Customer Reviews

Haydn: String Quartets, Op. 33 "Russian", No. 3 "The Bird", 4 and 6

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This is general review of the Naxos series of Haydn's string quartets.

You know the old saying, "you get what you pay for." This is usually true for sure ... but once in a while in life something comes around whose quality and value far exceed the price. Such is the case with the Naxos recordings of the Kodaly Quartet. These are performances of top caliber recorded with very good to excellent sound quality.

But, where to start with so many Haydn quartets? One suggestion is to get the Naxos SETS of these works which are an even more stellar bargin. But, if you are buying one CD at-a-time (which perhaps allows for more appreciation and slower savoring), you might focus on what is known as "Haydn's Top 30." This is a list of Haydn's quartets that are recognized by many experts as 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).

Quartets prior to Op. 17 have more of a simpler, pleasant "galante" style and are quite enjoyable for "everyday listening" ... Op. 20 sees Haydn fully in his "Storm & Stress" period with bold harmonies and dynamic rhythms ... By Op. 33 Haydn was over his pre-Romantic-era emotive composing and returned to a more lyrical style .... Op. 64 has a really gorgeous and relaxed style ... then in Op. 76 & 77 we see the pinnacle of Haydn's craft late in his life with quartets rich in intelligent construction, complex part writing and more grand 'symphonic' harmonies - part due to his writing for large London audiences. A good place to start is to get one CD each from roughly Haydn's early-middle-late periods - like Op. 3, Op. 33 and Op. 76 and see the development that occured as Haydn literally gave birth to the modern string quartet.

Another quartet with a keen affinity for Haydn is the Austrian quartet, Quatuor Mosaiques, whose vivid recordings of Op. 20, 33, 64, 76 and 77 have won critical acclaim for their in-depth readings and beautiful sound. Using period instruments, the Mosaiques' recordings in general are more dramatic in style and tone generally than the Kodaly Quartet (using modern instruments) and are considered by most to be the finest of any period-instrument quartet right now. Their award-winning Op. 20 recording is most exceptional and dramatic. But the Kodaly Quartet with their lucious, smooth-sounding Haydn recordings gets universally high marks from most reviewers and is the finest value bar none. Go for the sets for the best value.

I ordered this CD and its mate with the other three quartets of Opus 33. My interest in these six quartets was originally their importance as models for Mozart's six late quartets dedicated to Joseph Haydn. However, I discovered that these are great works on their own, in the same class as Mozart's. The differences between them show the differences in Mozart and Haydn's temperaments, rather than any difference in genius of the composer or excellence of workmanship.

The performances of the Kodaly Quartet are uniformly first-rate, and the quality of the reproduction is excellent.

If you spend your money buying the performances of Haydn's Quartets by the Kodaly Quartet on separate disks. They've all be included in the Naxos 25-CD "Complete Haydn Quartets" bargain box, and unlike many such bargains, they come with an ample booklet of historical and musicological notes. To my ears, although not all the Kodaly interpretations are equally impressive, the Big Box has come to seem quite a wonderful acquisition.

Three of the six quartets from Opus 33 have nicknames in English -- The Joke, The Bird, & How Do You Do -- almost a guarantee that they will be more familiar and more popular with audiences. The six were split into two CDs in this original release, with the first CD containing #s 5, 2, & 1, while the second CD contains #s 3, 6, and 4. In other words, the most affective and complex three are on one disk, the second, and the most facile and galante are on the other, the first. That seems uncommonly 'decent' for a recording company so i preseume it was the choice of the musicians. If you decide to buy one CD, make sure it's the CD that features #s 3, 6, & 4, or "The Joke" will be on you!

In general, Opus 33 seems to me to be a sort of retrenchment in to the galante lightweight style of earlier Rococo chamber music, after the bold structural complexity and serious tenor of the Sun quartets, Opus 20. Especially the three compositions on CD1 step backward from the 'classical' distribution of musical interest across all four voices of the quartet; as in earlier works, most of the melodic 'attention' is focused on the first violin. That, unfortunately, reveals the weakest qualities of the Kodaly ensemble and of all quartets performing on 'modern' instruments. The timbre of the first violin, so far removed from the lower voices, sounds wiry and scrape-ish. Perhaps that's why the three quartets on CD2 sound so much better - not because they're more ably performed but because they aren't so exposed. In any case, I'm giving CD1 three stars and CD2 five stars.

This has become one of my favorite albums because of the superb Kodaly Quartet... absolutely magnificent playing of magnificent music. A must-have for your music library!