Haydn Quartett

On this recording of The Seven Words, the Rosamunde String Quartet offers a compelling rendition of one of Haydn's most complex compositions. The Seven Words was originally composed for a full orchestra as a series of seven adagios, which were meant to be interludes during a congregation's meditations on the last seven words of Christ on the Cross. Haydn struggled with a way to compose seven connected pieces of music that were solemn and yet varied enough to keep the listener from getting bored. The members of the Rosamunde Quartet are technically brilliant as they demonstrate the composer's solutions to this musical puzzle. Even though the tempo is slow, they never let the music become ponderous or oppressive. But to Haydn, The Seven Words was more than just an aural conundrum. He felt the composition was perhaps his most sacred work, and the quartet plays this music with reverence for the composer's spiritual intentions. This is a profound piece of music, and the Rosamunde does it justice on each of its many levels.

This warmly recorded, naturally balanced disc is delightful. The Minetti Quartet offers three late Haydn masterpieces, played with plenty of high spirits and, in the slow movements, a fresh songfulness (both Opp. 64's and 76's are marked "cantabile") that's most affecting. There's practically nothing to criticize here. Highlights include the really zippy final prestos of Opp. 64 and 76, and the intense Largo assai of the "Rider" quartet. In the finale of the latter, the group's articulation is a touch clipped in the main theme, and as a result the music doesn't quite speak as it should, but better too much energy than too little. The minuet (really a scherzo) of Op. 76 also is terrific, smooth as silk until Haydn's disruptive syncopation sets in. If you're looking for a very attractive single-disc collection of late Haydn quartets, I can recommend this without hesitation. Playing time is a bit short–under an hour–so there was still room for another full quartet, but if this doesn't concern you terribly, then go for it.

Written between December 1782 and January 1785 the set of six string quartets which Mozart dedicated to Haydn are striking masterpieces, and that he meant them to be so is clear from the printed dedication to his older colleague. ''Dearest friend and famous man,'' he wrote, ''here are… these six sons of mine. They are the fruit of long and laborious effort. One thing has a little encouraged and comforted me: the hope, flatteringly whispered to me, that these musical works might one day be a joy to me… I therefore commend my children to you, hoping that they will not seem totally unworthy of your love.'' Furthermore, Mozart's choice of the medium seems appropriate since he and Haydn had on occasion played together as members of a string quartet, and both surely thought of it as a more refined vehicle for musical thought than the symphony orchestra.

It may seem an unlikely thing to say about a German chamber ensemble, yet the Melos Quartet of Stuttgart are more suave, more feline, than the Quartetto Italiano in the opening movement of Mozart's E flat Quartet. The former have, too, the advantage of a modern recording with a more exact stereo placing of each instrument, whereas the Philips disc is close on ten years old.

Haydn himself was in a particularly heightened state of awareness when he commenced writing his Op. 33 String Quartets, even going so far as to suggest in a letter to music-loving friends that these quartets were 'composed in an entirely new and special way'. It had been ten years since he last wrote for the medium (his Op. 20), and he had learned many things since that time, producing a series of wonderful symphonies and a number of operas.

The Alban Berg Quartet excel in 18th-century repertory and the Franz Josef Haydn found here makes up an especially excellent example of this ensemble’s playing. The music is great, too: the two late Op. 77 Quartets quartets are what I believe are the finest examples he penned in this genre.

Michael Haydn predominantly composed these works in three movements; only the F major quartet is comprised of four movements. The four-movement format of the string quartet became most common for the then-emerging “king among genres”, notably in the epochal quartets of his brother Joseph. However, throughout the 18th century, works with three movements (symphonies, chamber music, and concertos) were more prevalent. Michael Haydn consistently incorporates a minuet, which was among the preferred courtly dances, into his compositions. Despite their lighter character, these pieces are creatively crafted, featuring rich melodies, tonal delicacy, and occasional surprising harmonic twists. At times, one can discern contrapuntal finesse, characteristic of Michael Haydn’s style but used more sparingly in these works. Another notable aspect is the individual involvement of all four instruments, although the first violin is given a prominent position, reflecting the taste of the time. This may also suggest that the composer, serving as concertmaster, played this part himself during performances, allowing him to shine a bit.

Michael Haydn predominantly composed these works in three movements; only the F major quartet is comprised of four movements. The four-movement format of the string quartet became most common for the then-emerging “king among genres”, notably in the epochal quartets of his brother Joseph. However, throughout the 18th century, works with three movements (symphonies, chamber music, and concertos) were more prevalent. Michael Haydn consistently incorporates a minuet, which was among the preferred courtly dances, into his compositions. Despite their lighter character, these pieces are creatively crafted, featuring rich melodies, tonal delicacy, and occasional surprising harmonic twists. At times, one can discern contrapuntal finesse, characteristic of Michael Haydn’s style but used more sparingly in these works. Another notable aspect is the individual involvement of all four instruments, although the first violin is given a prominent position, reflecting the taste of the time. This may also suggest that the composer, serving as concertmaster, played this part himself during performances, allowing him to shine a bit.