Haydn: String Quartets Op 71

These quartets date from 1793 and were written when Haydn returned home to Vienna after a visit to London which had cemented his international fame as a composer and public figure.

The composer wrote a set of six string quartets for Count Anton Apponyi, a chamberlain at the Imperial Court. The set was broken up into two groups of three and sold to separate publishers, thus becoming the Op 71 and Op 74 Quartets, both released this month by the acclaimed Takács Quartet.

The quartets possess an orchestral sonority, and the frequent modulations, dynamic variations and increasingly virtuosic writing can be derived from elements of the six London Symphonies. They demonstrate the composer’s astonishing elegance, lyricism and his immense skill in fusing the profound with the light-hearted.

In these compelling interpretations the Takács Quartet display an absolute unanimity of tone and style and cement their reputation as one of today’s greatest string quartets.

CDA67793  58 minutes 26 seconds
SUNDAY TIMES CLASSICAL CD OF THE WEEK
THE NEW YORKER BEST CLASSICAL RECORDINGS OF THE YEAR 2011
‘Takács Quartet delivers these works with commanding verve and style, often casting novel perspectives on pieces which deserve to be far better known than they actually are … Op 71 No 2 has at it ...
‘Structure and integrity of feeling are heard here in abundance … they unfold the Adagio cantabile of the Quartet in D major, Op 71 No 2 with an unhurried fullness and luminosity … these rea ...
‘The musicians' clarity of line and perfect balance, well reflected in Hyperion's recording … after these magnificent CDs, if the Takács wanted to record Haydn's other 62 quartets, I wouldn't rai ...