Complete Quatuors Oeuvre 33 & 42

Festetics Quartet

Arcana proudly announces the release of the last volume of the Haydn String Quartets performed by the Festetics Quartet.The long-awaited release is released on occasion of the 200th anniversary of Haydn's death.

Haydn - String Quartets, Op. 33 Nos. 1-6:
 No. 1 in B minor
 No. 2 in E flat major 'The Joke'
 No. 3 in C major ‘The Bird'
 No. 4 in B flat major
 No. 5 in G major
 No. 6 in D major

 String Quartet, Op. 42 in D minor

"Tuning, balance and blend are impeccable; vibrato is not avoided, but used to specific expressive or colouristic effect. Those who hanker for a combination of the clarity of the best 'period' playing, with the warmth of the Hungarian tradition will find it here."
BBC Music Magazine - August 2009 ****

"The veteran Festetics Quartet are uneasy with presto finales. But they aren't slack; instead they are tautly metrical so the notes do not flow freely across the bar-lines. It may be an aspect of their style that is direct, sharp in attack and stricter than usual in rhythm, yet far from indifferent. In all the works these musicians meticulously observe phrase indications, choose dynamics where there are none, repeat both parts of a Minuet after its Trio and differentiate between the various accents. Equally meticulously they probe the slow movements of Op 33. Haydn is said to have been in love at the time he wrote this set; and, austerity of approach notwithstanding, it is easy to discern in, say, the Largo of No 4 an ardent lyric for the lady, Luigia Polzelli. Not unexpectedly, the Largo e cantabile of No 5 is seen in an even more ascetic light, G minor starkly affirmed, the violins (antiphonally separated, as always with this group) contributing to a bare-boned interpretation of the text. Not comfortable. But the Festetics don't buy comfort and the close, 'rosiny' sound brings the results right into the room. No mistaking the message. No mistaking the gauntlets either.
Unsettling – but required listening."
Gramophone - Classical Music Guide 2010