Haydn: String Quartets, Op. 64 Nos. 1, 2 & 3 (On Period Instruments)

Featuring

Micaela Comberti
Simon Standage
Trevor Jones
Jennifer Ward Clarke
The Salomon Quartet
Joseph Haydn

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Composer's Artistic Vision

Haydn's style developed significantly in the 1780s, combining his 'conversational' motivic style with a new relaxed melodiousness, influenced by his friendship with Mozart.

Compositional Technique

The slow movements of the Op 64 quartets often use variation techniques, with some featuring a theme and two variations where the first variation is in the tonic minor, creating an aria-like character.

Compositional Technique

Unlike other quartets with brilliant first violin parts, the Op 64 quartets are more intimate works with difficulties evenly shared among the four instruments.

Composer Biography

In 1790, Haydn was the most famous composer in Europe, having worked for the Eszterházy family for nearly thirty years.

Notable Performances

The first English edition of the Op 64 Quartets was announced in The Morning Herald in 1791, stating they were performed under Haydn's direction at Mr. Salomon's concert in London.