Haydn Quartets

These were the six quartets that caused Haydn to tell Mozart's father that his son was the finest composer in the world–and Haydn wasn't just saying that because Mozart dedicated the pieces to him. In richness of invention, density of thought, length, and melodic appeal, these pieces set new standards for the medium. However, they are not easy pieces to play or to listen to, and the Juilliard Quartet's lean, emphatic approach works very well in clarifying the busy textures and maximizing the music's dramatic impact. And at budget price, this three-disc set belongs in every string-quartet lover's collection. – David Hurwitz

For sheer finesse the Hagen is up there with its fellow Austrian ensemble the Alban Berg Quartet. The players' collective sonority - aptly slimmed down for Mozart - is elegantly honed, their ensemble and internal balance impeccable. No subtlety of Mozart's part-writing escapes them. The first two quartets of the Haydn set come off specially well.

A fresh hearing reminds one of the delight the Emerson seem to take in invoking Mozart's sense of respectful care as he sent his "sons out into the world", entrusting them to the protection and guidance of their musical godfather, Haydn. From what we know to be Mozart's long and laborious work on these quartets, the Emerson painstakingly re-create a sombre, almost cautious setting out of material at the start of K428.

“By far the most compelling interpretation of Mozart’s string quartets comes from Salzburg: there is scarcely any other group that is capable of covering the vast stylistic range of these works as convincingly and as vitally as the Hagen Quartett. The result is a recording that should still be valid in thirty years’ time.” (Neue Zürcher Zeitung)