Customer Reviews

Haydn: Complete String Quartets

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Most reviews of this impressive set give a definate "thumbs up" for the performance. Penguin gives it 3/3 stars while ClassicsToday rated this work a perfect 10/10 for artistic quality/sound quality and Gramophone also rates it high (2/3 circles). Additionally, this quartet scored a Grammy Award in 2002 for "Best Chamber Performance." Many find these performances here to be among the best offered for complete sets.

However, there is some disagreement if the "ambience" of the recording sessions was ideal for the intimate dialog of chamber music. As compared to other recordings (Mosaiques, Kodaly, Takacs), the Philips recording here is best described as "spacious" and thus has a slight lack of immediecy. The effect is approximately akin to sitting in the 20th row of a medium-sized hall. Personally, I do not care for the sound-engineering here. It took slightly more effort to follow the separate instruments in these recordings than others. My guess is the engineers kept the settings from the first sessions to keep continuity through the cycle (versus the Naxos/Kodaly set which kept refining the settings). While no major reviewer (like Penquin) commented negatively on this aspect of sound quality, it baffles me why not. I agree with other reviewers here on Amazon who gave lower marks for sound. But it really is relative and what is important to you. For most people this probably will not be an issue and the outstanding performances will stand far and above any sound quality nuances. But regardless, before you spend $100-150 on such a set, it is wise to give it a "test drive" first on your sound system. Check your library like I did.

Those listeners who prefer a more "up-close-and-personal" ambiance might prefer the award-winning recordings of the Quatuor Mosaiques whose use of period instruments creates an incredibly unique, full sound with rich tonal qualities. (Op. 20, 33, 64, 76, 77 separately). You can clearly hear the separate insruments on these brilliant, all-digital recordings. Personally, I find the Mosaiques readings much more compelling for Haydn at least, but it is a matter of style preference. Where the period-instrument sounds of the Mosaiques are more dramatic, sharp and appropriately "edgy" at times, the overall textures and "flavor" of the Angeles Quartet is definately on the modern instruments side - smooth, polished and not as overtly intense. Indeed, there is more of a "symphonic" sound to the Angeles recordings here to my ears. So, with the Mosaiques you have sharper tonanily and more dramatic effects; while with the Angeles, more of a well-mannered elegance and poise. Also using modern instruments, the Kodaly Quartet on the budget Naxos label is also a superb choice and gets universally high marks too with playing that is of top caliber and good recorded sound. But, for Haydn's Quartets, the Mosaiques stand apart and would be my top choice overall - assuming you can afford the higher costing sets.

It may also be preferable for some to diversify such a large body or music by getting one or two CD's at a time of several quartets rather than the "whole enchilada" by the same quartet. I was happy I did it this way and enjoy recordings from the Kodaly, Tacaks and Mosaiques quartets. They each bring something valuable to the music. By the way, if you approach Haydn's quartets one CD at a time, you might start with the "Top 30" quartets that most music experts feel are his finest: Op. 3 (no. 3,5) - Op. 9 (no. 2) - Op. 17 (no. 5) - Op. 20 (no. 4,5,6) - Op. 33 (No. 2,3,6) - Op. 50 (no. 6) - Op. 54 (no. 1,2,3) - Op. 64 (all) - Op. 74 (no. 1,2,3) - Op. 76 (all) - Op. 77 (no. 1,2).

This set is really quite exceptional. All of the works which have been verified to have both been composed by Haydn and which were originally written as string quartets are contained in this set. As an earlier review notes, the performances are from the Döblinger as edition edited by H.C. Robbins Landon for the complete Haydn edition, and in some cases the articulations and notes can be quite different from most of the "standard" available editions. If you're following along in the bound volumes of Dover scores (reissues of the Eulenburg editions) you'll find a lot of discrepancies. All of this minutia aside, the playing of the Angles Quartet is really quite good, and they do a good job of adapting their sound to the differing eras of the quartets. I think that many people will spend much of their listening in the sets prior to Op. 33, as these are much less familiar territory for the serious collector, concertgoer, and even quartet player. Op. 9 are particularly interesting, and the Op. 1 have many charms to offer. I whole-heartedly recommend this set for the countless hours of discovery that it will engender, and for the sheer excellence of the performances.

An incredible recording.

In this day of more string quartets performing better than ever, the Angeles String Quartet stands out as a goose-bump-producing superior group. Their technique is, as you would expect, top-drawer. What really shines is their musicianship and interpretations of these works.

The standing joke of playing Haydn quartets is "No one should perform the Haydn string quartets. They are too easy for beginners and too difficult for professionals." Boy, have they created a wonderful collection! Their interpretations are beautiful, without being sappy (for example, no cheapshot glissandos); expressive yet simple. And they adapt their sounds across the range of quartets. (Listen to the slow movements of the Op1#1 and Op77#2 -- wow!)

