Haydn: Trios With Flute (Hob:XV No. 15-17, London Trios Hob: IV) – Venice Trio

Haydn wrote his Trios with one or more transverse flutes with the English market in mind. There, in fact, the flute was particularly appreciated by the aristocracy, to which it afforded unlimited pleasure without too much toil. His Trios Hob. XV/15-17 feature the flute along with the cello and a keyboard instrument, and had been commissioned by a London-based publisher. His “London Trios” were conceived at the time of his second journey to England, and are characterized by a tight dialogue between the two flutes. In all these Trios, Haydn’s inventiveness is at its best. He delights us with plenty of elegance, surprises, joy and lightness, while not disregarding moments of intense expressivity. The minor-mode sections, in particular, are often veined with a profundity one would not expect of works conceived for the delight of aristocrats. Haydn’s superb mastery of instrumental writing transpires also from his capability to employ an almost symphonic style in spite of the relative thinness of the performing forces, while never losing the proverbial transparency of his style. Together, these works offer us plenty of stimuli, for the intellect as well as for the heart; and we can easily imagine what, in Haydn’s music, so caught the imagination of his early English admirers.