Repertoire: The IDEAL Haydn String Quartet Cycle
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- Опубліковано 7 лис 2020
- Haydn's 68 1/2 String Quartets, even more than his symphonies, represent the most historically important, expressively profound, formally imaginative, and just plain enjoyable instrumental works in Western music. Period. Here is a suggested list of the whole shebang with no weak links, grouped by opus number for convenience. If you're looking to start collecting these extraordinary pieces, this chat will help to get you going.
Thank you for this video, like you I am a Haydn devotee. I already had many of your recommendations, but I would like to thank you for making me aware of the Auryn Quartet cycle. I now have Opp. 20, 33, 50, 64 & 76 and they have bought me unalloyed musical pleasure for their civilised, deeply musical performances, that let the great music speak for itself. For me Haydn Quartets rank with the Sistine Chapel ceiling, Dante's Divine Comedy etc as one of the supreme achievements of European Civilisation.
May I say you have expressed my own sentiments beautifully, and much better than I could. Every movement of every quartet is a piece of genius... you can never tell what Haydn is going to give you, and that is what is so exciting about him. I agree the whole body of his Quartet writing does rank with the greatest artworks of western man.
Well said.
What a wonderful composer Haydn was! Superlative! In a class of his own!
Just stumbled upon your channel, it's so awesome, I love it
Welcome aboard!
The Apponyi Quartet’s Op. 33 are the greatest Haydn quartet recordings of all time. I wish they had done a complete set...
Thanks again for your splendid videos, and for devoting so much attention to Haydn
What a great video!! Thank you David, your knowledge and love for Haydn's music shines on. You know your stuff Sir 👌
Dave,
Thank you so much for this survey of the Haydn Quartets and your ideal recorded cycle of them. This was the most engaging of your Repertoire talks. Your enthusiasm for the Haydn Quartets is contagious--as well it might be, since this is among the very greatest body of musical works ever composed. Your choices of recordings, at least the ones I was familiar with, were right on target; I was particularly gratified that you chose the Griller Quartet for opp. 71 & 74, recordings I have cherished for many years. Bravo!
I have the OP 20, 33, 64, 76, 77-103 by the Mosaiques strings quartet and it's pure happiness. I'm glad you didn't forget them on your list. I have heard other great performances but I can't remember the performers. For me Haydn is one of the greatest composers. He composed a lot of works and we can't know them all. So every time we listen to a work that we don't know, we discover something magnificent.
Glad to see the Apponyi op. 33 here. Fantastic set.
Thank you! I've been trying to find an entry point into Haydn's quartets and this is just what I needed
String Quartet Op. 2 No. 2 in E Major is one of my favorite pieces of music ever, with an incredible middle section. I have watched so many sunsets listening to this quartet, I've lost count. And, being a guitarist, I had the chance to practice it too since there is also a version for guitar with string trio. Excellent video, rich in information.
Thank you for turning me on to the Griller Quartet. I've always especially loved Op 74 and their's are outstanding versions. I've always been crazy about Haydn's quartets. I appreciate and understand your passion for them. Great channel!
Thanks. I glad you enjoyed them as much as I do. They are real classics.
Great video! Thanks for all the informative comments along with the recommendations! Glad to see the Amadeus Quartet set of 27 listed.
Thank you for this video, and was thrilled to learn your opinion on the music and the ensembles and recordings. Haydn string quartets are fabulous! And what a great list you gave us!
Being the age that I am, have not forgotten about the Amadeus Quartet because I heard them play live concerts in town when I was a younger person. Having heard concerts and some of the old LPs, I picked up the box that you showed in the video. I enjoy the spirit, intelligence and musicality of their playing. Also have plenty of other Haydn quartet recordings, including the Takacs Quartet playing Opus 71 and 74 on Hyperion, a box of Quatuor Mosaiques playing Opus 64, 76, 77, and 10 CDs of the Kodaly Quartet's cycle on Naxos. Great satisfaction with listening to all of them, and also when hearing Haydn's quartets played live by these and equally fine artists.
