# Haydn String Quartets



## Ludwig Schon (10 mo ago)

Lil Ludi is about to embark on a huge spring/summer house cleaning with Haydn’s SQs ringing in his ears…

What are your reference recordings for these monumental works?

The Lindsay’s were my entry point to these masterpieces.

However, today:

I like the Angeles for Complete (modern)

I like the Festetics for Complete (HIP)

I like the Mosaiques for Opus’ 33/76/77/103

I like the Chiaroscuros for Opus 20

What other wonderful individual recordings should Lil Ludi consider?


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## 4chamberedklavier (12 mo ago)

I usually listen to either the Angeles or Kodaly recordings


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## Enthusiast (Mar 5, 2016)

The Tatrai Quartet is excellent in many of them.


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## Chilham (Jun 18, 2020)

For me, Mozaiques when I can find them, Festetics when I can't. Dudoks do a nice job of Op. 20. They have a sonorous sound, if you like that sort of thing.


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## Kjetil Heggelund (Jan 4, 2016)

You should try the Leipziger Streichquartett! They have recorded them all, but I haven't seen the 2 last volumes yet. They might be my favorite quartet now 🥰


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## Barbebleu (May 17, 2015)

The Aeolian and Amadeus ensembles have served me well. Dare say there are better and worse but these two have satisfied my listening needs for many years.


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## bagpipers (Jun 29, 2013)

I always like the Guarneri but I'm old fashioned eh.


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## Kreisler jr (Apr 21, 2021)

Shouldn't this be in chamber music?


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## wkasimer (Jun 5, 2017)

Op. 20 - Hagen Quartet
Op. 33 - Apponyi Quartet
Op. 50 - Tokyo Quartet or Nomos Quartet

Complete - Buchberger or Festetics.


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## bagpipers (Jun 29, 2013)

The Johannes quartet is good to,saw them at the Vermont festival


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## Ludwig Schon (10 mo ago)

bagpipers said:


> I always like the Guarneri but I'm old fashioned eh.





wkasimer said:


> Op. 20 - Hagen Quartet
> Op. 33 - Apponyi Quartet
> Op. 50 - Tokyo Quartet or Nomos Quartet
> 
> Complete - Buchberger or Festetics.


Love the Hagen’s novel approach to Shostakovich. Inexplicably, the Tokyo 50 aren’t available on iTunes. Love their definitive early Beethoven SQs


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## Ludwig Schon (10 mo ago)

Kreisler jr said:


> Shouldn't this be in chamber music?


You’re right. Wasn’t aware where I was posting originally. Happy for Mods to move it, as I can’t seem to do so…


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## Brahmsianhorn (Feb 17, 2017)




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## Mandryka (Feb 22, 2013)

The last time I listened to Haydn quartets, it was op 64. I was very impressed by London Haydn in op 64/3. 

Oh, I also checked some 7 last words and thought that Tatrai were pretty good in that one.


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## Kreisler jr (Apr 21, 2021)

Ludwig Schon said:


> I like the Angeles for Complete (modern)
> 
> I like the Festetics for Complete (HIP)
> 
> ...


You are quite well equipped already, in addition I'd recommend:

op.20 Hagen/DG
op.33 Casals/harmonia mundi
op.50 Amati/Divox
op.54 Juilliard (probably box only)
and the two discs with the Jerusalem Qt. on harmonia mundi, especially op.33/3 (+20/5+ 76/5), cf. the op.33/3 discussion in the weekly string quartet thread. The other disc has a very good "Lark" (unfortunately not really a fav of mine) + 76/2 + 77/1.


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## Ludwig Schon (10 mo ago)

Perhaps, it’s because I’m such a leviathan idler, but how did Haydn produce so much incredible, first rate music?

A similar question could be asked of Bach, Beethoven, Mozart and even syphilitic Schubert…

Did they have droves of elves or a band of Bartleby scriveners working by candlelight in their cellars, scribing up their scores?