For you string players who use the Peters editions, be prepared for surprises. Dynamics and articulations are often different, particularly in the earlier quartets, and the "licks" are just different. For example, in last movement of Op17#5 (I think) the Peters edition has an 8 bar first fiddle phrase. Ms Lenski plays a very different 6 bar phrase.

This is a buy of the decade. Don't pass it up. Even you old grizzled string players who meet once a week to play quartets will be dazzled by these recordings.

Here's another complete set of Haydn's string quartets. One could say, the Angeles Quartet at its best. The recording is consistently fresh and clear, the playing energizing. Naturally, a set like this is only for serious lovers and collectors of classical music, but the set is truly worth the money. Those who love Haydn's music or just string quartets should not hesitate. The set is a pure pleasure from the very first CD to the very last (of course, it's going to take you a few days to listen to all the CDs).

A beautiful recording of all the Haydn quartets, executed with sparkle and style. Acoustically, the engineering emphasizes a grand, spacious sound that was obviously too "echo-y" for some reviewers, but is neverthless full, resonant and beautiful to listen to. The recording aesthetic is similar to the Takacs recordings of Haydn.

This is, of course, a modern instrument interpretation, similar to what you'd find in the Endellion, Takacs, or Emerson recordings. The group avoids ostentatiously inappropriate inserts of period styling that groups like Hagen can occasionally fall victim to. Within the modern instrument paradigm, the styling is unquestionably classical, with an elegantly American sense of beauty when the players tactfully warm phrases, achieving intensity and depth without ever succumbing to romantic excess. In most cases, the players are able to keep their egos from subverting interpretation, avoiding the epidemic of tastelessly fast tempi plaguing other quartets itching for applause.

Without doubt, the most impressive achievement in this recording is simply the staggering quantity of music played. The most common failing of professional quartets is to burn out and slip into a sort of autopilot, "gig" mode when condemned to play less challenging works. Somehow the Angeles quartet avoids this fate and never loses their enthusiasm, maintaining a refreshing sense of wit, charm, and emotional sincerity even in the most lightweight of the early quartets while still providing excellent insight into the intellectual weight of later works. This is a truly a remarkable achievement!

Some Op 2 quartets are omitted since they are seen as reductions of other works rather than original quartets.

Like most classical music fans, I was acquainted with Haydn mainly through the "London" and "Paris" symphonies and the late oratorios. These quartets were a revelation. I didn't expect much from the early works (Op. 20 and 33), but the Adagios from Nos. 1 & 5 of Op. 20 are about the most sublime music I've ever heard. The quartets span the years 1772 through 1803 (the unfinished Op. 103 in D Minor). Despite the hefty price tag, this set is an absolute must for anyone interested in exploring the world of great Classical chamber music. Most importantly, it demonstrates that Mozart's set of 6 masterpieces dating from 1782-85 were not simply a "tribute" to Haydn, whose greatest quartets were actually yet to come (Opp. 54, 55, 64, 71, 74, 76, and 77 all postdate Mozart's "Haydn" quartets.) Haydn's contribution to the string quartet literature has never been properly acknowledged: this set goes a long way toward addressing that oversight.

I would not quibble with the artistic performance; the Angeles Quartet is very fine indeed. I purchased this set before an earlier reviewer submitted his comments concerning the recording and I wish I had waited, for I also feel that the enjoyment of these totally charming examples of quartet writing has been somewhat marred by the nature of the recording.

In my view, the sensation of being "removed" from the performers has reduced the sense of intimacy with the players and created a feeling of being excluded from their musical conversation.

I subsequently purchased the complete works by the Kodaly Quartet and can report that these are equally satisfying from a musical standpoint and have, in my judgment, much better microphone placement and a generally superior ambience.

It takes a lot of time to grasp Haydn's music, because there's much of everything: symphonies, piano sonatas, operas, piano trios, string quartets, choral works, songs, etc. - in sum, more than one thousand individual works. It will probably take more than a year listening to it all, and comprehend it as well (i.e., not as "background music"). Few, if any person, can have a complete grasp of everything he wrote.

But there are nonetheless good reasons trying to grasp Haydn's music, at least partly. This bargain set - 68 string quartets on 21 CDs - is a perfectly good reason. Haydn's string quartets contain some of his finest music. And the present recordings with Angeles Quartet are simply superb. Unlike many period instrument performers, Angeles Quartet avoids meticulous mannerism and plays this music with energy and passion, without loosing structural control. Furthermore, the recordings are excellent, with a rich, creamy and spacious sound. In short, great performances and excellent engineering. A benchmark recording, no less.