Fabulous piece Dave - so interesting - I’m away to make some purchases!
You have no idea how much my eyes lit up when you singled out the slow movement of Op. 76/6! I think I love that one even more than the famous Largo of #5.
Your Haydn Videos are the greatest. Thank you.
Glad you like them!
Thank you for your enthusiasm for Haydn, one that I share. For anyone looking for a great set of recording of the Haydn quartets, alas not complete because it ran out of resources, I recommend the Schneider Quartet performances, now available on a Music and Arts box cd set. Alexander Schneider was a devotee of Haydn, and his love of this music shines through this set that include the OP. 1,2 17, 20,33, 42, 50, 76,77, and 103, not complete but a generous sampling of these uniformly wonderful works.
Hi David. I took your advice and bought the Daedalus Quartet's recording of the Opus 20 quartets. I love the quartets themselves and the recording! Thank you! I am now an official Hayden-head!
You don't know how many questions I had that you just addressed. Thank you. Liked and subscribed.
Awesome, thank you!
Buchberger Quartet is just Marvelous! Thank you for sharing!
David, I just had to interrupt listening to Op. 77 #1 to express my enthusiasm for it. It’s got that March-like first movement, but he turns it into the sweetest thing! And I don’t mean saccharine. Now I’ll go back to listen to the 2nd movement, which has already started to melt me. I’ve been jumping around, but I’ll stick to 77 throughout before going back to the other opuses. My goodness! If it weren’t for you … !
I got the Tokyo Quartet recording of the op. 76. The largo of the no. 5 struck me as incredibly beautiful....hypnotic even. I listened to it 3 X consecutively. I will check out the Fantasia of no. 6. Such great music and helpful talks!
Fantastic video. Thanks!
Thanks, appreciate this! I love Tokyo, Mosaiques, and Amadeus' recordings, have more listening to do!
Don't we all!
Dave greeting from the Penal Colonies and bravo yet again!. This was a really tough assignment - I lack the resources to nail the early divertimenti so excluded them in my response.
Opus 77 & 103 - Alban Berg Quartet
Opus 76 - Takacs Quartet
Opus 71 and 74 - Aeolian Quartet
Opus 64 - Amadeus Quartet
Opus 54 & 55 - London Haydn Quartet
Opus 50 - Tokyo Quartet
Opus 42 - Lindsay Quartet
Opus 33 - Weller Quartet
Opus 20 - Mosaiques Quartet
Opus 17 - Kodaly Quartet
Opus 9 - Tatrai Quartet
Best wishes, Bernard
Tokyo String Quartet owns Op. 50, can hardly be beaten. Long out-of-print.
I'm so happy when my selections match yours! (Until I realize I probably picked up all these sets on you recc's...)
Back in the late '80s a group called the Armadillo String Quartet played all the quartets in one day-and-a-half marathon. With the Hoffstetter Serenade as an encore, as I recall. There were times I was the only one in the audience...and eventually I weakened. But it was interesting to not only aurally but visually see the increasing athleticism of the works. It all got a bit ragged, but good fun.
Meantime, thanks for all the informative joy.
@Kanishk Nishar There were meal breaks, and it's possible a nap in the wee hours? (It was in a church, so presumably the audience members -- if any -- who held fast could curl up on the benches with lots of room to spare. Being a weak sister who slunk back to work, I can't say for sure.) It was slightly nuts but charged with a certain lunatic excitement for all of that. Separated the Haydn-atics from the sane population (which I'm sure everyone appreciated...)
Wonderful review thanks
Totally agree with 33 by Apponyi. Just amazing!
A fantastic list, I have nothing more to add other than Festetics Quartet's Arcana cycle remains my overall favorite. Between the two big name HIP cycles I find Mosaiques slightly too brisk compared to Festetics. Both are exceptional without any of the grittiness or ugliness in string texture, ala London's recordings on Hyperion.
