The Chiaroscuro Quartet made their first appearance on BIS with acclaimed recordings of Joseph Haydn’s Sun Quartets, Op. 20, described in The Strad as ‘period-instrument performances of the utmost subtlety and refinement’. The Op. 20 quartets are widely regarded as a mile-stone in the history of the genre. When Chiaroscuros now return to Haydn, it is with his last complete set of quartets, begun in 1796 when he was 64 years old.
The Six String Quartets, Op. 76, form one of the most renowned of Haydn’s sets of quartets, and carry the stamp of their maker: No other set of eighteenth-century string quartets is so diverse, or so unconcerned with the norms of the time. In the words of Haydn’s friend and contemporary Charles Burney ‘they are full of invention, fire, good taste and new effects’. On the present disc, the first of two, we hear the first three quartets, including the ‘Fifths’ quartet (No. 2) so named after the falling perfect fifths with which it begins. The most famous of the set – and possibly of all Haydn quartets – is No. 3, however: the ‘Emperor’ quartet with its second movement: a set of variations on the ‘Kaiserlied’ which Haydn had recently composed to the greater glory of the Austrian Emperor Franz II.
Three-quarters female, The Chiaroscuro Quartet which was founded in 2005 comes from all over Europe. The first violin from Russia, the second from Spain, the violist is Swedish and the cellist French. They all speak Haydn in the same language and with the same breath of youth and ardour. They play on gut strings that give the ensemble a warm sound, and a supple and graceful style. This new album is an enriching addition to their complete collection of Haydn’s quartets for the excellent Swedish label BIS.
Wonderfully constructed and profound, the six quartets in Opus 76 are the last series Haydn completed. Composed after the quartets that Mozart had dedicated to him and at the same time as Beethoven’s first sallies into the genre; they represent the peak of Haydn’s genius.
The musicians of The Chiaroscuro Quartet present the second half of the corpus here, after publishing the first in May 2020. From the magical opening (Sunrise) of Quartet No. 4 to the dazzling Finale of Quartet No. 6, the whole vocabulary of the mature Haydn unfolds through these pages. Alternating between tears, comedy and surprises in a learned and refined writing style which is in constant evolution, these pieces are performed wonderfully by our four instrumentalists who are well-versed in Joseph Haydn’s world. – François Hudry
Tracklist
01. Chiaroscuro Quartet – Haydn: String Quartet in B-Flat Major, Op. 76 No. 4, Hob. III:78 “Sunrise”: I. Allegro con spirito
02. Chiaroscuro Quartet – Haydn: String Quartet in B-Flat Major, Op. 76 No. 4, Hob. III:78 “Sunrise”: II. Adagio
03. Chiaroscuro Quartet – Haydn: String Quartet in B-Flat Major, Op. 76 No. 4, Hob. III:78 “Sunrise”: III. Menuet
04. Chiaroscuro Quartet – Haydn: String Quartet in B-Flat Major, Op. 76 No. 4, Hob. III:78 “Sunrise”: IV. Finale
05. Chiaroscuro Quartet – Haydn: String Quartet in D Major, Op. 76 No. 5, Hob. III:79: I. Allegretto
06. Chiaroscuro Quartet – Haydn: String Quartet in D Major, Op. 76 No. 5, Hob. III:79: II. Largo cantabile e mesto
07. Chiaroscuro Quartet – Haydn: String Quartet in D Major, Op. 76 No. 5, Hob. III:79: III. Menuet
08. Chiaroscuro Quartet – Haydn: String Quartet in D Major, Op. 76 No. 5, Hob. III:79: IV. Finale
09. Chiaroscuro Quartet – Haydn: String Quartet in E-Flat Major, Op. 76 No. 6, Hob. III:80: I. Allegretto
10. Chiaroscuro Quartet – Haydn: String Quartet in E-Flat Major, Op. 76 No. 6, Hob. III:80: II. Fantasia
11. Chiaroscuro Quartet – Haydn: String Quartet in E-Flat Major, Op. 76 No. 6, Hob. III:80: III. Menuet
12. Chiaroscuro Quartet – Haydn: String Quartet in E-Flat Major, Op. 76 No. 6, Hob. III:80: IV. Finale
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