COMPOSERS: Haydn
LABELS: ASV
WORKS: String Quartet in D, Op. 64/5; String Quartet in D minor, Op. 42; String Quartet in D, Op. 76/5
PERFORMER: Lindsay Quartet
CATALOGUE NO: CD QS 6145 DDD (1988)
Not, on the face of it, a good idea to assemble an entire CD of music in D major or minor, but Haydn has a trick up his sleeve: the wonderful slow movement of the Quartet Op. 76/5 transports us to the remote and radiant key of F sharp major.
Op. 64/5 is the Lark – so-called in view of its initial soaring violin tune; while Op. 42 is a beginner’s quartet, written for a Spanish commission. The Lindsays are admirably responsive to every nuance of this great music – and hats off to them for offering genuine ‘live’ performances, warts and all. A few mishaps in the Lark’s scampering finale apart, this is pure enjoyment. Misha Donat