William Hayes
Harpsichord Concerto in G major (c1740)
Harpsichord Concerto in D major (1755)
Concerto Grosso in D major (1758)
Concerto Grosso in G minor (1758)
Trio Sonata in E minor (1775)
The Fall of Jericho – Sinfonia (c1750)

Corelli Orchestra / Warwick Cole (harpsichord)

Heritage HTGCD134 [74’]
Producer Simon Heighes Engineer Paul Arden-Taylor

Recorded February 2010 at Prince Michael Hall, Dean Close School, Cheltenham; July 2018 at Church of St Philip and St James, Cheltenham

Reviewed by Richard Whitehouse

What’s the story?

The Heritage label adds yet another enterprising release to its expanding catalogue with this representative selection of instrumental music by William Hayes (1708-1777), idiomatically rendered by the Corelli Orchestra and its founder director, the harpsichordist Warwick Cole.

What’s the music like?

The most substantial works are two harpsichord concertos. That in G major is notable for the close-knit interplay between soloist and strings of its lively initial Allegro or the deft humour of its closing Minuetto, but it is the central Andante which leaves the strongest resonance – its intricate solo part (with two elaborate cadenzas) and its plangent expression both anticipating the ‘Sturm und Drang’ inclinations of a subsequent generation. That in D major (derived from an organ concerto) follows a not dissimilar trajectory, its buoyant and harmonically questing Allegro followed by a brief yet affecting Adagio for the soloist unaccompanied then a finale that takes in a wider expression than its Tempo di Menuetto marking might indicate. Equally effective are those transitions for soloist then strings as afford this work its overall continuity.

Taken overall, the six concerti grossi are Hayes’s most substantial legacy to the instrumental domain. That in D major duly alternates Andante movements of subdued pathos with Allegro movements in which this composer’s much-heralded contrapuntal facility is to the fore, while that in G minor owes its larger scale to the ruminative Larghetto which, preceded by a wistful Affetuoso and coursing Allegro then rounded off by a lilting Pastorale, is a sure pointer to the Classicism that lay ahead. It may be the shortest piece featured here, but the Trio Sonata in E minor (itself the final contribution to a set of six) is overall even more most forward-looking as it unfolds from a pathos-laden Adagio, via an incisive Allegro (which is pointedly marked ‘staccato’) followed by a gravely eloquent Largo, to the gracefully elegant closing Grattioso.

That just leaves the Sinfonia to the oratorio The Fall of Jericho which was likely the largest work Hayes completed. More than a mere curtain-raiser, this substantial piece begins with a purposeful Andante notable for trenchant oboe writing – as also the Largo into which it leads and whose plaintive melodic line makes it an aria in its own right. There follows an Allegro of deftly propelled impetus, then an Andante such as provides overall balance in terms of its undulating gait. A performance of the complete work can also be obtained at Fall of Jericho

Does it all work?

Yes, and not only viewed within its aesthetic remit. Acknowledged during his lifetime as one of the few English composers able to hold his own against Handel, Haynes (who dominated academic life at Oxford for three decades) left an output whose scope is evidently in advance of its size. Historically significant for being on the cusp between Baroque and Classical eras, his work is always appealing – not least given the poise and finesse of the Corelli Orchestra, an ensemble whose ‘authentic’ credentials never draw attention away from its music-making.

Is it recommended?

Indeed, and not least with annotations by Simon Heighes (no doubt recalled by some readers for his insightful reviews in International Record Review), whose book The Lives and Works of William and Philip Hayes (Garland Press: 1995) is the standard study about this composer.

Listen & Buy

For buying options, you can visit the Heritage Records website

Published post no.2,444 – Thursday 13 February 2025