Haydn: Harpsichord Sonatas Francesco Corti

• Franz Joseph Haydn (1732 - 1809): Fantasia in C Major, Hob. XVII:
• 1 Fantasia in C Major, Hob. XVII:4 05:52
• Harpsichord Sonata in D Major, Hob.XVI:37:
• 2 Harpsichord Sonata in D Major, Hob.XVI:37: I. Allegro con brio 06:46
• 3 Harpsichord Sonata in D Major, Hob.XVI:37: II. Largo e sostenuto 03:12
• 4 Harpsichord Sonata in D Major, Hob.XVI:37: III. Finale (Presto ma non troppo) 03:00
• Harpsichord Sonata in E Major, Hob.XVI:31:
• 5 Harpsichord Sonata in E Major, Hob.XVI:31: I. Moderato 07:45
• 6 Harpsichord Sonata in E Major, Hob.XVI:31: II. Allegretto 02:24
• 7 Harpsichord Sonata in E Major, Hob.XVI:31: III. Finale (Presto) 02:29
• Harpsichord Sonata in B Minor, Hob.XVI:32:
• 8 Harpsichord Sonata in B Minor, Hob.XVI:32: I. Allegro moderato 06:34
• 9 Harpsichord Sonata in B Minor, Hob.XVI:32: II. Menuetto 02:47
• 10 Harpsichord Sonata in B Minor, Hob.XVI:32: III. Finale (Presto) 03:08
• Harpsichord Sonata in A-Flat Major, Hob.XVI:46:
• 11 Harpsichord Sonata in A-Flat Major, Hob.XVI:46: I. Allegro moderato 08:50
• 12 Harpsichord Sonata in A-Flat Major, Hob.XVI:46: II. Adagio 07:12
• 13 Harpsichord Sonata in A-Flat Major, Hob.XVI:46: III. Finale (Presto) 04:27
• Harpsichord Sonata in A Major, Hob.XVI:26:
• 14 Harpsichord Sonata in A Major, Hob.XVI:26: I. Allegro moderato 06:59
• 15 Harpsichord Sonata in A Major, Hob.XVI:26: II. Menuetto al rovescio 02:13
• 16 Harpsichord Sonata in A Major, Hob.XVI:26: III. Finale (Presto) 00:54
• Capriccio "Acht Sauschneider müssen seyn" in G Major, Hob. XVII:
• 17 Capriccio Acht Sauschneider müssen seyn in G Major, Hob. XVII:1 07:18
• Total Runtime 01:21:50

Info for Haydn: Harpsichord Sonatas

Haydn, Heidn, Hayden... the man beneath the score is often elusive. Yet, his presence is constant and vivid in his music, as his scores speak to us personally and freshly.

Haydn’s music is the bright reflection of the enlightened century, of the Kantian faith in the understandable. e human intellect is held as the highest ideal, the role of the creator is to enrich it in order to elevate us. Take the simplest minuet: it must obey to a rigid structure and to small dimensions, therefore the message must be condensed. Still, Haydn’s discourse is never simplified, leaving always room to formal complexity, tricks and clins d’œil.

After all, if something emerges with full clarity from his music - and his life – it is the man’s ability to create under external restrictions.

As a performer, one always gets the impression of dealing with a singularly human composer. His pieces are indeed a man-to-man dialogue, a very sophisticated and demanding one perhaps, but sincere nevertheless. And Haydn doesn’t shy away from it! His presence and his spirit - better said, his Laune - stand always before his performers. …

Francesco Corti, harpsichord

Francesco Corti
w­­as born in Arezzo, Italy, in a musical family in 1984. He studied organ in Perugia, then harpsichord in Geneva and in Amsterdam.

He was awarded at the International "Johann Sebastian Bach" Competition in Leipzig (2006) and at the Bruges Harpsichord Competition (2007).

As a soloist, he has appeared in recitals and concerts all over Europe, in the USA, in Latin America and in New Zealand. He has been invited by festivals such as Mozart Woche and the Salzburger Festpiele, BachFest Leipzig, MusikFest Bremen, Utrecht Early Music Festival, Festival Radio France Montpellier, Milanesiana. He has performed in halls such as Salle Pleyel (Paris), Bozar (Bruxelles), Konzerthaus (Vienna), Tonhalle (Zürich), Mozarteum and Haus für Mozart (Salzburg) and Concertgebouw (Amsterdam).

Since 2007 he is a member of Les Musiciens du Louvre (M. Minkowski). With this Ensemble he has taken part to countless tours and played solo concertos by Bach, Händel, Haydn and Mozart.
He also performs with other famous early music groups such as que Zefiro (A. Bernardini), the Bach Collegium Japan (M. Suzuki), Les Talens Lyriques (C. Rousset), Harmonie Universelle (F. Deuter), Pulcinella (O. Gaillard), Música Temprana (A. van der Spoel) and Le Concert des Nations (J. Savall).

As a soloist, he has been accompanied in concertos by the Mozarteum Orchestra, the Combattimento Consort, the Leipzig Baroque Orchestra and the Orchestra da Camera di Mantova.

Since 2015 he conducts regularly Les Musiciens du Louvre in a repertoire that spans from A. Scarlatti and Händel to Galuppi and Mozart. He was invited as soloist and conductor by the Holland Baroque Society for two European tours of concerts (Brandenburg concertos), and by the Nederlandse Bachvereniging.

His solo recordings include a CD of Louis Couperin Suites, the Partitas by J. S. Bach and the two piano quartets by Mozart recorded on the original instrument owned by the composer, now in Salzburg.

In 2017 the French label Evidence will publish his new recording of Haydn sonatas.

He has taught in masterclasses all over Europe, in Latin America and in Asia.

Since September 2016, he is professor of harpsichord and thorough bass at the Schola Cantorum Basilensis.

Booklet for Haydn: Harpsichord Sonatas