3rd Haydneum Eszterháza Festival / Andreas Staier – fortepiano

For a time, an interesting debate emerged in music history circles about whether Variations in F minor (Hob. XVII:6) with their passionate tone were written by Haydn to commemorate the death of his highly esteemed friend, Maria Anna von Genzinger. Although this assumption cannot be proven, this emotionally charged origin story is attractive as it illustrates how the aesthetic of ‘personalised music’ became more prevalent during that time. In the middle of the 18th century, a large quantity of lieds and pieces written for various keyboard instruments began to appear to serve the musical capabilities of the educated middle class. Furthermore, in addition to professional renditions, the participation of knowledgeable amateurs in the performance of music became more and more important, as reflected in Haydn’s Piano Sonata in E-flat major (Hob. XVI:49) as well, which was composed for Frau von Genzinger. Not to mention C. Ph. E. Bach’s sonata series written ‘for connoisseurs and amateurs’ (für Kenner und Liebhaber), the capricious motivic ideas and bold modulations of which will be introduced to the audience by two pieces in the programme of this concert. The democratisation of sensitivity and the need for subjective art became more and more significant around the turn of the century, as evidenced by Beethoven’s bagatelles, among others, and went on to dominate the creative dialogue between composers and the audience up until the Romantic cult of overwhelming virtuosity took over. One of the living legends of early music performances, Andreas Staier, will contribute to this dialogue on one of the most popular contemporary instruments, the fortepiano.