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## Merl (Jul 28, 2016)

Loads of different styles and sets. I have quite a few full sets and lots of individual recordings of certain opuses. The majority of my Haydn stuff is late 20th century or newer as, for me, many of the best quartet recordings I have of Haydn have been made in the last 30 years but not all (we're currently in a golden age of string quartet recordings and the standard of quartet playing / interpretation is getting better and better). As I've not done comparisons of the vast majority of the Haydn quartets yet (that will be a mammoth task) of the recordings I've heard I'd recommend the following enthusiastically as safe bets that you'll like them (not all opuses) ...
Op.1/2 - Tatrai
Op. 9 - Kodaly / Buchberger
Op.17 - Leipziger
Op.20 - Daedalus
Op.33 - Buchberger /Apponyi / Casals
Op.50 - Tokyo
Op.54/55 - Parkanyi / Lindsays / Buchberger
Op.64 - Doric
Op.71/74 - Takacs
Op.76 /77 - Chiaroscuro / Mosaiques
7 Last Words - Prazak / Casals / Lindsays

If I wasnt the completist idiot I am and was buying one full set again of all the quartets I'd probably plump for the Buchberger cycle for their sheer consistency. They are more often on the brisker, harder-hitting side but they aren't slipshod or gung-ho and they are never boring. Tbh, there's so many recordings of these quartets out there that you might be sampling them for the rest of your life.

PS. I particularly dislike ensembles who make Haydn's quartets too gentle, schmaltzy, humourless, trivial or 'Papa Haydn'.


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## Ludwig Schon (10 mo ago)

Merl said:


> Loads of different styles and sets. I have quite a few full sets and lots of individual recordings of certain opuses. The majority of my Haydn stuff is late 20th century or newer as, for me, many of the best quartet recordings I have of Haydn have been made in the last 30 years but not all (we're currently in a golden age of string quartet recordings and the standard of quartet playing / interpretation is getting better and better). As I've not done comparisons of the vast majority of the Haydn quartets yet (that will be a mammoth task) of the recordings I've heard I'd recommend the following enthusiastically as safe bets that you'll like them (not all opuses) ...
> Op.1/2 - Tatrai
> Op. 9 - Kodaly / Buchberger
> Op.17 - Leipziger
> ...


Excellent selection, Merl.

I’m particularly interested in checking out the Leipzigers and Buchbergers.
What‘s your go to recording for the 7 Last Words of the three you’ve listed? I really like the recent Riccardo Minasi recording on HM…


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## Merl (Jul 28, 2016)

Ludwig Schon said:


> Excellent selection, Merl.
> 
> I’m particularly interested in checking out the Leipzigers and Buchbergers.
> What‘s your go to recording for the 7 Last Words of the three you’ve listed? I really like the recent Riccardo Minasi recording on HM…


Tbh, I was going to do a round-up in my blog. Give me a few weeks (work is still mental). I've not listened for a while but the Lindsays have always been an easy recommendation for me (but they're not perfect) but it will be nice to hear the other options I mentioned again and no doubt I'll find a few I've never heard. I'll be intrigued to hear how they weigh up against each other, particularly considering there's a fair bit of interpretive licence in the 7LW. I'll message you when I've done it, Ludi, but as I said give me a week or so (unless someone picks it for the weekly quartet).


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## Ludwig Schon (10 mo ago)

Merl said:


> Tbh, I was going to do a round-up in my blog. Give me a few weeks (work is still mental). I've not listened for a while but the Lindsays have always been an easy recommendation for me (but they're not perfect) but it will be nice to hear the other options I mentioned again and no doubt I'll find a few I've never heard. I'll be intrigued to hear how they weigh up against each other, particularly considering there's a fair bit of interpretive licence in the 7LW. I'll message you when I've done it, Ludi, but as I said give me a week or so (unless someone picks it for the weekly quartet).


Love the Lindsays. As Swiss Toni might say: “They’re like a warm bubble bath, very much like making love to a beautiful woman!”


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## Merl (Jul 28, 2016)

I may regret saying that I'll review the Haydn 7LW recordings. There are at least 70 of them (mind you, that's nearly half the Dvorak American quartets I listened to). Lol


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## Mandryka (Feb 22, 2013)

Merl said:


> I may regret saying that I'll review the Haydn 7LW recordings. There are at least 70 of them (mind you, that's nearly half the Dvorak American quartets I listened to). Lol


Worth remembering that it’s not abstract music, it had a function, a sort of meditation journey, and each sonata has a text. It’s not unlike Dowland’s Lachrimae I guess.


