Haydn: String Quartets, Op. 20 Nos. 4-6

Featuring

Alina Ibragimova
Pablo Hernán Benedí
Emilie Hörnlund
Claire Thirion
Chiaroscuro Quartet
Joseph Haydn

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Instruments

The violin played by Pablo Hernán Benedí of the Chiaroscuro Quartet is an Andrea Amati from 1570, on loan from the 'Jumpstart Jr Foundation'.

Compositional Technique

The F minor and A major quartets in this set both conclude with fugues, with Haydn explicitly indicating passages where subjects are played in inversion to highlight his contrapuntal skill.

Performer Biography

The Chiaroscuro Quartet, formed in 2005, is an international ensemble comprising violinists Alina Ibragimova (Russia) and Pablo Hernán Benedí (Spain), violist Emilie Hörnlund (Sweden), and cellist Claire Thirion (France).

Recording & Production

This recording was made in December 2015 at the Sendesaal Bremen, Germany, and features a 5.0 Surround sound option on Hybrid SACDs, aiming to reproduce the natural sound of a concert venue.

Compositional Technique

Haydn's Op. 20 quartets, including these three, are notable for simultaneously consecrating the string quartet medium and subverting its traditional genres.

Interpretation

The Chiaroscuro Quartet performs music of the Classical period on gut strings, contributing to their unique sound which has been described as 'a shock to the ears of the best kind'.

Composer's Artistic Vision

Haydn conceived these quartets as multi-dimensional dialogues, involving the interplay of musical ideas, the interactions between the four musicians, and the listener's imagination.