Chiaroscuro Quartet - String Quartets Nos. 1-3, Op. 33 - SUPER-AUDIO CD [Super Audio CD (SACD)]

The Chiaroscuro Quartet made their first appearance on BIS with acclaimed recordings of Joseph Haydn's Sun Quartets, Op. 20, described in The Strad as 'period-instrument performances of the utmost subtlety and refinement'. The Op. 20 quartets are widely regarded as a milestone in the history of the genre. When Chiaroscuros now return to Haydn, it is with his last complete set of quartets, begun in 1796 when he was 64 years old. The Six String Quartets, Op. 76, form one of the most renowned of Haydn's sets of quartets and carry the stamp of their maker No other set of eighteenth-century string quartets is so diverse, or so unconcerned with the norms of the time. In the words of Haydn's friend and contemporary Charles Burney 'they are full of invention, fire, good taste and new effects'. On the present disc, the first of two, we hear the first three quartets, including the 'Fifths' quartet (No. 2) so named after the falling perfect fifths with which it begins. The most famous of the set - and possibly of all Haydn quartets - is No. 3, however the 'Emperor' quartet with it's second movement a set of variations on the 'Kaiserlied' which Haydn had recently composed to the greater glory of the Austrian Emperor Franz II.

After their exciting interpretations of Haydn, Beethoven and Schubert, the Chiaroscuro Quartet now turns to Mozart's Prussian Quartets, his last compositions for this formation. These quartets were written for Friedrich Wilhelm II, King of Prussia and amateur cellist, and offer that instrument an unusually prominent role. The first of the three was composed fairly quickly, in June 1789, but the next two were not completed until the following year, and in the end Mozart's plan for a set of six came to nothing. The writing of quartets was never an easy matter for Mozart. However, one would hardly guess that the Prussian quartets were the product of 'exhausting labor' (his own words), such is their beguiling ease of workmanship. No. 21 in D major stands out as one of the most melodious chamber compositions of Mozart's mature period, emanating something of the sensual Mediterranean warmth of the opera Così fan tutte composed shortly afterwards. No. 22 in B flat major also emphasizes the importance of melody and gives the 'royal' cello some beautiful solos. As for No. 23 in F major, while it is tempting to hear a melancholy, autumnal quality in Mozart's later works, there is, however, no sense of farewell in this his final string quartet the spirit of Haydn is everywhere, especially in the finale with it's effects borrowed from Hungarian folklore.

After the six Op. 18 quartets, the much-acclaimed Chiaroscuro Quartet now turns to two masterpieces from Beethoven's middle and late periods. String Quartet No. 10 in E flat major, Op. 74, nicknamed 'Harp' because of the abundant pizzicati in it's first movement, comes across as a genial and unproblematic work that was very well received immediately upon publication and has remained one of the composer's best-loved quartets. String Quartet No. 13 in B flat major, Op. 130, is in a very different vein. Belonging to the series of so-called 'late' quartets composed between 1824 and 1826, it is a six-movement structure modelled on an eighteenth-century divertimento, adding two movements to the traditional four-movement scheme an Alla danza tedesca and a Cavatina. Despite it's evocation of an archaic dance, the Alla danza tedesca is typically Beethovenian, with it's original treatment of dynamics. The Cavatina, which moved the composer to tears during it's composition, is a lyrical and moving piece. Beethoven had intended to conclude this imposing work with a large-scale fugue, but it's boldness baffled his first listeners and, at the request of his , he resorted instead to a more approachable movement presenting a mixture of laconic dryness and, in places, tender lyricism