And the Auryn Quartet, wow! What a crown jewel among their wide discography. Hands down my favorite of everything they've recorded on Tacet.
Oh, what a journey this will be for me... I sparsely knew Haydn's Quartet and I'm now on a very personal crusade to explore them. Your reccomandations will be precious, even for discovering new great ensembles. Thanks for that! And that said: I've recently took the plunge on the Aeolian complete set and I must say I quite like it overall: very "humanistic" approach, warm tone, especially in the slow movements (op.9, for example), and a certain degree of freshness even after all these years. I must also confess I've a very, very soft spot for the Doric Quartet in op.20... sorry (nah, not really)! My beloved no.4 in their hands is surely not poised but damn it's exciting and pulsating! ;-)
Great chat! I did sound compares on Tatrai's op. 9, Kodaly op 33, and Auryn with my favorite op. 20. Tatrai's is rather dry and unappealing. I never played that set much. Luv the full rich sound on Auryn, though the Kodaly is certainly acceptable too.
The Mosaiques box is sadly almost impossible to find these days. Believe me I've been looking.
Great advice to listen to the Haydn quartets. It is wonderful to discover that the opus 17 G major adagio is the basis for the Shostakovich string quartet no 2 second movement "Recitative and Romance: Adagio" Record and concert notes for Shostakovich's 2nd quartet should mention it.
An extremely useful survey of such a great cycle of masterpieces. Quite a daunting task... Thanks for guiding us through it, David. I have the Mosaiques but have been wanting to fill in the gaps they've left with some equally top class performances. So this video is just what I needed. (I also have the Buchberger on Brilliant but find them a bit too ragged in places.)
While I'm here, just a quick shout out for poor old FX Richter and his Op.5 String Quartets! Possibly written as early as 1757, these works are really REALLY good... I mean BLOW YOUR SOCKS OFF good! (Dare I say it, even better than Haydn's early quartets?). If you haven't heard them and you're into classical era string quartets, search them out and listen to them ASAP. There's a wonderful version by the Casal Quartett on Solo Musica...
[BTW, a video on this largely forgotten composer would be very welcome, David. ;-) His music is so great and so forward looking. Bear in mind he was born in 1709 - that's 5 years before CPE Bach!!]
Keep up the great work!
Not only is Richter great but you should look at the scores of those quartets, with extensively notated vibrato showing, once again, how messed up the HIP folks are on this issue. I certainly plan to talk about them at some point.
@@DavesClassicalGuide Look forward to it. Thanks for the reply.
I heard the Tokyo Quartet live in 1980, and they were sensational!
There are some very handsome releases included in your survey, many more than I really knew existed. I have 2 complete sets in my collection, the Aeolian and the Angeles Quartets (both Decca). Only one of those sets do I actually care about. I really like the Tokyo Quartet in Op. 76, and a complete set by them would have been great.
Just curious, which set do you don't like?
@@brunoluong7972 the Angeles Quartet. I read somewhere that the Haydn recording project took a lot of wind out of their sails, and the group disbanded shortly after they finished those recordings. I am not crazy about the sound or the performances. Both of these boxes were, and I believe still are, readily available and I bought both of them about 6 years ago when I was going through a Haydn quartet phase.
@@kend.6797 Thanks. I also bough the Aeolian few year ago. I sampled both before selecting this one. I actually the "dry" acoustic that some people seems to dislike. To me it makes the four instruments distinctive for the polyphony. I must admid the first violin (E Hurtwitz) too prominent and the intonation not really spot on. The Los Angeles is too smooth. So we agree.
@@brunoluong7972 yes, we agree. I think smooth is a good way to describe the Angeles Quartet playing. It does nothing for me.
