A new day, a new performer on the fortepiano.

His name is Stanley Hoogland.

I don’t know anything about him.

But I’ll let my fingers do the Googling to find out.

Apparently, he has his own web site, which is a good thing these days. From his site:

Stanley Hoogland was one of the first pianists to take an interest in the fortepiano, which gave rise to a series of recordings made in the early seventies with such artists as Anner Bylsma and Vera Beths.

As a soloist and chamber musician he has been performing all over the world and he has been a guest of many festivals.

For recordings and concerts he often uses period instruments of his own collection and as a player of the modern piano, he does not limit himself to any fixed period in music history.

Very cool.

And so are these piano sonatas.

Hoogland plays with verve. I was taken with these performances from the opening movement of the first track – Piano Sonata in C, Movement I (“Allegro moderato”). By the time I got to Movement III (“Finale: Allegro”) I was sold. Instant FAVORITE!

Here’s what I listened to today before I had to leave for my dentist appointment (boy, how six months flies between checkups):

Haydn Piano Sonata in C HOB XVI: 7 (Composed before 1766)

Haydn Piano Sonata in E Minor HOB XVI: 47 (Composed before 1766)

Haydn Piano Sonata in F HOB XVI: 23 (Composed before 1773)

Haydn Piano Sonata in G HOB XVI: 27 (Composed before 1776)

Haydn Piano Sonata in E Flat HOB XVI: 52 (Composed 1794)

I provided the first piano sonata from YouTube. Let your fingers do the walking in the YouTube search bar and you’ll likely find the reset.

Haydn was anywhere from 34ish to 62ish when he composed these piano sonatas. I realize that’s a 30-year gap (a lifetime to many people – think of Mozart who died at 35). But that’s as precise as anyone can be, apparently. Plus, these selections weren’t arranged chronologically. So they run the gamut from the very earliest composed to the very latest.