COMPOSERS: Haydn
LABELS: ASV Gold
ALBUM TITLE: Haydn - Strign Quartets Op. 74
WORKS: String Quartets, Op. 74
PERFORMER: The Lindsays
CATALOGUE NO: GLD 4013
These fine performances of three
of Haydn’s greatest quartets serve
as a reminder of what we have lost
with the Lindsays’ recent decision
to disband. The warmth and
spontaneity of the playing marks
them out as the natural successors
to their direct competitor in this
repertoire, the Amadeus Quartet,
and the gypsy-style exuberance
of Peter Cropper’s violin playing
in the ‘bouncing’ finale of the
famous Rider, Op. 74 No. 3, can
well stand comparison with that
of his Amadeus counterpart,
Norbert Brainin.
In the husky, world-weary tone
the Lindsays find for the minormode
middle section of the slow
movement they actually surpass
their predecessors. Mind you, the
Amadeus’s heart-on-sleeve accounts
of these great works convey a
sense of affection that is uniquely
moving, and I wouldn’t want to be
without them.
The Lindsays observe every
single repeat – somewhat of a
mixed blessing. In Op. 74 No. 1
you get to hear everything twice
over, but at least the repeats are
musically convincing. The same
can’t be said of the second-half repeat in the opening movement of
the two companion-works, where
Haydn constructs a subtle link
between the end of the exposition
and the start of the central section.
To revisit that link following
the movement’s full-blown close
makes no sense, and the repeatmarks
can only be there out of
pure convention. But don’t let that
put you off: these are thoroughly
enjoyable and insightful
performances, not to be missed. Misha Donat