@@kend.6797 I bought the Angeles blue box many years ago when it first came out and it turned me off to the Haydn String Quartets for a long time. I figured that maybe i just wasn't a Haydn person until i decided to give the string quartets another try and dipped my toe listening to interpretations of these works from other groups. Without wanting to sound mean or disparaging i find that the playing of the Angeles in the box set is competent and never less than good, however their interpretation of the string quartets as a whole doesn't really excite me at all. It gives the impression of being Haydn played strictly by the numbers. While not offensive in any way, i find it very bland and milquetoast. It's a very generic sound. It cannot compare to the musicality of the Auryn, the interesting raw sound of the Mosaiques, the sheer emotion of the Lindsays, or the clean interplay of each of the instruments in the Aeolians.
Dave, thanks so much for this. I was a little surprised by how many of your top choices were from (to me, at least) lesser known ensembles, and also, even more, how many are issued on, shall we say, "peripheral" labels (that is, *not* on Universal/Sony/Warner). To me this is a symptom of Haydn quartets STILL being a little short-changed by the audience for classical music generally.
In any event, I swiftly swept up those that I could find online as quickly as I could track them down. Was relieved that I already had the Griller Quartet recording. Still haven't listened to it, however! It's going straight to the top of my weekend listening pile.
Speaking of "historical" Haydn recordings, was wondering what your thoughts were on the Pro Arte box on Warner. I had purchased these when they were still on Testament. Was frankly amazed by the Warner remasterings, however. Not sure I've heard 1930s chamber recordings ever sound so good. Curious to know your personal thoughts on their performances, as they seem to be acknowledged classics among older recordings.
Disappointed I was unable to find the Tokyo's Prussians. Major ensemble, major label, unavailable :(
Pro Arte is terrific.
Thanks for the excellent video. Any thoughts on the Kodaly Quartet’s box on Naxos?
Haydn may be nobody's favorite composer, but he is certainly the most important.
Well, he's mine, sort of.
Really? He's definitely in my (joint) top 3.
If you do not mind listening to mp3's, you can get the Griller op. 71/74 in the Bach Guild's "Big Haydn Box" and "Big Chamber Music Box, vol. 3" (I do not recall if it is complete). 99 cents American each (hours of other music also).
I see the Auryn quartet is calling it quits after 40 years. quite an great ensemble
I want the Leipzig Quartet Cycle, but I'm not buying individual CDs. I'll get them if and when they get put into a box.
...and for some tremendously convincing Viennese shmoozing I've always treasured op. 64 with the Wiener Konzerthausquartett.,
Wow, what a bright range of performances - much stuff for "elevating" home office time, thank you! BTW, did you happen to listen to the Chiaroscuro recordings of op. 20 and the 1st half of op. 76 (on BIS)? I found these and the 1 CD of the Hanson quartet with single quartets, from "The Frog" to op 77.2 very "fresh ear" recordings. And a BIG +1 for recommending Auryn for the whole - I nearly like ALL the recordings of these guys, as the catalog of the small Stuttgart label - isn't it funny AND wise to name a label that way?
I was intrigued by your comments on exposition repeats when you discussed the Griller Quartet’s performances of Ops. 71 & 74. I think a chat about exposition repeats might be interesting. I am the subscriber who commented that I liked Bruno Walter’s recording of the Brahms 3rd, except that he should have taken the repeat because Brahms wrote the exposition in a way that makes the repeat necessary. I agree that some composers do this and others do not. Sometimes, composers wrote the repeat signs simply because that was the standard practice; other times composers wrote something in the music that makes the repeat necessary. Without going into further detail, may I suggest a chat on this subject? I’d be very interested in your take on this topic.
It's worth considering, but I think you know my feelings about it--where a composer does something to make it musically meaningful, ideally you should do it. If it's merely perfunctory, you can leave it out. Simple.
Most interesting, David. Thank you, as always. However, I always thought that the op.33 quartets were known as the "Russian" quartets? I'd be interested in your thoughts on the Haydn Piano Trios - some beautiful slow movements there.
