# Haydn string quartet recordings



## flamencosketches

Joseph Haydn was an indisputable master of the string quartet, and arguably the first such to elevate the genre to its full potential. He wrote tons and tons of them, almost all good, from what I can tell. 

What are some of your favorite recordings of these quartets? Either full sets, individual discs, or anything in between. Personally, I really like the Kodály Quartet recordings on Naxos, especially of the op.33 "Russian" quartets, as well as the Takács Quartet recordings of op.76. Finally, the Quatuor Mosaïques recordings of the op.20 quartets are also very good (on period instruments, I believe).


----------



## Rogerx

For a long time the Angeles String Quartet ( Decca) where my favorite, nowadays the Doric String Quartet on Chandos are no *1*, smashing playing, very good recorded. Another good one, the Alban Berg Quartett on Warner/ Emi are very interesting.
Happy hunting.


----------



## D Smith

I can second the Doric, outstaning performances. I would also recommend the London Haydn Quartet which performs on period instruments.


----------



## jegreenwood

Between several box sets from the Amadeus Quartet and a box set from Quatour Mosaiques, I believe I have everything from Op. 20 on, except Op. 42 and 50. The two groups offer interesting contrasts (and some of the quartets are duplicated in the respective boxes).

I've listened to Kodaly, Festetics and others on Tidal. And Tidal has a number of groups I haven't yet listened to. But purchasing more is not at the top of my list.


----------



## wkasimer

My favorites include the Hagen Quartet's Op. 20 and the Tokyo Quartet's Op. 50. But my absolute favorite Haydn quartet recording is Op. 33 played by the Apponyi Quartet:


----------



## Bulldog

My favorites are the London Haydn Quartet on Hyperion and the Salomon String Quartet also on Hyperion (but deleted).


----------



## Mandryka

Bulldog said:


> My favorites are the London Haydn Quartet on Hyperion and the Salomon String Quartet also on Hyperion (but deleted).


Well there's a coincidence, because these are my favourites too!


----------



## Mandryka

flamencosketches said:


> Joseph Haydn was an indisputable master of the string quartet, and arguably the first such to elevate the genre to its full potential. He wrote tons and tons of them, almost all good, from what I can tell.
> 
> What are some of your favorite recordings of these quartets? Either full sets, individual discs, or anything in between. Personally, I really like the Kodály Quartet recordings on Naxos, especially of the op.33 "Russian" quartets, as well as the Takács Quartet recordings of op.76. Finally, the Quatuor Mosaïques recordings of the op.20 quartets are also very good (on period instruments, I believe).


Don't forget Tattrai.


----------



## Guest

My favorite set is the Festetics (period instrument). The box set seems to be OOP, although it can be found as a download.










I also have the Aeolian (Decca) which makes a nice contrast with the Festetics.

I have a huge hodgepodge of other individual recordings of Haydn String quartets, but find myself going to these two sets.


----------



## Brahmsianhorn




----------



## Itullian

I've had many over the years. For complete sets I pick the Kodaly on Naxos.
Good sound , excellent playing.

As for others. I often reach for the Amadeus Quartets set.
That would be my other favorite.


----------



## KenOC

The *Vox MegaBox* download has all the quartets including the disputed Op. 3 set (but they're really by Haydn, trust me.) These are excellent non-HIP performances by the Dekany and Fine Arts Quartets in very good sound. Used to be a buck but it's $9.49 now. I paid more than that yesterday for a hamburger, fries, and a Coke!


----------



## flamencosketches

KenOC said:


> The *Vox MegaBox* download has all the quartets including the disputed Op. 3 set (but they're really by Haydn, trust me.) These are excellent non-HIP performances by the Dekany and Fine Arts Quartets in very good sound. Used to be a buck but it's $9.49 now. I paid more than that yesterday for a hamburger, fries, and a Coke!


That's tempting, but I tend to get overwhelmed by and lost in huge sets of music. Still, I'll listen to a few and keep it in mind. I would love to hear them all eventually!

Going to look into the Doric, London, and possibly also the Amadeus and Pro Arte sets (what's intimidating about the latter is that it was recorded in the 1930s; I am expecting extremely shrill strings).

I can only continue to praise the Kodály Quartet as they are the only ones I've been listening to in Haydn lately. They're so good! Their Beethoven recordings are also great.


----------



## starthrower

I have the Angeles set which includes much more Haydn than I'll ever get around to listening to in this life. But it's a beautiful sounding box of recordings.


----------



## Mandryka

flamencosketches said:


> That's tempting, but I tend to get overwhelmed by and lost in huge sets of music. Still, I'll listen to a few and keep it in mind. I would love to hear them all eventually!
> 
> Going to look into the Doric, London, and possibly also the Amadeus and Pro Arte sets (what's intimidating about the latter is that it was recorded in the 1930s; I am expecting extremely shrill strings).
> 
> I can only continue to praise the Kodály Quartet as they are the only ones I've been listening to in Haydn lately. They're so good! Their Beethoven recordings are also great.


