Alban Berg Quartett - Haydn: String Quartets Op. 76 Nos. 1, 5 & 6 (1999)

Recordings of Haydn's Op. 76 quartets continue to pour in, with this one arriving at approximately the same time as The Lindsays (terrible on ASV) and the Mosaïques (excellent on Astrée). The Alban Berg Quartett is, of course, one of the great chamber ensembles active today, and its performances leave little to be desired if modern instruments (rather than so-called "authetic" ones) are to your taste. The foursome plays all three works with an ideal combination of tonal warmth, accurate intonation, and whip-crack rhythmic precision, and they are very well recorded. From the beautifully phrased cello solo at the opening of Op. 76 No. 1 to the daredevil finale of the Quartet in E-flat, you can tell immediately that these players still command that special combination of clarity and dynamism that characterizes all of their best work. And the slow movements clearly prove that, unlike The Lindsays, they know how to sustain a pure, singing line. -- David Hurwitz