Some sets have multiple nicknames, but "Gli Scherzi" is the most appropriate for musical reasons.
Great video! I wish I could afford the investment of getting all of these great Haydn Quartet recordings. If I may throw out there two more recordings which I personally enjoy: Op 33 Borodin Quartet and Op 64 Doric Quartet, the first for it's liveliness and the second for the sonority. Don't know if you agree. Thanks again, I can't tell you how much I am learning from these videos.
I haven't had much luck with the Doric--just reviewed Op. 33 (Yech!), but I haven't heard Op. 64 yet.
@@DavesClassicalGuide I haven't heard the Doric Op 33 but if you didn't like it I doubt that you will find the Op 64 amazing. The great thing about your channel is that on one hand I end up spending to the limit of what I can afford to have some of your recommended recordings, on the other hand I can avoid the possibility of spending money on mediocre recordings which won't be on my shelf for very long. I imagine you would agree that Auryn Quartet is a safe bet for any of the opuses I don't have or have and want to replace? Those are easily available on Presto, others like the Apponyi or the Tokyo on Op 50 are not so easy to find.
@@neptune511 Thank you for commenting. Auryn is a great choice for the entire set. I know the others are hard to find--and the situation is getting steadily worse.
@@neptune511 Apponyi quartet easy to find on UK Amazon at a reasonable price. The Tokyo Qt in opus 50 cost me a princely sum, used, from Germany...but what a set!
Not the same as your list, but the Amadeus Quartet's rendering of Op.76/3 is one of the greatest. Such a fiery finale.
I was pleasantly surprised to see you include a historical recording in your ideal list - the Griller Quartet. I love these performances, too. I'm wondering who are the other historical quartets who you think played Haydn well? I've always enjoyed the Pro Arte Quartet. Their set of 29 is amazing. I wish they had recorded all of them. I also have a fondness for the Hungarian String Quartet.
Before I go, I have to share a Haydn String Quartet story with you. You mentioned The Linsays in a previous Haydn quartet video - and I wholeheartedly agree with your estimation of them. They recorded a version of The Lark near the beginning of their careers which was really good - in terms of the actual playing. However, the sound engineers put the microphones so close, it was like sitting in the musicians laps while they played. This was especially bad with the first violinist. Every breath he took was amplified louder than his violin. I heard more from his nasal passages than Haydn. It was nearly unlistenable. I've found better versions since (including the version by the Amadeus Quartet you recommended). Just had to share.
Thanks. I share your pain regarding the Lindsays. What a pity! I also agree with you about the Pro Arte Quartet's Haydn.
People used to complain about watching Peter Cropper while he played as well. Fantastic live regardless.
Thank you Sir, is ter
A few years ago I took a chance and bought a remastered seven CD set of 29 Haydn String Quartets by the Pro Arte Quartet. I'm pretty sure, given your enthusiasm for all things Haydn, that you've heard of them. I'm curious Dave as to your opinion of these obviously older historic performances from the 1930s.
Yes, I've heard them. No comment (right now).
David, I was looking into that Buchberger Quartet cycle, which I wasn't previously familiar with, and a review I came across quotes from their liner notes that they are playing modern instruments, but draw heavily on the scholarship and performances of period instrument quartets. The other reviewer (James North from Fanfare) had also been under the impression that they were period instrument performances:
From the liner notes: "Even ensembles which, like ours, opt for performing Haydn’s works-now over two centuries old-on modern instruments cannot easily ignore the contributions of historical performance practice. The relevant findings are too detailed, the interpretations of outstanding ‘historically informed’ artists too inspiring!"
North's comment: "Modern instruments! And I have been telling you all along that these were period instruments played at modern pitch. Mea culpa . This is indicative of another point I have been making about performances of music by Haydn and by other composers: because so many artists have been adapting to period practices, regardless of the instruments they play, the distance between the two worlds has shrunk."
