There is probably no finer Haydn pianist around today than Alfred Brendel. He has lived with this music for years, and understands so well not only the quirky turn of harmonic phrase, the little jokes with which Haydn likes to pepper the pages, but also the emotional depths to be found not far beneath apparently jovial surfaces. Brendel sets the scene with one of Haydn's greatest and grandest keyboard sonatas--the C minor--and within the four discs explores the many sides of this irresistible music. The Presto finale of the E flat Sonata, HobXVI:52, for example, presents Haydn the comedian, pulling out of his hat one novel effect after another. Contrast this with the slow movement of the D major XVI:37 which has a gravely "ancient" feel about it. The set ends on a high too, with an immensely moving performance of the sublime F minor Variations. The recordings, which date from the late 1970s and early 1980s, are perfectly acceptable. If you want to acquaint yourself with Haydn's keyboard music, you couldn't have a more entertaining or erudite guide than Brendel. --Harriet Smith