Joseph Haydn is considered the undisputed father of the string quartet. He wrote no fewer than 68 of them. Haydn's piano trios are far less well known, although they follow directly after his string quartets in number. This is unfair in the opinion of Trio Ernest, which has the support of renowned musicologist Charles Rosen. He counts Haydn's piano trios along with the piano concertos of
Mozart… among the most brilliant piano works before Beethoven. Take, for example, the Piano Trio in E (1789) with an opening movement unusually serious for Haydn, followed by a warm-blooded siciliano, in which the timbres of the strings play a major role. Even more exceptional in form and atmosphere is Haydn's two-movement Piano Trio ("Sonata") in E-flat (1795) with challenging passages in the high register of the violin, especially in the second movement. In the manuscript, Haydn added the enigmatic note 'Jacob's Dream by Dr. Haydn'. Presumably this was a joke, since the violinist for whom Haydn composed the piece had difficulty playing high notes. This album by Trio Ernest is more than an anthology of Haydn's piano trios. The second line consists of three tribute pieces to the composer. These include Ravel's famous Minuet in Haydn's name in a successful arrangement by Carlos Roque Alsina (JWvR).more