I think that Pro Arte is well worth hearing despite the sound quality, it's "of its time", it always makes me think of the sort of music that Django Reinhardt made.


----------



## flamencosketches

Mandryka said:


> I think that Pro Arte is well worth hearing despite the sound quality, it's "of its time", it always makes me think of the sort of music that Django Reinhardt made.


Well, I do love Django, but I'm not quite sure that's what I'm looking for in Haydn. I'll have to give it a shot.


----------



## Ras

This old *Philips recording from 1965 with Quartetto Italiano* has always been my favorite Haydn string quartet cd:


----------



## wkasimer

Another great older (incomplete) set is by the Schneider Quartet:


----------



## Ludwig Schon

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?

I like the Angeles for Complete (modern)

I like the Festetics for Complete (HIP)

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

I like the Chiaroscuros for 20

What other wonderful recordings should Lil Ludi consider?


----------



## Merl

As I mentioned somewhere else on this site (I thought it was this thread) if I was going to buy a complete set (again) which was consistently of a very high standard (and I didn't already have it) the Buchberger would be my cycle of choice. Tons of humour, detail and some grit in excellent sound.


----------



## Kreisler jr

Admittedly, I have only heard two or three volumes of the Buchberger (op.9, 33+42 and maybe another one I forgot about) whereas I have had the Angeles box for around 20 years. I would recommend the former for "grit" if one does not mind a certain roughness of tone and intonation, the latter if one prefers more elegant, "sparkling" performances. Most of the Buchberger can also still be found cheaply as twofers, so it one wants only a particular opus, this is a good option (more lively and gritty than Kodaly, I think).
In any case I would not really recommend getting either box (the Angeles is oop anyway) IF one already has the other one but rather get single discs or opuses one is particularly interested in once one has ONE big box to cover the whole lot.


----------



## Merl

Yep, as Kreisler says, very different approaches. The Kodaly set is a good one but like their Schubert cycle it's more inconsistent perhaps because its a little too consistent (if that makes sense). Some quartets just demand that bit more which the Kodaly don't always provide (they do sometimes so don't paint them solely as 'safe'), but they rarely disappoint. There are some lovely performances in the whole set. The Kodaly are fairly safe and unmannered, generally, in their approach to most quartets and sometimes that works well but at other times you want a grittier approach or even more vibrancy or bounce. Considering I picked all the Kodaly up for a mere £15 I've been more than happy with it since I bought it many years back.


----------



## Merl

Btw, there are stacks of Haydn SQ threads (I've linked a lot of them below) so do we need another one apart from this?









Haydn string quartet recordings


Joseph Haydn was an indisputable master of the string quartet, and arguably the first such to elevate the genre to its full potential. He wrote tons and tons of them, almost all good, from what I can tell. What are some of your favorite recordings of these quartets? Either full sets...




www.talkclassical.com













Haydn String Quartets much more engaging than his...


I've been listening to a lot of Haydn's Symphonies and String Quartets and I find that the quartets - especially Op.20,64 and 76 - have me much more engaged than any of the symphonies. Even the famous ones like the London and Surprise. I feel like there's always something going on in the...




www.talkclassical.com







Older threads








Haydn quartets


I am planning to get a set of Haydn´s string quartets. In itunes there are some sets from U$189 to u$39. Any recommendation for a set which includes all of them, or the most important of them? Thanks in advance




www.talkclassical.com













Haydn String Quartets. Help!


I'm just browsing the Naxos CDs available on Amazon for Haydn string quartets. I'm a bit out of my depth here. Any recommendations? I see that the top 50 string ensembles only has quartets from Op. 76. Is it worth trying anything outside that? If that is my first buy, what other works should I...




www.talkclassical.com













Favourite Haydn string quartet opus


Which is your favourite opus of Haydn string quartets? I like the op. 33 best, because of their wit and clarity. The b minor of the set is possibly my favourite quartet ever written, and they seem so compelling to engage with in general. I especially like this recording of them...




www.talkclassical.com













HAYDN complete string quartet cycle recordings...


