Haydn: String Quartets, Vol. 21 Leipziger Streichquartett

• Joseph Haydn (1732 - 1809): String Quartet in A Major, Op. 55 No. 1, Hob. III: 60:
• 1 Haydn: String Quartet in A Major, Op. 55 No. 1, Hob. III: 60: I. Allegro 08:58
• 2 Haydn: String Quartet in A Major, Op. 55 No. 1, Hob. III: 60: II. Adagio cantabile 04:19
• 3 Haydn: String Quartet in A Major, Op. 55 No. 1, Hob. III: 60: III. Menuet 03:10
• 4 Haydn: String Quartet in A Major, Op. 55 No. 1, Hob. III: 60: IV. Finale. Vivace 02:46
• String Quartet in F Minor, Op. 55 No. 2, Hob. III: 61:
• 5 Haydn: String Quartet in F Minor, Op. 55 No. 2, Hob. III: 61: I. Andante o più tosto allegretto 09:52
• 6 Haydn: String Quartet in F Minor, Op. 55 No. 2, Hob. III: 61: II. Allegro 08:07
• 7 Haydn: String Quartet in F Minor, Op. 55 No. 2, Hob. III: 61: III. Menuet. Allegro 04:45
• 8 Haydn: String Quartet in F Minor, Op. 55 No. 2, Hob. III: 61: IV. Finale. Presto 05:18
• String Quartet in B-Flat Major, Op. 55 No. 3, Hob. III: 62:
• 9 Haydn: String Quartet in B-Flat Major, Op. 55 No. 3, Hob. III: 62: I. Vivace assai 07:14
• 10 Haydn: String Quartet in B-Flat Major, Op. 55 No. 3, Hob. III: 62: II. Adagio ma non troppo 05:45
• 11 Haydn: String Quartet in B-Flat Major, Op. 55 No. 3, Hob. III: 62: III. Menuet 04:10
• 12 Haydn: String Quartet in B-Flat Major, Op. 55 No. 3, Hob. III: 62: IV. Finale. Presto 04:39
• Total Runtime 01:09:03

Info for Haydn: String Quartets, Vol. 21

With the three quartets of Op. 55, the Leipzig String Quartet brings Haydn's mature genius vividly to life. These works capture the composer at the peak of the Classical era, blending elegance, wit, and profound musical insight. In the Quartet’s hands, every nuance and flourish shines, offering listeners an unforgettable journey through Haydn's timeless artistry.

No. 1 radiates brilliance from its opening energetic theme, with flowing figures, virtuosic triplets, and a characteristically unexpected modulation that sets the tone for the work. Haydn’s inventiveness shines throughout, from the noble and finely scored Adagio cantabile to the Minuet, Trio, and lively Finale, which feature imaginative instrumental interplay, subtle formal extensions, and a confident return to the tonic.

According to legend, Haydn traded "his best quartet" in exchange for English razors, giving No. 2 its nickname. Remarkably it opens with a slow, expressive variation movement in F minor. The alternation between minor and major creates a tonal limbo that creates a sense of tonal instability. This tension is sharpened in the spiky Allegro and contemplative Minuet, before an exuberant, jig-like finale decisively affirms a triumphant F major.

No. 3 opens with striking simplicity, as a unison motif of descending seconds gives way to sighing figures and a more animated second subject, all of which Haydn masterfully develops through concise modulation, counterpoint, and fugato. His inventiveness continues with a questioning-and-answering Adagio permeated by variation, a Minuet whose final gesture seeds the Trio, and a virtuosic Presto finale that drives the quartet to a brisk and decisive conclusion."

Leipziger Streichquartet

The Leipzig String Quartet
is one of the most sought-after and versatile ensembles of our time.

Founded in 1989, three of its members were principal players in the world-famous Gewandhaus Orchestra until they left of their own accord in 1993 to devote themselves exclusively to quartet playing.

This was preceded by studies with Gerhard Bosse in Leipzig, the Amadeus Quartet in London and Cologne, Hatto Beyerle in Hanover and Walter Levin.

The Leipzig String Quartet has received many prizes and awards to date: in 1991, it won the prestigious ARD International Competition in Munich and received the Gebrüder Busch Prize. In 1992, it was awarded the Siemens Music Prize and received scholarships from the Amadeus Scholarship Fund and the Kulturfonds Foundation.

Since November 1991, the quartet has been organising its own concert series, ‘Pro Quatuor’, in Leipzig.

The quartet's busy concert schedule has taken it to more than 40 countries in Europe, North and South America, Africa, Asia, Australia, Japan and Israel. Many renowned festivals in Germany and abroad and the ensemble's own thematic cycles (e.g. on Schubert, Bach, stages of modernism, Mozart and Mendelssohn, among others) are regularly featured in the ensemble's concert schedule. In 2002, for example, the Leipzig musicians were ‘Quartet in residence’ at the Auditorio Nacional in Madrid.

Since 1992, the Leipzig String Quartet has been recording exclusively for the music production company Dabringhaus und Grimm. Its more than 80 CD recordings – including complete recordings of the string quartets by Adorno, Beethoven, Berg, Brahms, Dessau, Mendelssohn, Mozart, Schoenberg and Webern – are highly regarded by critics. This is evidenced by awards such as the German Record Critics' Prize, the Diapason d'Or, the Premio CD-Compact, two nominations for the Cannes Classical Award, five ECHO Klassik prizes in 1999, 2000, 2003, 2008 and 2012, the American Indie Award in 1999 and 2000, the Supersonic Award in 2007, among others. A nine-CD recording of the complete quartets of Franz Schubert was completed in 1997 and was considered by many experts to be the most significant edition of the Schubert Year 1997.

Musical partners of the ensemble, such as pianists Alfred Brendel, Menahem Pressler, Andreas Staier and Christian Zacharias, cellist Sol Gabetta, baritone Olaf Bär, clarinettist Karl Leister and the ‘King of Klezmer’, Giora Feidman, enrich the extensive repertoire, which comprises around 300 works by 100 composers. It goes without saying for the four quartet musicians that a stylistically differentiated approach to each composer plays an extraordinary role.

The Leipzig String Quartet has premiered numerous string quartets to date, including works by renowned composers such as Wolfgang Rihm, Cristóbal Halffter, Beat Furrer, Bernd Franke and others.

The Leipzig String Quartet was one of the initiators of the Beethoven String Quartet Cycle as a sign of European friendship, which brought together six renowned string quartets in 15 European music centres in 1996/97.

At the invitation of Claudio Abbado, the Leipzig String Quartet has been a member of the Lucerne Festival Orchestra since 2009. The quartet holds a visiting professorship at Tokyo University of the Arts.

In January 2016, Conrad Muck took over the position of first violinist in the Leipzig String Quartet.

Booklet for Haydn: String Quartets, Vol. 21