Quatuor Mosaiques - Haydn: String Quartets opp. 20 (2004)

“Haydn: String Quartets Op. 20” contains six of what many musicologists consider the most seminal classical musical compositions of all time. Franz Joseph Haydn (1732-1809) composed his Op. 20 masterpieces (nicknamed the “Sun Quartets”) in 1772. He infused them with many innovative changes in style, structure, tone, color, and mood, and as a result, he forever changed the way string quartets in the future would be composed, played, and heard. For the first time, he gave each of the four instruments an equal voice, allowing them to engage in a musical conversation that has now become one of the hallmarks of this genre. He also made the music more deeply expressive and personal.

In “Haydn: String Quartets Op. 20,” the Quatuor Mosaïques’ sublime musical artistry is always readily evident. Playing on period instruments according to “historically informed practices,” this Austrian chamber ensemble offers superbly expressive and poetic readings of these masterworks, always allowing Haydn's marvelously infectious optimism, sunny disposition, evolving musical thought, and innovative compositional skills to shine through.

The audio quality on “Haydn: String Quartets Op. 20” is among the very best I have heard on any CD or MP3 album. The balance between Erich Hobarth (violin), Andrea Bischof (violin), Anita Mitterer (viola), and Christophe Coin (cello) is always perfect, giving these four musicians’ performances a wonderful sense of realism and immediacy. The acoustics of the recording venue are warm, spacious, and inviting.