Review: Haydn – String Quartets Op. 76

The Chiaroscuro Quartet have forged a substantial reputation as one of the leading period instrument string quartets since their formation in 2005. Their previous recordings have included Haydn’s Op. 20, Schubert’s “Rosamunde” and “Death and the Maiden” (read a review here). Their latest album for BIS completes the full Op. 76 with No. 4-6, the first volume was released last year.

Volume 1 on Amazon

Volume 2 on Amazon

Haydn’s op.76 quartets contain some of his most innovative and creative writing and are some of the most famous quartets in the whole repertoire. The style of the pieces ranges vastly, as does the emotional content. There is greater equality between players in the group, allowing for more interaction and less dominance by the lead-violinist. The Chiaroscuro’s strong chemistry allows them to execute these innovative quartets with complete conviction.

The Chiaroscuros play on instruments of the period, full details on which are provided in the booklet. Gut strings are infamously unreliable for their tuning, and with very close listening there are occasional blemishes in the security and clarity of the intonation across all six quartets.

The Chiaroscuro revel in Haydn’s expressive writing, which sometimes brings boldness not available with Quatuor Mosaïques. The London Quartet are pedestrian in comparison with the Chiaroscuro’s respectable tempo choices. Their sound, similar to Quatuor Mosaïques, is full-bodied, rounded and brimming with vitality. When Ibragimova takes solos, she produces a big sound, a testament to her substantial and authoritative musical personality. The other members of the quartet match her equally, resulting in a nice balance. The color and vivacity suit Haydn’s humor and innovation. In the slower movements, the quartet’s lack of vibrato is at its starkest, as illustrated in the slow movement of the Fourth Quartet. While Ibragimova’s clarity is highly commendable, I felt that the lower parts lack warmth in the longer lines.

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Haydn composed highly contrasting sections into the movements of these quartets, which makes them very interesting to listen to. Yet these contrasts need to be handled with care so as not to sound like separate movements. The Chiaroscuro recognize this and through their carefully considered pacing bring a sense of unity not only to each movement, but each quartet in the set.

And so the opening G major quartet is radiant, while darker hues underpin the D minor quartet (“Fifths”). The C major “Emperor” is pure with appropriate majesty. The B-flat major (“Sunrise”) exhibits some of the strongest unity between the players, and in the final quartet of the set, one can hear mystery and aloofness.

Groups like the Doric, who hybridize period bows with modern strings, bring the essence of period style with the reliability of regulated intonation, more suited to some tastes. The Kodály Quartet also offer some interesting performances of Haydn’s Op.76 on modern instruments. As a period choice, the Chiaroscuro have set a high bar not just in sound, but in overall approach. No complaints about the recording engineering too, which is pleasing but maintains bite in sharp attacks, both on SACD and CD. Informative notes from Richard Wigmore are a pleasing read, setting the music in historical context.