Franz Joseph Haydn L039Archibudelli - Haydn The Last 3 String Quartets (11 tracks) +Album Reviews

Haydn, the Modernist

11/16/2001

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Well, this may be going a little far, but of course many of Haydn's late compositions point their way forward. The choral writing in his late oratorios and masses showed Beethoven the way in his two masses, especially the Missa Solemnis. And then Haydn's symphonies used novel devices that propelled all of High Classical symphonic writing: the use of motives, rather than whole melodies, that gave symphonic fast movements great concision and motoric thrust.In the world of the string quartet, too, Haydn, not Mozart, is the model for Bethoven and Schubert--even Schumann. The first of the Op. 77 quartets tells you why. Though called a minuet still, the third movement is a genuine scherzo of Beethovenian stripe, and the last movement, with its perpetuum mobile codetta, sounds very much like the more Dionysiac passages in Beethoven's quartets. (The wonderful last movement of the of Op. 59, No. 3, comes to mind immediately.)Here is a chance to examine this side of Haydn in two quartets that show him still at the height of his powers. Even the Op. 103, which Haydn couldn't complete because of failing health, has a strangely menacing-sounding minuet that takes us into a darker part of the soul than the Classical era almost ever explored.These performances are very fine indeed, though note that they employ period instruments. If the Kodaly or Lindsay Quartet is your paradigm in Haydn, you may be disappointed by the lack of vibrato and the steelier tone that gut strings impart. That said, these are models of period performance practice, with a fleetness in the faster movements and a sober, dry-eyed approach to the more inward music that sounds just right for this late 18th-century music. The inclusion of the transcription of Haydn's song about growing old adds an especially apt note to the proceedings, given that Op. 103 was Haydn's farewell to music."

Revelatory

picea mariana | Brooklyn, NY United States | 12/05/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Listening to this recording profoundly deepened my appreciation and understanding of Haydn's accomplishment. Haydn developed the string quartet form and in these late works we hear it brought to perfection. Here is the foundation for Beethoven's great quartets. L'Achibudelli's "period" approach makes the structure of these pieces apparent, while still retaining the warmth and pathos of the music. The playing is extrordinary, the color and tempos are just right, and the recording quality is superb. If you have any interest in string quartets or Haydn (or both) this CD is essential."

Essential listening.

Luca | San Francisco, CA USA | 09/13/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"IMHO this is historic: the finest record of any string quartets by anybody ever made. Stretch? Listen to how the phrases dovetail tonally from part to part, how the figures flow so easily on gut strings, the glorious viola sound, utterly unlike the dull modern sound, the relaxed energy and effortless blend of identities of it all. This is truly a best guess as to what pre-industrial classical quartets really sounded like. Check out Immerseel's Anima Eterna group doing Schubert for the closest orchestral comparison."

Papa Haydn, the Grand

Elihu D. Davison | Morristown, NJ United States | 09/22/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"In the mid 1970's Columbia, on its Odyssey label, re-released its 1954 Library of Congress recordings of the Haydn Opus 76. The New York Times review of that re-release then opined that the Budapest String Quartet (of sainted memory) was the epitome of chamber music performance--the way string quartets ought to sound.

For those of us of a certain age the Budapest will always be the quartet against which all others may be compared. (Happily, their historic performances are now available on compact disc, re-released on such antiquarian labels as United Archives; but not, alas, from Amazon and not in the United States.)

Notwithstanding the diminished popular status of chamber music in general and string quartets in particular, other ensembles have formed and perform and record. Indeed, in most instances, the comparisons between former and newer groups are joyous. The Borodin, the Tokyo, the Alben Berg--and my contemporary favorite, the Guarneri (just to name a few)--are merely among the better known and excellent chamber groups. They are masters of the repertoire, understand tonality, balance and feel.

Which brings me to this recording of Haydn's Last Three String Quartets performed by L'Archibudelli. They are a young ensemble, dating only from the 1990's. They are ancient instrument devotees which I do not hold against them, though surely the classical composers whose works they perform recognized the technical limitations of the instruments for which they composed at the time. (Beethoven's own piano did not have a repeater, yet that was invented during his lifetime. Clearly, given the technical pyrotechnics required for his piano music, he must have composed with awareness of it.)

L'Archibudelli produces a fluid and precise tonality. But that isn't all. Their balance, timbre and phrasing demonstrate an appreciation for the elderly Haydn at the very height of his intellectual and creative abilities.

These last quartets were composed in 1799 (Haydn died in 1809) and are the apogee of his artistic maturation in this genre. Though Haydn did not invent the string quartet, he is arguably the progenitor of the form as we know it. All the other classical and romantic greats (Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, Mendelssohn and Brahms to name a few) follow in his tradition and are in his debt.

We still need the renditions of such historic ensembles as the Budapest. There are string quartet performances by many contemporary groups which are significant contributions to the canon. L'Archibudelli is a much younger ensemble. They are barely approaching middle age. Yet their sensibilities and maturity of approach clearly puts them in the front rank of today's chamber musicians. Because L'Archibudelli is barely middle aged, we can anticipate a long career of flawless performances and fabulous recordings.

This rendition of Haydn's Last Three Quartets can easily top anyone's list of "must-haves," both of composition and performance."

Revelatory perfornces of great music

C.D. Wexler | 02/15/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Until I heard this disc I was perfectly happy with the Kodaly recording of the two opus 77 quartets, but the playing on this recording is revelatory. The phrasing, the management of dynamics, the beautiful sounds of the instruments and, above all, the way the four musicians listen to each each are absolutely 5 star. This has become my favorite Haydn quartet recording and my favorite L'Archibudelli recording. Quartet lovers should write to SONY and ask for more L'Archibudelli recordings of Haydn quartets and of Mozart's quartets #14-#19 dedicated to Haydn."

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