There are some rival complete sets: Aeolian Quartet (Decca), Festetics Quartet (period instrument performances, Arcana), Tátrai (Hungaroton), and Kodaly Quartet (Naxos). In terms of sound, the present set is clearly preferable. In terms of performances, the only serious rival is Tátrai Quartet's classic collection from the sixties. But Angeles Quartet is not a second choice. If you hesitate, you need both. Budget and shelf space minded collectors need not hesitate.

In this Haydn year (2009--the 200th anniversary of the composer's death), it is salutary to acknowledge that only Johann Sebastian Bach's output surpasses Haydn's in the proportion of quality to quantity. Indeed, the Haydn quartets, even more than the symphonies (marvelous though they are), are probably the only body of work in the history of music that can compete with the Bach cantatas for the sheer number of masterpieces within a given genre.

If you are a Haydn aficionado, or a budding enthusiast for chamber music, you must get to know these works. Their sublime craftsmanship is fully matched by their astonishing depth and breadth of feeling, from exultant joy and exuberant wit to prayerful rapture and brooding melancholy.

The question is, however, which among the several complete cycles has the greatest claims up on the collector's attention--and finances. I have been listening to recordings of the Haydn Quartets for well over thirty years--ever since I studied them in depth for a research project in an undergraduate music history course. Among the ensembles I have heard in these works are the Pro Arte (classic recordings from the 1930's), the Budapest (equally classic in op. 76), the Aeolian, the Amadeus, the Tokyo (incomparable in Op. 50, and superb in op. 76 as well), and, more recently, the Takacs, the Lindsays, the Kodaly (whose complete cycle I acquired piecemeal), the Mosaïques (the best of the period-instrument versions), and the Angeles (whose complete cycle represented a bargain I simply couldn't resist, even though i already owned the Kodaly versions).

I took about six months to work my way, in leisurely and systematic fashion, through this bargain box. I was struck by the consistently high quality of the Angeles' technical address, their lovely homogeneous blend, and the fetching way that they serenely float Haydn's glorious cantilenas in slow movements particularly. What I missed was a certain joie de vivre, together with the incisive attacks and genially sprung rhythms that other ensembles have brought to this music (notably the Pro Arte of hallowed memory, but also the Aeolian, the Lindsays, the Mosaïques, and, sometimes if not always, the Kodaly). I can honestly say that I have never been inclined to return to this box, even though I have occasionally reproached myself for not being more enthusiastic about these eminently satisfactory performances. Yet, judged by the highest standards set by the ensembles mentioned above, the Angeles seem more than a little bland, and the overly spacious acoustic in which they are recorded do nothing to alleviate this impression.

Should you purchase this set? Yes, by all means, if you find one at an appropriate price (check Amazon's "used and new sellers" for bargains) and are convinced by the mainly positive reviews the Angeles Quartet's Haydn has garnered by critics here and abroad that this constitutes a worthwhile investment. The music itself is glorious and the Angeles will not seriously disappoint you either technically or interpretively. Yet there is so much more to this music that other ensembles have uncovered!

You might want to check out the Aeolian Quartet's Haydn cycle; it's more rhythmically incisive and interpretively probing than the Angeles--despite leader Emmanuel Hurwitz's sometimes overbearing tone. That venerable set has been reissued at super-bargain price to commemorate the Haydn Anniversary. And while you're at it, you might want to consider adding Antal Dorati's Haydn symphony cycle to your basket: it, too, has been re-released in a 33-CD box priced at between two and three dollars per CD. "Engage!" as Captain Picard used to say.

I'm not an expert on Haydn quartets. I just wanted a complete set. Numerous reviewers praised the Angeles set highly (both the performances and sound). So I bought it.

The Amazon reviewer named Musicus sums up the Angeles set perfectly. It's sabotaged by the sound, which is distant and resonant. There's no body, no bite, no warmth, no real clarity--it's just gray and sterile. One channel seems louder and clearer than the other. Often, I can barely make out what the cello is doing. The essence of chamber music is the intimacy and interplay of the instruments. That is not found here.

Poor sound can affect your perception of a performance. I can only say this: I listened to almost all the Angeles CDs. Monotony, boredom, and sameness set in right from the beginning--even for the late, great quartets. As Musicus says, there's technical perfection, but no soul. It's rather like a piece of machinery efficiently operating.

I plan to sell this set. I bought the Naxos one to replace it. The Kodaly Quartet isn't the world's greatest quartet; technically, the Angeles Quartet is superior. The Naxos sound isn't the world's greatest recording. But both performers and sound are reliable and solid. The Kodaly Quartet plays with warmth and affection, bringing real character to the music. With the Naxos recording, there's at least immediacy, clarity, and warmth. The Naxos set is not perfect, but it's far more satisfying than the Angeles. Plus, Naxos' booklet notes are far superior.