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## Merl (Jul 28, 2016)

Mandryka said:


> Worth remembering that it’s not abstract music, it had a function, a sort of meditation journey, and each sonata has a text. It’s not unlike Dowland’s Lachrimae I guess.


True, Mandryka. There's also a great diversity in the recordings as some quartets play just the music whilst others deem it as a deeply spiritual piece (unsurprisingly) or almost a performance piece by interspersing each movement with biblical readings, narration or poetry (I saw it performed with poems in between each movement at Manchester's RNCM about 15 years ago - it was excellent).


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## Eva Yojimbo (Jan 30, 2016)

For complete sets I also prefer the Angeles (modern) and Festetics (HIP) and the Mosaiques for the ones in which they recorded. The Kodaly and Hagen seem solid from what I've heard, but I have not heard their complete sets (but I sampled them before ultimately deciding on the Angeles).


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## Laraine Anne Barker (8 mo ago)

Ludwig Schon said:


> Lil Ludi is about to embark on a huge spring/summer house cleaning with Haydn’s SQs ringing in his ears…
> 
> What are your reference recordings for these monumental works?
> 
> ...


I have Festetics and Mosaiques, also Julliard for op. 33 and Lindsays for Op 74. I would also have both of those on period instruments; sometimes constant vibrato can trouble my ears and I find myself muttering, "For goodness' sake, stay on the note!" Aren't they wonderful works? But for me the tip of Mt Everest in SQ (actually in all music) is Mozart's Haydn quartets. I wondered why and figured it could only be two things: no patron breathing down his neck and the knowledge he only had himself to please because by doing so he would automatically please his dedicatee. I lent a couple of Haydn's most popular SQs to my late friend Walter Elsey and was astonished that he didn't like them. Walter was my only musical friend and I never met him in the flesh; only through Skype. So now I have no musical friends. I've seen American music lovers complaining about their philistine society and my reply is always that they should try living in a small one. I met Walter only because I bought CDs from him on TradeMe.


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## Mandryka (Feb 22, 2013)

Merl said:


> True, Mandryka. There's also a great diversity in the recordings as some quartets play just the music whilst others deem it as a deeply spiritual piece (unsurprisingly) or almost a performance piece by interspersing each movement with biblical readings, narration or poetry (I saw it performed with poems in between each movement at Manchester's RNCM about 15 years ago - it was excellent).


Check the Szymanowski Quartet - it’s caught my attention. Extraordinary sound.






Booklet here



https://static.qobuz.com/goodies/88/000092988.pdf


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## Merl (Jul 28, 2016)

Mandryka said:


> Check the Szymanowski Quartet - it’s caught my attention. Extraordinary sound.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


What an odd-sounding recording! I can't decide whether I like it or not but it's certainly distinctive. At times it's almost devoid of any vibrato. My favourite movement, Sonata 5 'I Thirst' sounds really strange. This is one I'm going to have to live with for a bit.


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## John Zito (Sep 11, 2021)

I'm new to these works, but I've been enjoying the Auryn Quartet on Tacet.


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## Mandryka (Feb 22, 2013)

Merl said:


> What an odd-sounding recording! I can't decide whether I like it or not but it's certainly distinctive. At times it's almost devoid of any vibrato. My favourite movement, Sonata 5 'I Thirst' sounds really strange. This is one I'm going to have to live with for a bit.


I think that no vibrato is probably right for Haydn - but I’m not sure. I think it’s quite an interesting conception of how to play it - the phrasing and the microtones - sensitive to the text. I wonder if the sound is realistic, and we’re just used to recordings which have been more beautified, processed, in the studio.


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## Merl (Jul 28, 2016)

Mandryka said:


> I think that no vibrato is probably right for Haydn - but I’m not sure. I think it’s quite an interesting conception of how to play it - the phrasing and the microtones - sensitive to the text. *I wonder if the sound is realistic, and we’re just used to recordings which have been more beautified, processed, in the studio.*


I dunno. It sounds odd. I'll have another listen tomorrow. Very strange sounding so I need to listen again at a higher volume. It's nothing like a live performance so I'd say not that natural sounding.


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## Mandryka (Feb 22, 2013)

The cover says that it’s “recorded and mastered in 4K”, which is, I think, a sort of surround sound thing.


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