The Lindsays - Haydn: String Quartets Op. 50 Nos. 1-3 (2004)

Haydn: String Quartets, Op. 50, Nos. 1-3 Review by Blair Sanderson [-]
The first of two separate CDs covering Haydn's String Quartets, Op. 50, this 2004 ASV disc presents the first half of the set, dynamically performed by the Lindsay String Quartet and recorded with exceptionally clear sound. Haydn composed these quartets for Artaria's publication in 1787 and dedicated them to Prussian king and cellist Friedrich Wilhelm II. Whether or not Haydn had him in mind for performing these pieces, it is fairly certain he wrote them as a rejoinder to Mozart's six so-called "Haydn" quartets of 1785. Haydn's serious discourse and increased chromaticism match Mozart's tone and harmonic intricacy, though these quartets are more austere and tautly argued than Mozart's lyrically elastic and intensely expressive works. The Lindsay Quartet is fully engaged in these performances, and its vigorous playing emphasizes Haydn's jagged rhythms, pugnacious phrasing, and lean textures. Because these quartets are rigorous and sometimes quite brusque, it is appropriate that the Lindsay dispenses with some niceties of tone and expression and executes these quartets with boisterous energy and grit. Listeners may find this disc to be a somewhat bracing experience, but there is sufficient warmth and depth in the slow movements to balance the robust effect of the Lindsay Quartet's fast movements.