’ll just have to omit these facts from today’s post. If anyone knows, please feel free to fill in the gaps.