Aeolian vs Angeles vs Kodaly vs Buchberger vs Auryn vs Tatrai What say you as your/the preferred set of the complete Haydn string quartets?




www.talkclassical.com













Haydn - string quartets


It has taken me several years of listening to chamber music to finally realise how wonderful Haydn's string quartets are. But I have not explored many. I know and love: The Sun op 20 no 4 The Joke op 33 no 2 Razor op 55 no 2 The Lark op 64 no 5 Fifths op op 70 no 2 Sunrise op 76 no 4 Any other...




www.talkclassical.com













Haydn String Quartets: Opus 3


This lot of Haydn string quartets aren't actually thought to be by Haydn! Instead, they are generally attributed to Romanus Hoffstetter. Nevertheless they are included for completeness' sake (as per Hilltroll's request). The standard remarks still apply: vote for your favourite quartet, and...




www.talkclassical.com













Haydn String Quartets: Opus 33


The Op. 33 represent the 'new and special way' in quartet writing that Haydn famously advertised to his publishers. Written 9 years after the op. 20, these quartets differ in a significant number of ways. Baroque counterpoint is almost entirely absent, replaced by what Rosen calls 'Classical...




www.talkclassical.com













Haydn String Quartets: Opus 20


Op. 20 might perhaps reasonably be called the culmination of the Sturm und Drang string quartets. They are a famous set, and very innovative and influential (Beethoven copied them out before, and seemed to have them in mind while, writing his late quartets). In a number of ways they can be said...




www.talkclassical.com













Haydn's Opus 76 Quartets


By virtual unanimity Haydn's Opus 76 quartets are classified among the greatest works in the string quartet genre and in the history of chamber music. While string quartets from throughout Haydn's career enjoy critical and popular esteem, it is in his last dozen or so quartets, and particularly...




www.talkclassical.com













Haydn String Quartets: Opus 50


The Op. 50 are nicknamed the 'Prussian' quartets. They were written for the king of Prussia, who was a cellist. The cello part is written accordingly, including opening the first quartet on its own (Rosen sees the simplicity of its opening as a joke on not taxing the royal abilities - take it or...




www.talkclassical.com


----------



## Wigmar

Merl said:


> As I mentioned somewhere else on this site (I thought it was this thread) if I was going to buy a complete set (again) which was consistently of a very high standard (and I didn't already have it) the Buchberger would be my cycle of choice. Tons of humour, detail and some grit in excellent sound.


As to good interpretations of these works, I have recently listened extensively to several recordings of opp. 76-7.
Summing up, the following recordings were most interesting to me:
op. 77: Alban Berg Quartet
op. 76: Budapest Quartet, Takacs Quartet
complete: Festetics Quartet

As to replacing Aeolian Quartet, which is no longer to my taste, after mere reflection, I have decided to buy Festetics Quartet.
My favourite single recording seems to be the recording of op. 76:4 by Takacs Quartet. Wonderful.

Best regards
wigmar


----------



## Wigmar

Wigmar said:


> As to good interpretations of these works, I have recently listened extensively to several recordings of opp. 76-7.
> Summing up, the following recordings were most interesting to me:
> op. 77: Alban Berg Quartet
> op. 76: Budapest Quartet, Takacs Quartet
> complete: Festetics Quartet
> 
> As to replacing Aeolian Quartet, which is no longer to my taste, after mere reflection, I have decided to buy Festetics Quartet.
> My favourite single recording seems to be the recording of op. 76:4 by Takacs Quartet. Wonderful.
> 
> Best regards
> wigmar


In fact, when listening even more, I became curious about the Kodaly quartet and bought this in order to have a complete set. I am looking forward to receive it. 
Best regards 
wigmar


----------



## hoodjem

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?
> 
> I like the Angeles for Complete (modern)
> 
> I like the Festetics for Complete (HIP)
> 
> I like the Mosaiques for 33/76/77/103
> 
> I like the Chiaroscuros for 20
> 
> What other wonderful recordings should Lil Ludi consider?


I believe that you've just about nailed it.

I have many of the Aeolian Quartet's Haydn on LP.
Plus, the Mosaique Quartet seem marvellously authentic on the opus numbers listed.
The Kodaly Quartet offer much satisfaction with good, standard, safe interpretations (yes, perhaps they are too consistent).

But once I acquired the Angeles Quartet's complete set, I stopped searching and just started enjoying all this wonderful music.


----------



## hoodjem

hoodjem said:


> I believe that you've just about nailed it.
> 
> I have many of the Aeolian Quartet's Haydn on LP.
> Plus, the Mosaique Quartet seem marvellously authentic on the opus numbers listed.
> The Kodaly Quartet offer much satisfaction with good, standard, safe interpretations (yes, perhaps they are too consistent).
> 
> But once I acquired the Angeles Quartet's complete set, I stopped searching and just started enjoying all this wonderful music.


To repeat most of this post above.

I have some of the Aeolian Quartet recordings on LP. (They seemed okay, but a little astringent; I never really warmed up to them.)

Then I started collecting gradually the Kodaly Quartet CDs on Naxos. They were pretty good, rather competent, but seemed rather safe and restrained. "Too consistent" is how I put it.

Finally, during a Haydn enfatuation phase (also bought the complete symphonies, complete piano trios, and the complete piano sonatas), I ordered the Angeles Quartet box.

Then, "I stopped searching and just started enjoying all this wonderful music." Period.

(And yes, I do still very much enjoy the earlier quartets by the Quatuor Mosaïques.)


----------

