Piano Sonata No. 50 in D Major, Hob.XVI:37
Piano Sonata No. 46 in E Major, Hob.XVI:31
Piano Sonata No. 6 in C major, Hob.XVI:10
Piano Sonata No. 33 in C minor, Hob.XVI:20
Piano Sonata No. 13 in G major, Hob.XVI:6
Piano Sonata No. 11 in B flat major, Hob.XVI:2
Piano Sonata No. 35 in A flat major, Hob.XVI:43
Piano Sonata No. 12 in A major, Hob.XVI:12
Piano Sonata No. 58 in C major, Hob.XVI:48

They may not possess the emotional Sturm und Drang characteristics that mark Beethoven's sonatas, or display the somewhat juvenile impertinence present in most of Mozart's sonatas, but the Piano Sonatas by Franz Joseph Haydn (1732-1809) more than make up for this by their unfailing structure, noble character, grace, and refined sense of humour. Some of the early ones were written as study material for his own students, but most were published for general public consumption. There's an overall ebullience to their sum and substance that is quite infectious to the listener, and more so to the performer.

Pianist Roman Rabinovich's limpid and crystalline phrasing and articulation bring out all of the above attributes present in this music. With just the right degree of dynamic and expressive inflections, he can turn even the most mundane passages into points of interest. The booklet notes state the he's been lauded as 'a master of tone-colour' (International Piano, 2018), and has performed cycles of the Haydn Sonatas on stage during various music festivals. This certainly explains the high level of committed and informed interpretations heard throughout this two-disc set of a broad cross-section of Haydn's keyboard music.