Befitting their public status, each of these 'London' quartets begins with a loud introductory gesture, intended as a cue for the audience to cease chatter.
Compositional Technique
These 'London' quartets are more 'public' in manner than Haydn's previous works, featuring bold, spacious conceptions, virtuoso writing for all instruments, and flamboyant contrasts.
Composition History
Haydn dedicated these six works to his friend Count Anton Apponyi, who paid him handsomely for exclusive use of the quartets before their publication in 1795 and 1796.
Composition History
Haydn composed the six quartets, Opp. 71 and 74, in the autumn of 1793 during a tranquil period in Vienna between his two London visits.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Unlike his earlier quartets designed for private performance, Opp. 71 and 74 were tailored for London's Hanover Square Rooms, which could seat up to 600 people.
Compositional Technique
A characteristic of these late Haydn quartets is their adventurous sense of tonality, shown through remote modulations and key choices a third away from the tonic in trios and slow movements.
Performer Biography
The London Haydn Quartet, founded in 2000, is a leading period instrument string quartet with a passion for Haydn, and this is their eighth recording of his quartets on the Hyperion label.
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