Haydn: Trois Quatuors (3 String Quartets) [Import]

Haydn (Artist), Quatuor Mosaiques (Artist) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (September 1, 1993)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Import
• Label: Astree
• ASIN: B0000017Q9
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #947,002 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. String Quartet No. 25 in C major, Op. 20/2, H. 3/32: 1. Moderato

2. String Quartet No. 25 in C major, Op. 20/2, H. 3/32: 2. Capriccio. Adagio

3. String Quartet No. 25 in C major, Op. 20/2, H. 3/32: 3. Menuet. Allegretto

4. String Quartet No. 25 in C major, Op. 20/2, H. 3/32: 4. Fuga a 4tro Soggetti

5. String Quartet No. 27 in D major, Op. 20/4, H. 3/34: 1. Allegro di molto

6. String Quartet No. 27 in D major, Op. 20/4, H. 3/34: 2. Un poco Adagio e affettuoso

7. String Quartet No. 27 in D major, Op. 20/4, H. 3/34: 3. Menuet alla Zingarese

8. String Quartet No. 27 in D major, Op. 20/4, H. 3/34: 4. Presto e Scherzando

9. String Quartet No. 26 in G minor, Op. 20/3, H. 3/33: 1. Allegro con spirito

10. String Quartet No. 26 in G minor, Op. 20/3, H. 3/33: 2. Menuet. Allegretto

11. String Quartet No. 26 in G minor, Op. 20/3, H. 3/33: 3. Poco Adagio

12. String Quartet No. 26 in G minor, Op. 20/3, H. 3/33: 4. Allegro di molto

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Like a Perfect Cup of Coffee!, November 23, 1999

By 

Dale Chapman (San Ramon, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Haydn: Trois Quatuors (3 String Quartets) (Audio CD)

These performances served as my introduction to Haydn's opus 20 quartets, so I have no benchmark recording to compare them with. However, these performances are so spectacular that I will probably never feel the need to look further.

The ensemble playing is both sharp as a razor and as warm & comfortable as your favorite chair, dependent upon the passage being navigated. The playing works wonderfully if the listener focuses on the individual parts or the overall shape & structure of the ensemble.

My personal favorite among this batch of quartets is number 2. The Mosaiques tackle the 'Fuga a 4tro Soggetti' as if their brains were were sparkling on caffeine and their dextrous fingers leap for joy as if they had just fallen in love.

I prefer these quartets to the more popular opus 33. In opus 20 we get two quartets in a minor key, and even the major key pieces have a darker, more conflict-ridden appeal. Of course, with Haydn this element of angst and melancholy is never self-indulgent, and is beautifully contextualized by moods of glee, harmony, and wonder.

Fabulous, fabulous recording.