Concerts at St Cecilia's

Concerts at St Cecilia's Hall - 
Saturday 11 to Sunday 12 November 2006

The inspired partnership of Scots soprano Mhairi Lawson and all-round keyboard genius David Owen Norris is the ideal combination to celebrate the wit and wisdom of Haydn.  Haydn's English songs or canzonettas range from the infectiously boisterous Sailor's song to his one and only, heart-rending, setting of Shakespeare, and his highly operatic monologue for Arianna shows a composer with a highly developed sense of drama, quite the equal of his younger contemporary Mozart.  Haydn's piano music includes some of the most under-rated music written for the instrument, and here there is a rare opportunity to hear one of his great sonatas on the fortepiano in the hands of a master.  (David McGuinness)

This concert is part of BBC Radio 3's series of Haydn lunchtime concerts to be broadcast at 1 pm in the week of 18 December.