I was looking to fill in the gaps in my Haydn quartets (Op 1, 2, 17, 42) but at the price of this complete cycle I'll buy it for those and to give me a second version of all the other Haydn quartets. Thanks for the video.
Thanks for the correction--I read they were on period instruments, but the interesting thing is that nowadays it's often difficult to tell because what matters is less how the instruments are built as how they are played, and as Pinchas Zuckerman insisted, there is no sound you can make on period instruments that cannot be made on modern instruments--the only question (for him) is why anyone would want to play like that. It also shows what happens when you don't get the usual booklet notes, but rather a DVD or CD-ROM (which I did not bother to look at). Clearly, I should have.
If I have to choose a group of pieces to my desert island - it would be the Haydn's quartets. It's a journey as you said with only perfect places to go. Great video. I was watching and thinking - is it possible he will not choose the Mosaiques? But at last you did :) I miss the Kodaly this time - but the Mosaiques are a must have. One cycle I like to hear because their very different approach is the London Haydn Quartet (very slow - but very good) - have not finished it yet - but they are impressive in a completly different way
I have to be dogmatic: Tjhe London Haydn Quartet is the most terrible group ever to have attempted this music. Their interpretations are grotesque, their tone and timbre a parody of what it should be, and their pretense to authenticity obnoxious. I cannot urge listeners to avoid these performances strongly enough--sorry if that doesn't track your own experience, but they truly are bad. I appreciate the fact that it's fun to hear a different approach now and then, but there is no value in difference per se, and these recordings prove it.
@@DavesClassicalGuide Thanks. I really appreciate the answer, You do not need to reply the following messages. It is just really funny as a very little market as Classical Music (I was a EMI's Classical Music Manager in Brazil for years) - and Haydn's Quartets are far from the more popular repertoire - can be so fragmented. A consumer who reads the ClassicalToday will never buy these recordings - but a Gramophone reader could be.
Anyway - it is funny how the listenners can be so different in the classical music world. The Guardian said: Haydn wrote the six quartets of Opp 54 and 55 in 1788, (...)These period instrument players, whose very name declares their affinity for Haydn, excel in the latest in their Hyperion series. Ever spry in fast movements, faultless in dexterity and intonation, they find a special warmth of feeling in the slower moments: the songful Adagio Cantabile of Op 55 No 1, the puzzling, melancholy Andante of Op 55 No 2, the dark, hymn-like first bars of Op 54 No 2’s Adagio, out of which the violin soars in almost improvised, bluesy reverie. Too many pleasures to enumerate. Try for yourself.
And The Gramophone: Hyperion’s recorded sound captures that small-room acoustic persuasively while still letting Jonathan Manson’s cello glow, and you do get the sense (more vital to Op 64 than the quartets that succeeded it) of this music being something understood between friends. There are bolder, funnier, more wildly imaginative accounts of this music out there but you never doubt the LHQ’s sincerity, or the validity of their approach. Once again, it’s a matter of taste.
And the MusicWeb: his set of Haydn’s Op. 20 ‘Sun’ Quartets may be one which you need to let ‘grow’ on you, but once you’ve entered, accepted and started to appreciate the worlds the London String Quartets create in this repertoire you will I hope come to appreciate these performances as much as I have. Hyperion’s excellent sound quality is the topping on a very refined and highly enjoyable listening experience, and given the generous pricing for this two disc set I easily find myself very much in the warmly supportive camp when it comes to giving a recommendation.
I had my Classical station on low in the background earlier. There was a quartet on that suddenly perked up my ears. So I turned it up. I wondered, was Schubert? Mendelssohn? It sounded 19th century-ish. Anyway, I liked it very much. I was surprised when the announcer said it was Haydn’s E flat major, opus 20. I’m not very familiar with Haydn’s quartets, but I’m going to be now. Well, eventually. Instead of starting at #1 I’ll start with your “clumps”.
So there!
