Haydn Sacd

Haydn composed more than twenty operas, mainly for the sumptuous theatre at Eszterháza, the palace of his long-time employers, the princes of Esterházy. Even so, his work in the operatic field remains largely neglected. This disc focuses on an even more closely guarded secret: the so-called 'insertion arias' that Haydn wrote for inclusion in operas by other composers. The rarely, if at all, recorded music includes Haydn's three contributions to La Circe, an opera pasticcio which combined music by several composers, and six of the surviving insertion arias. Among these is Infelice sventurata, written for an opera by Cimarosa, and one of Haydn's finest arias, here movingly performed by Miah Persson. The Swedish soprano shares the greater part of the programme with the Swiss tenor Bernard Richter.

Sampler with works by Mozart, Carter, Vivaldi, Schoenberg, Haydn, Ives plus many more great artists and recordings. 19 tracks from the remarkable 2L catalog, and each varies greatly in character and sound design. Each tracks’ only common element is that its sound seems absolutely perfect for the music it conveys.
Two of the albums presented in this compilation is nominated for the GRAMMY Award 'Best Surround Sound Album'. Discover what the unique Nordic Sound is all about!

The Chiaroscuro Quartet made their first appearance on BIS with acclaimed recordings of Joseph Haydn’s Sun Quartets, Op. 20, described in The Strad as ‘period-instrument performances of the utmost subtlety and refinement’. The Op. 20 quartets are widely regarded as a mile-stone in the history of the genre. When Chiaroscuros now return to Haydn, it is with his last complete set of quartets, begun in 1796 when he was 64 years old.

The String Quartets, Op. 76 are among the most renowned of Joseph Haydn's sets of quartets, and carry the stamp of their maker: No other set of eighteenth-century string quartets is so diverse, or so unconcerned with the norms of the time. In the words of Haydn’s friend and contemporary Charles Burney ‘they are full of invention, fire, good taste and new effects’ – a striking description considering that Haydn had reached the respectable age of 64 when he composed the set. On a previous disc, the Chiaroscuro Quartet has recorded the first half of Op. 76, including No. 3, the celebrated ‘Emperor’ quartet. The release has won great acclaim, with the critic in Gramophone writing: ‘The Chiaroscuros' account of the remaining three Op 76 quartets can't come soon enough.’

These three quartets from opus 33 define the archetype of the 'Classical' string quartet, a genre that would henceforth blossom independently of its patrons. Haydn makes of it a music that is light, subtle, intentionally humorous, concise and radiant, capable of leaving private drawing rooms for popular concerts. Mozart immediately detected its originality as would the classic composers of the…20th Century.