The majority of Haydn's concertos for keyboard and orchestra are thought to have been composed for the organ. The three that were not have been included on this disc, together with the 'Concerto in D major, Hob.XVIII/2' which was most probably intended for the organ, but is often performed on other keyboard instruments since the solo part makes no use of the pedals. They are all composed before 1l784, around the time that Mozart wrote his first masterpieces in the genre, and it is tempting to think that, having heard Mozart's concertos, Haydn decided that he could not possibly compete in this area. After all, as one of the great pianists of the era, Mozart's concertos became the occasion for a breathtaking display of invention and virtuosity. Haydn on the other hand did not as a rule perform his concertos, leaving room in the limelight to other musicians. The concertos on the present disc thus , in a manner of speaking, show us an alternative route for the piano concerto as a genre. Here they are interpreted by Ronald Brautigam, who with his 11-volume series of Haydn's complete works for solo keyboard has proven himself one of todays most gengenial interpreters of the composer's music. He is ably backed by one of the most interesting period-instrument bands at the moment, Concerto Copenhagen, directed by Lars Ulrik Mortensen.
