Joseph Haydn: Scottish Songs / Trios C-Dur And G-Dur / 6 Original Canzonettas
Haydn’s folksong arrangements offer us a subtle mix of nature poetry, dance, and the joys and tribulations of love (with familial hurdles along the way). Perfect in form but rhythmic and rousing too. And paired with them here, two “classical” trios. Julie Kaufmann is able to find just the right nuances of expression, both for the hopes and the disappointments of love. Two piano trios which can be regarded as paradigms of this form of composition complete the programme. While the Trio in C major Hob. XV:27 is impressive for its carefully balanced developments and transitions, the “Gipsy” Trio in G major Hob. XV:25 features a captivating final rondo “in the gipsies’ style” (from which it takes its name). The piece is songlike and melodic not only in the opening variation movement but also in the slow middle section, which precedes the whirligig finale – a piece that is tailor-made for the Munich Piano Trio on account of their often praised homogeneity, precision and agile phrasing.