Haydn String Quartets Op.17
The London Haydn Quartet deliver performances rich in colour and drama
View record and artist detailsRecord and Artist Details
Composer or Director: Joseph Haydn
Genre:
Chamber
Label: Hyperion
Magazine Review Date: 9/2010
Media Format: CD or Download
Media Runtime: 148
Mastering:
Stereo
DDD
Catalogue Number: CDA67722
Tracks:
Composition | Artist Credit |
---|---|
(6) String Quartets (Divertimentos) |
Joseph Haydn, Composer
Joseph Haydn, Composer London Haydn Quartet |
Author: Nalen Anthoni
Gut-strung instruments are used here, and the recording very clearly reproduces the subtleties they convey. Watch your volume though because the transfer level is rather high. The violins are antiphonally separated, an arrangement that is particularly important in movements such as the Adagios of Nos 1, 3 & 4 where the second violin has a bigger role. Unusually, Haydn places the Minuet and Trio second in all the pieces and, very unusually, he has only one fast first movement.
These musicians arrest attention by the variety of their bowing and articulation. They lean into notes, swelling and contracting the sound (a sort of messa di voce) to heighten the potential for expression. The first movement of No 2 (Moderato) offers an example of this technique which is allied to discerning part-playing, fine grading of tone and flexible rubato. In effect, phrases are shaped to re-create the elements of drama, profundity, elegance and lyricism – and all things in between. A very imaginative interpretation.
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