EMI has just released a disc of Leif Ove Andsnes playing five Haydn piano
sonatas.  I was looking forward to this recording based on previous Andsnes
discs which I liked very much.  With some exception, I was well satisfied
with the Haydn disc.

My exception concerns piano sonata no.30(Hob.XVI:32).  The first and
second movements of this work are masterful.  For this mastery to fully be
realized, the bass line commands great importance.  In Brendel's version on
Philips, the bass line is commanding, smooth, and fully integrated.  With
Andsnes, it's choppy and detrimental to the music's flow.  There's such a
difference to me - immediately recognizable.

Andsnes does very well in the other sonatas.  If I never heard Brendel,
I'd likely be singing Andsne's praises.  Fortunately for me, that's not
the case.

My recommendation is to sample Andsnes carefully.  His disc is a good
one, but not essential.

Don Satz
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