Haydn: String Quartets Op.76 - London Haydn Quartet (2 CDs)

String Quartet in G major Op 76 No 1[24'14]
CD1
1
Allegro con spirito[7'06]
2
Adagio sostenuto[7'12]
3
Menuetto: Presto[2'48]
4
Allegro ma non troppo[7'08]
String Quartet in C major 'Emperor' Op 76 No 3[32'12]
5
Allegro[12'11]
6
Poco adagio, cantabile[8'08]
7
Menuetto: Allegro[5'43]
8
Finale: Presto[6'10]
String Quartet in D major 'Largo' Op 76 No 5[20'33]
9
Allegretto – Allegro[5'33]
10
Largo: Cantabile e mesto[8'04]
11
Menuetto: Allegro[3'19]
12
Finale: Presto[3'37]
String Quartet in D minor 'Fifths' Op 76 No 2[26'14]
CD2
13
Allegro[12'11]
14
Andante o più tosto allegretto[5'49]
15
Menuetto: Allegro ma non troppo[3'55]
16
Vivace assai[4'19]
String Quartet in B flat major 'Sunrise' Op 76 No 4[24'51]
17
Allegro con spirito[8'52]
18
Adagio[5'48]
19
Menuetto: Allegro[4'49]
20
Finale: Allegro ma non troppo – Più allegro – Più presto[5'22]
String Quartet in E flat major Op 76 No 6[25'15]
21
Allegretto – Allegro[7'18]
22
Fantasia: Adagio[7'30]
23
Menuetto: Presto[3'38]
24
Finale: Allegro spiritoso[6'49]
The summit of Haydn’s quartet-writing, and of the classical string quartet medium itself. The ‘Emperor’, ‘Fifths’ and ‘Sunrise’ may be the best known of the six—as so often with those works by Haydn which have nicknames—but the others are every bit their equal.