Dan Schmidt wrote:

>I love all of Haydn except for the piano sonatas!..... I have a few
>CDs of Jando on Naxos.  What am I missing?  Any suggestions for how to
>listen differently?  Should I pick up some Brendel?

Well, it seems that Jando is not the answer.  I don't think that there's
anything to the notion that Dan is not listening correctly.  My advice
would be to listen to Brendel or Schiff.  Take a stab at the first movement
of sonata no. 58 (Hob.XVI:48); it's an andante of supreme elegance and
aristocratic grace.  If that movement, played by Brendel or Schiff, does
not grab you, I'd suggest dropping the piano works for now.

Haydn's piano compositions, to me, are in a different realm than his other
works.  Most folks prefer the other works, I do not.  So, give the best
movement performed by the best interpreters a chance.

Don Satz
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