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I was looking through my classical CDs and realized I do not have any of the Haydn String Quartets! I have lots of his stuff, but none of these. Before we get into recommended recordings, is there a primer on which of the Quartets themselves are a good starting point? I know there a number of them, so once I understand which ones would be a great start, then I can start asking about which recordings of each would be most recommended.
Follow Ups:
but start.
Okay?!
Recordings/sets personally I'd buy all the Festetics Quartet's efforts if I could find them.
Why? Ensemble, tout ensemble.
Note that a post in response is preferred.
Warmest
Timothy Bailey
The Skyptical Mensurer and Audio Scrounger
And gladly would he learn and gladly teach - Chaucer. ;-)!
'Still not saluting.'
Op. 33 - Apponyi Quartet (Ars Musici)
Op. 50 - Tokyo Quartet (DG, but OOP)
Op. 50 - Nomos Quartet (CPO and dirt-cheap)
Op. 71/74 - Griller Quartet (Vanguard)
Op. 76 - Carmina Quartet (Denon - OOP, but not to expensive on Amazon Marketplace).
Op. 76, as previously mentioned, contains some of Haydn's best quartets. Op. 20 might be a good place to start though, as they're mature, but simpler works. You could then follow the Op. numbers up through more complexity and sophistication. Or you can pick sets randomly. ;) They are all, after 17, pretty essential (and I like the earlier ones as well), so how do you choose?Somewhat arbitrarily, I'd start with Op. 20, then 33, 54 and 55. Followed by 51, 76 and 77/103. And then the rest of them.
My favorite groups for Haydn are the Quatuor Festetics (especially Op. 64, 71-77/103) and the Lindsey Qt. (particularly Op. 20, 33, 50, and 51: the glorious "7 Last Words"). The former assemblage may be out of print, but are highly recommended if you can find them. (If you can't, you can substitute the Lindsey or Tokyo).
The Tokyo Qt. did a nice set of Op. 76 on CBS/Sony, the Quatuor Mosaiques are very good in Op. 20, the Panocha are wonderful in Op. 54/55, and the Tatrai are excellent in Op. 17 and everything before that (I haven't heard their later Haydn recordings).
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I just heard this one at a friend's house. Sounds very nice.
.
From Op. 20 on, Haydn's quartets are very worthwhile. Save the earlier ones for later.
I like the Op. 71 & 74 quartets performed by the Griller String Quartet. (link below.)
Bill
On Emergo Label is a favorite of mine. Out of print, but can be found used.
I'm a bit surprised nobody mentioned Opus 20 SQs. They happen to be among my favorites.
Tom B.
Try this. Sort of a "greatest hits" overview of the Haydn quartets (full performances, not individual movements). Performances and sound quality are top-notch, plus there's a bonus disc of tracks from other Emerson recordings. This would be an excellent starting point, IMO.
Their recordings are always polished, but with a cold clinical perfection that does very little for me. The picture above seems to capture the spirit of the group--stylish, and I mean that in the worst sort of way, self assured, but forbiddingly cold. It looks like a portrait of four people in a room who've never met each other. I'm more partial to the Quatuor Mosaique's recordings, or even the Lindsays who may not be able to play in tune, but who can at least communicate.
imho,the auryn quartet on the tacet label does a fantastic job on the cd's i have.the 17,20,33 and 76 are all top shelf performances. i think that they are one of the best kept secrets on haydn's quartets.
jim buck
I have their Haydn recordings available on DVD-Audio (also have their complete Beethoven cycle on that medium), and I feel that their extremely transparent style is perfect for this music (aided by Tacet's outstanding engineering).
I borrowed my friend's copy of the Orlando doing Op.76, No.4 and just loved it. I found on youtube the Auryn Quartet playing the Adagio from No.4. I kept going back and forth and liked the rendition of the Orlando better! Even though it's not a recent recording, I thought the musical interpretation flowed better and just sounded to me like it made more sense.
I'm hoping what I heard on youtube is from the recent Tacet recording, because if it is I think I'm not sure I like Auryn's approach. I noted in that other thread from November you offered recommendations on Auryn and the various quartets on Praga doing the Haydns. I have Dvorak recordings with the Prazak that I love (actually, thanks to you!). So this is a tough question since the Praga recordings are done by different groups, but do you think I might enjoy their approach more if I like the Orlando Op. 76?
Just search under "Auryn Tacet" on Amazon or another site.
I'm not quite sure I understand how they seem to be recorded (mic'd) in a way that is not commonly done. What does this do to how the music is presented?
. . . but on the multi-channel DVD-Audios, it's a 4.0 mix, with each instrument in a separate speaker, so to speak. It's not absolute however, because you can hear the other instruments in each speaker too. But by and large, there's one main instrument in each speaker. The quartet members record facing each other, and the microphones are in the middle. So, as you listen to the multi-channel, the quartet surrounds you. Philosophically, I'm kind of opposed the multi-channel arrangement just described, but I found the results in practice to be very compelling.
