In spite of occasional enthusiasts and virtuosos on the instrument, the baryton remains somewhat elusive and largely unknown by music lovers. Yet it is a magnificent instrument for which Haydn composed well over a hundred works.
Most if not all of Haydn's baryton works – including 126 for baryton, viola and violoncello trio (Hob.XI) – were written between 1765 and 1778 for Prince Nicolaus Esterházy who played the baryton. Haydn's pupils and colleagues in the Esterházy band, including Tomasini (from 1761 first violinist of the Esterházy Hofkapelle and ultimately Konzertmeister) and Joseph Purksteiner (or Burgksteiner; from 1766 a court violinist and violist) also composed substantially for the baryton - that is, for Prince Esterházy.
The baryton is incredibly difficult to play. Apart from the six or seven bowed strings of the bass viol, it may also have up to 44 sympathetic (lower manual) strings to pluck and to create the characteristic resonant sound of the instrument. Prince Esterházy's instrument, made by Johann Joseph Stadlmann of Vienna in 1750, has seven strings on top and ten below. This instrument survives in the Hungarian National Museum (Budapest) and is played on special occasions. A baryton made in 1686 by Joachim Tielke of Hamburg is housed in the Victoria and Albert Museum (South Kensington).
The baryton played by Balázs Kakuk of the Haydn Baryton Trio of Budapest is a modern copy of the Stadlmann instrument. So Kakuk bows seven (covered gut) strings, plucks with his left hand thumb ten metal sympathetic strings, creates melodic pitches with four fingers of his left hand (although occasionally conducts his colleagues with his left hand index finger) and - in the meantime - creates magnificent musical performances.
The trio – that is baryton, viola and violoncello - played three works by Haydn, one by Tomasini and one by Burgksteiner. Apart from a seven-movement composition by Haydn (Hob.XI:97), all pieces were in three movements and all were hugely enjoyable. Tomasini sounded like a mini-opera without words; the Burgksteiner surprised and delighted with incorporating and developing the first four bars of Mozart's Jupiter Symphony finale. To be more precise, the chronological order is the other way round, so Mozart might have borrowed the theme fragment from Burgksteiner.
The performances were daring (with witty tempo changes at appropriate places) but tasteful. Although the viola and violoncello were set up as modern instruments and all were tuned to modern pitch, their playing was very stylish. If I had not seen the modern set-up, I would have thought that all the members of the trio were playing baroque instruments.
Humour was an integral part of the performances, and the concert was uplifting from every possible point of view.
The leader is Balázs Kakuk, but credit is also due to his daughter Anna Magdaléna Kakuk (viola) and András Kaszanyitzky (violoncello). Long may they continue!
By Agnes Kory
For more information, visit www.haydnbarytontrio.hu
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