@@DavesClassicalGuide I’ve been focusing on the Symphonies, but I’ll intermingle them with the Quartets. Time, time, time!
Have you had a chance to listen to the Haxn recordings of cuarteto Casals?
HAYDN
Hi, Mr. Hurwitz. Thanks so much for these recommendations. I’ve begun to sample the Auryn cycle, and I’m loving it! Do you know where we can find the op. 55 recording on CD? It seems to be very rare. I can’t even find it second-hand.
Have you tried the Tacet website?
@@DavesClassicalGuide Found it! Thanks again very much!
I just wish you would provide a list of the recordings you discuss in your valuable talk.
I list them all in subtitles as I discuss each one in the video.
@@DavesClassicalGuide ok, I missed that.
David, Have you considered doing Louis Spohr’s quartets? I searched to see if you already have. What I’ve heard is quite good.
Not anytime soon. I don't especially care for them, but then, neither did Spohr.
@@DavesClassicalGuide I wouldn’t rate them up there with the greats, but I think #1 is worthwhile, e.g. . So Spohr himself didn’t care for them.? That surprises me.
Thanks for this posting. I have enjoyed so many of your talks. Also, agreed on the Quatour Mosaiques. Just beautiful. All of this choosing one over others makes me think of Anthony Tomassini's choosing the top 10 Classical Composers about 10 yrs ago in the New York Times and although such a project is doomed from the onset I largely agree with most of his choices EXCEPT his exclusion of Haydn; and, I especially disliked the rationale for doing so: It was simply that he had already chosen the other two of the 'First Viennese School.' Thoughts? Thanks so much. As others have said, you are stressing the wallet (and I already am closing in on 20K discs!).
I don't recall the Tomassini list but shocked at the recent BBC mag list where composers chose their top 50, proof that artists are not the best judges of art.
20k? Bless you for making me feel better about my too-large collection :)
@@abrain Tomassini's list is fairly conservative (this is not inappropriate to me). If I remember it goes Bach, Beethoven, Mozart, Schubert, Debussy, Stravinsky, Brahms, Verdi, Wagner, Bartok. As I said, I would put in Haydn (and expel Verdi). I was only able to see the top ten on the BBC list and have to say that I love the inclusion of Ligeti and Monteverdi (and Ravel). But I can not forgive the exclusion of Schubert. You have to look at who is making the choices obviously. What is their perspective? I saw a paragraph stating that others like Reich and Glass and Sondheim were further down the list and if there they lost me. Anyone for Berg?
I've never been able to find the big set of the Quatour Mosaiques playing Haydn in print at a reasonable price. Their 2 disc set of Op 20 is my favorite recording of Haydn quartets along with the Takacs Op 76. I sometimes feel like my classical CD collection of maybe 4000 or so is over the top, but your 20K makes me feel better.
@@Don-md6wn If you don't mind downloads, Qobuz has (in the UK at least) the full Mosaiques set in CD quality for about $35. (Except it is missing one disc of Op.20, I assume by mistake...I'm waiting to hear about that.)
I’m sure you know that actually the Buchbergers are NOT a period instrument’ quartet... but the playing is wonderful
Yes. I know. "Period-like." As I said, it really no longer matters--how the instruments are played matters far more than the technicalities of instrumental construction.
Are these only my ears, or does the Tátrai quartet have intonation "issues", audible as they exit the unisono in op1,1 and serious in op 1,2? - Or are we pampered with modern recordings and their possibilities? - Addition: Buchberger do a much better job, only a little óveráccénted - so I switched to Auryn ... and am in my happy place now!
I don't know if I'd call them "issues" unless they are chronic, serious, and disturbing.
Amadeus Quartet? It disbanded when the first of its members died, as was agreed at its formation. Schidlof died in 1987. I'm guessing that nobody new could mesh with them, and one continued a career as a soloist and the other two largely taught. The oddity is that they didn't join others' quartets on the brink of disbanding due to a "death in the family".