Joseph Haydn (1732-1809)
String Quartets, op. 33 Nos 4-6 ‘Russian’ (1781)
Chiaroscuro Quartet
rec. 2024, Menuhin Hall, The Yehudi Menuhin School, Stoke d’Abernon, UK
Reviewed as lossless download
BIS BIS2608 SACD [57]
2025 marks the 20th anniversary of the Chiaroscuro Quartet, with three of the founding members – first violin Alina Ibragimova, violist Emilie Hörnlund and cellist Claire Thirion – still present (second violin Charlotte Saluste-Bridoux joined in 2024). If you weren’t aware of them, they are an authentic instrument and practice ensemble, using gut strings and period-appropriate bows. Their four instruments are early 18th century or older (one of the violins is a 1570 Amati).
This is the fourth of their recordings that I have reviewed – previously two of Haydn (review ~ review) and one of Schubert (review) – and in each case I have been very impressed, to say the least. Similarly, my colleagues writing about the same recordings and others have been equally forthcoming in their praise, with Dominic Hartley in his review of this release describing the players as “once in a generation talents”. There was one exception: in his review of the first three quartets of the op. 33 set (review), David McDade did express some reservations about the level of emphasis and expression, finding that the Chiaroscuro’s determination to reveal every last “trick and aside” was possibly a little too much, concluding that “matters such as proportion and taste matter just as much as disruption and humour”. David doesn’t say in his review if this was his first experience with the Chiaroscuro Quartet; I certainly remember being somewhat disconcerted the first time I heard them.
I can report that in this new recording, there is no drop in standard, nor change in approach. For those who have already bought previous Chiaroscuro releases, that’s probably all you need to know. If you liked/loved them, this will be a compulsory purchase; if you were ambivalent (like DMD), these three quartets probably won’t change your mind. If you are coming to the Chiaroscuros for the first time then, as the old joke goes, I wouldn’t start from here. The op. 33 quartets were written with the intention that the scores be purchased by the keen amateur player. Haydn indicated that they were “written in a new and special way” without suggesting what that might mean, and Donald Tovey described them as “the lightest of all Haydn’s mature comedies”. They are charming and witty, but simpler than his previous set (op. 20) and not as richly endowed with wonderful melodies as the op. 76 quartets. Nevertheless, there are still plenty of highlights. To pick just a few, the Presto finale of No. 4, especially the closing stop-start pizzicato section, is a delight, and the opening of No. 5 (nicknamed “How Do You Do”) is beautifully graceful.
One of the most admirable aspects of the Chiaroscuro Quartet is that they are able to hold fast to their historically informed practice without pushing it down the listener’s throat. Tempos are not exaggerated and string timbres are not thin and wiry; everything sounds just right. The sound engineer has caught the instruments beautifully, but in Quartet No. 6, there is quite a deal of extraneous noise (i.e. sniffing) which I didn’t hear in the other two. However, it is not enough to detract from the enjoyment. The booklet notes, contributed by Richard Wigmore, describe the works in a way that informs but doesn’t overdo the musical analysis.
I certainly hope that the Chiaroscuros continue to work their way through Haydn; I’m sure Papa would have been delighted with their work.
David Barker
Previous review: Dominic Hartley (June 2025 Recording of the Month)
