BaL 7.1.12 Haydn String Quartets Op. 33

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

9.30 Building a Library: Richard Wigmore with a personal recommendation from recordings of Haydn's Op.33 String Quartets

Available versions:
The Coull Quartet
Buchberger Quartet
Tátrai Quartet
Pro Arte Quartet
Casals Quartet
Quatuor Mosaïques
Lindsay String Quartet (download)
The Angeles String Quartet
Festetics Quartet
Cuarteto Casals
Borodin Quartet
Auryn Quartet
Párkányi Quartet
Kodaly Quartet
Terpsycordes Quartet

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

Really looking forward to this: some of the most inventive and moving works by one of the greatest composers. I have (and love) the Kodalys (?Kodalies?) on Naxos, but would like to supplement them - this is Music that requires more than one "approach".

Best Wishes.

[aeolium]

Strangely I have heard none of the versions listed by EA, but first grew to know these works through recordings by the old Hungarian Quartet and then the Weller (and more recently the Lindsays). Are none of those available now?

Superb works - my favourite of the six being I think the 'Bird' op 33 no 3.

[rauschwerk]

The Kodaly Qt are ok but to my mind don't have the insights offered by the Lindsays (nla I am amazed to discover) or Quatuor Mosaiques. As for the Weller Qt, they leave out too many repeats for my liking (perhaps in the interests of fitting three quartets on to each LP).

[aeolium]

Yes, I certainly prefer the Lindsays to the Weller (though at the time there were not that many alternatives to the Weller available - what about the Aeolian who recorded all the Haydn quartets? Their recording still seems to be available but only as a complete set of all the quartets)

[verismissimo]

My first ever Haydn quartet purchase (in the late 1960s) was the Saga of the Joke and Bird played by the Albernis. I loved the works immensely (and still do), but that LP seems to have gone in one or another downsizing operation.

Since then, I've had the Panochas as a set and No 4 on its own from the Lindsays.

What joy a new set would be.

[John Skelton]

Really looking forward to this: some of the most inventive and moving works by one of the greatest composers. I have (and love) the Kodalys (?Kodalies?) on Naxos, but would like to supplement them - this is Music that requires more than one "approach".

Best Wishes.

The Festetics Quartet recordings are my favourites (they can be difficult to track down: they were re-released 18 months or so ago, but seem to be drifting out of the catalogue again).

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

The Festetics Quartet recordings are my favourites (they can be difficult to track down: they were re-released 18 months or so ago, but seem to be drifting out of the catalogue again).

Available from Presto Classical:

http://www.prestoclassical.co.uk/a/3697/Festetics_Festetics/1

at a not unattractive price. Their approach sounds fascinating. Many thanks, John!

[John Skelton]

Be warned: I bought the op. 76 and 77 set and then spent years and pounds and euros tracking down the rest . They are quite something.

[Bryn]

The Festetics Quartet recordings are my favourites (they can be difficult to track down: they were re-released 18 months or so ago, but seem to be drifting out of the catalogue again).

I too like the Festetics recordings. I have managed to get Volumes 3 to 8 but Vol. 9's price seems prohibitive. For opera 9 and 17 the London Haydn Quartet are particularly fine. I was not quite so taken with their Op. 20 set however (marginally preferring the Festetics). I look forward to hearing the London Haydn Quartet in Op. 33 if and when they get round to issuing them.

[LeMartinPecheur]

Ashamed to say that my only complete op 33 is the Wellers, bought as LP (Decca SXL) deletions in 1972 just because they were cheap and I thought they were worth a gamble £2.50 the pair. Wish they'd been on 3 LPs with no works split between sides though. Now worth semi-serious money, maybe £30 each. Will be interested in a CD set with full repeats though!

[verismissimo]

I missed the end. Who won?

Sounded like Lindsays or Mosaiques.

[amateur51]

I missed the end. Who won?

Sounded like Lindsays or Mosaiques.

Twas the Lindsays, which are available only as a download, something I find very depressing (the download aspect, not the Lindsays ), writing as a 'late adopter'

Quartetto Casals was highly recommended too and is available on CD

[aeolium]

I thought it was a very interesting and enjoyable review. I loved the portamento of the Casals Quartet in one of the examples. I was slightly surprised by the choice of the Lindsays, as their performance is often quite raw, even rough. I actually preferred the extract from the Angeles Quartet in the B minor quartet to that from the Lindsays. The Mosaiques sounded very good, too.

[visualnickmos]

I only have the Kodalys in these, (Naxos) which, somewhat surprisingly, I thought, got short shrift in this BaL. I also liked the sound of the Angeles Quartet.