Haydn naturally forms the bedrock of any quartet’s repertoire. The only problem is when it comes to making selections for a recording, and the Matangi Quartet have selected three grouped together under the title ‘Haydn’s Nature’: the Bird, Frog and Sunrise Quartets. Placing them in reverse chronological order also makes some sense, opening with Haydn’s magical daybreak, proceeding via the Frog, perhaps the most far-reaching of the Op 50 set, and closing with the songful Bird Quartet from the ‘new and special’ Op 33.

Matangi is the Indian goddess of speech, music and writing, and ‘transports her listeners with her playing on the strings of passion, fervor, love and ecstasy’. That’s as maybe; but the Matangi Quartet’s sound contributes more to a series of intelligent, considered interpretations than to a simple striving for self-conscious beauty. Vibrato is used sparingly as an expressive device and the slightly dry acoustic draws the listener in, especially in quieter music, while Haydn’s folksy charm and humour is never sold short – a contrast set out ideally in the Bird’s Scherzo, where the sweetness of the chirruping Trio contrasts with the veiled hymn-like outer sections. Ignore the perplexing booklet-note and enjoy an hour or more of near-ideal Haydn-playing.