The multi-channel tracks obviously would get mixed down to two channels for the CD, but I'm not sure what Tacet's exact process is.
BTW, one of their most outrageous multi-channel "stunts" is their DVD-Audio surround recording of the Debussy Preludes with Evgeny Koroliov, where they've contrived to make the piano keyboard wrap around the listener 270 degrees. That's another instance where I'm just opposed to the idea, but Tacet's execution of it is magnificent. ;-)
and how!
And there is lots of good performances of all of them on Naxos.
Most of them with superb sound.
Recordings on Naxos. I think they are very mediocre.
I have a few and I love them, most of them are also well reviewed by
renowned classical music magazines.
Edits: 07/10/12
You do not want to get a complete set right off the bat, that's for sure. You'll be overwhelmed and not impressed; it's just too much of a good thing.
Opus 76, with six quartets, is a perfect introduction for several reasons. These are all mature works, when Haydn's powers were at their peak and he knew all the tricks. He did not see them as a "final attempt", but as a culmination of all his skills. After writing so many quartets during his career, he had taken a four year break before these, and had a lot of fresh ideas in store. They were commissioned works, so his financial security was assured, allowing him free range for his inspiration. They were composed as a set (obviously) and are frequently recorded as a complete set, sometimes in a double disc package for less than the price of two discs. Despite that, they are all individual pieces of music with their own character and style, like members of a musical family. Three of them have nicknames, which, in itself, is a sort of recommendation if you think about it. Most "classical" compositions that have nicknames were not named by the composer, but acquired descriptive or cute appellations over years of being performed regularly and enjoyed thoroughly. Instead of having to tell someone you were playing or heard Haydn's Opus 76, No. 3, you could use the nickname "Emperor" and they'd know exactly what you were talking about. Sometimes the publisher added the name to increase sales. Who could resist any piece of music called Emperor or Sunrise?
Peace,
Tom E
Haydn practically invented the string quartet, and Op. 76 is a major high point of Western music (yes, just my opinion, but a very commonly shared opinion). I'm also a big fan of the now retired Lindsays, not in spite of their admitted lack of absolute precision, but because of it. They know how to make music breathe.
For those who haven't yet come across this, BBC Radio 3 does a weekly review programme called "Building a Library", which is a comparative review of currently available recordings of a single work or group of works. Downloadable podcasts (see below) are available of many of the recent programmes.
Recently the subject was Haydn's Op. 33 quartets, and (spoiler alert!) the winner was the Lindsays.
This programme is reliably excellent, and I would recommend that anyone interested investigate the podcasts.
Alex
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"If people don't want to come, nothing will stop them" - Sol Hurok
Surprise, surprise!LOL! No chauvinism here!
Actually, although I personally have problems with the Lindsays myself, I'm not necessarily knocking that choice per se. It just seems to be yet another manifestation of a certain British characteristic well known in the rest of the world. ;-)
And BTW, the classical music programs on the BBC are often so wonderful and information rich that they put our classical broadcast programming in the US (what there is remaining of it) to shame. Many of the BBC announcers and hosts are VERY knowledgeable, and, for the most part, they're a joy to listen to - including the various "Building a Library" segments. I was just having a little fun with this particular choice. ;-)
Edits: 07/12/12
After all, Gramophone is theirs. The Penguin Guide is theirs. And of course, BBC 3 is theirs. And anyway, nobody beats Americans in local bias. Just check out our TV coverage of the Olympics. Sports where no American has a chance at a medal might as well not exist.
When the Brits indulge in their chauvinism, it's part of their charm. We we indulge in ours, its more obnoxious! ;-)
is one of my favorites.
I very much like the complete set by the Buchberger Quartet. Modern instruments with an historical feel. It's cheap and the sound is good.There is nothing not to like.
"If people don't want to come, nothing will stop them" - Sol Hurok
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. . . that's no reason you have to. ;-)
Seriously, you could start just about anywhere, and you're unlikely to hit a dud.
The link below is to a discussion we had about various performances of these works last November.
Recommendation with Op 77 #1, which has always been a favorite of mine. There is an excellent Alban Berg Qt recording of the two Op 77 quartets on EMI which is a very good place to start, I think. The Opus numbers with six are more taxing and leave even a dedicated fan like me confused about which passage goes where.
Thanks Travis and CfL. I read through that previous thread and thought to myself - "It seems like there are a bunch of great performances available." When I got to Travis' comment"IMHO, searching for the best performance of Haydn string quartets could be a way to madness"
It dawned on me this isn't going to be easy. :-o
Edits: 07/10/12
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