Joseph Haydn - ''Erdody Quartets'' Op. 76 - Tatrai Quartet / Hungaroton Classic 2x Audio CD 1994 Stereo

HCD12812-13 

• ASIN : B000027C9K

The six String Quartets, Op. 76 by Joseph Haydn were composed in 1797 or 1798 and dedicated to the Hungarian count Joseph Georg von Erdődy (1754–1824). They form the last complete set of string quartets that Haydn composed. At the time of the commission, Haydn was employed at the court of Prince Nicolaus Esterházy II and was composing the oratorio The Creation as well as Princess Maria Hermenegild Esterházy's annual mass.

Although accounts left by visitors to the Esterházy estate indicate that the quartets were completed by 1797, an exclusivity agreement caused them not to be published until 1799. Correspondence between Haydn and his Viennese publishers Artaria reveal confusion as regards their release: Haydn had promised Messrs. Longman Clementi & Co. in London the first publishing rights, but a lack of communication led him to worry that their publication in Vienna might also be, unintentionally, their first appearance in full. In the event, their publication in London and Vienna was almost simultaneous.

The Op. 76 quartets are among Haydn's most ambitious chamber works, deviating more than their predecessors from standard sonata form and each emphasizing their thematic continuity through the seamless and near-continual exchange of motifs between instruments. In addition to not using the expected sonata form in some of the string quartet's first movements, Haydn employs uncommon forms in other movements such as a canon, a fantasy and an alternativo. He also plays with tempo markings, key signatures and many sections emphasizing the viola and cello.

Tracklist:

COMPACT DISC 1

I. String Quartet No.1 in G major   20:34
1.  I.  Allegro con spirito   5:23
2.  II. Adagio sostenuto   7:19
3.  III. Menuet. Presto   2:25
4.  IV. Finale. Allegro ma non troppo   5:27

II. String Quartet No. 2 in D minor (“Quintenquartett”)  19:31
5.  I.  Allegro   7:17
6.  II. Andante o pit tosto Allegretto   5:14
7.  III. Menuetto   3:22
8.  IV. Finale. Vivace assai   3:38

III. String Quartet No.3 in C major (“Kaiserquartett”)   23:14
9.   I. Allegro   6:38
10. II. Poco Adagio. Cantabile   6:39
11. III. Menuetto   4:36
12. IV. Finale. Presto   5:21

COMPACT DISC 2

I. String Quartet No.4 in B flat major (“L’ Aurore”)   21:56 
1.  I. Allegro con spirito    7:57
2.  II. Adagio   6:03
3.  III. Menuet. Allegro   4:01
4.  IV. Finale. Allegro ma non troppo   3:55

II. String Quartet No.5 in D major   19:13
5.  I. Allegro   4:57
6.  II. Largo cantabile e mesto   7:44
7.  III. Menuetto   3:09
8.  IV. Finale. Presto    3:23

III. String Quartet No.6 in E flat major   22:07
9.  I.  Allegretto   6:40
10. II. Fantasia. Adagio  8:11
11. III. Menuetto — Alternativo   3:15
12. IV. Finale. Allegro spirituoso   4:01

• First violin - Vilmos Tatrai
• Second violin - Mihaly Szucs
• Viola - Gyorgy Konrad
• Violoncello - Ede Banda