Bob Kasenchak, who wrote the initial posting on this thread, mentioned a new Hungaroton cd of Haydn piano sonatas. Just yesterday, I acquired a 2-cd set of Haydn sonatas on Hungaroton played by Ranki which was recorded in 1976. I was eagerly anticipating the set, because I have greatly enjoyed Ranki in other repertoire, particularly Schubert. His Haydn interpretations are no exceptions. Ranki is simply a superb pianist. The set contains Haydn's most mature piano sonatas; I appreciated that. I still consider Brendel the best, but Ranki is in the same league as Reisenberg and Ax, better than Andsnes on EMI. As for the recorded sound, the only problem is a "fizz" which is noticeable when using head phones. This "fizz" can be eliminated with adjustment of treble, but then some brightness is lost. You can't have everything. Considering all factors, I give this set a 9 out of 10, and I'm fairly fussy concerning Haydn piano works. Don Satz [log in to unmask]