Haydn: String Quartets, Op. 20 Doric String Quartet

• Joseph Haydn (1732 - 1809): String Quartet No. 28 in E-Flat Major, Op. 20 No. 1 Hob. III:31:
• 1 String Quartet No. 28 in E-Flat Major, Op. 20 No. 1 Hob. III:31: I. Allegro moderato 09:19
• 2 String Quartet No. 28 in E-Flat Major, Op. 20 No. 1 Hob. III:31: II. Menuet. Un poco allegretto - Trio 03:44
• 3 String Quartet No. 28 in E-Flat Major, Op. 20 No. 1 Hob. III:31: III. Affetuoso e sostenuto 06:26
• 4 String Quartet No. 28 in E-Flat Major, Op. 20 No. 1 Hob. III:31: IV. Finale. Presto 03:35
• String Quartet No. 25 in C Major, Op. 20 No. 2 Hob. III:32:
• 5 String Quartet No. 25 in C Major, Op. 20 No. 2 Hob. III:32: I. Moderato 09:46
• 6 String Quartet No. 25 in C Major, Op. 20 No. 2 Hob. III:32: II. Capriccio. Adagio 06:45
• 7 String Quartet No. 25 in C Major, Op. 20 No. 2 Hob. III:32: III. Menuet. Allegretto - Trio 03:31
• 8 String Quartet No. 25 in C Major, Op. 20 No. 2 Hob. III:32: IV. Fuga a quattro soggetti. Allegro 03:10
• String Quartet No. 26 in G Minor, Op. 20 No. 3 Hob. III:33:
• 9 String Quartet No. 26 in G Minor, Op. 20 No. 3 Hob. III:33: I. Allegro con spirito 07:56
• 10 String Quartet No. 26 in G Minor, Op. 20 No. 3 Hob. III:33: II. Menuet. Allegretto - Trio 04:17
• 11 String Quartet No. 26 in G Minor, Op. 20 No. 3 Hob. III:33: III. Poco adagio 09:43
• 12 String Quartet No. 26 in G Minor, Op. 20 No. 3 Hob. III:33: IV. Finale. Allegro di molto 03:45
• String Quartet No. 27 in D Major, Op. 20 No. 4 Hob. III:34:
• 13 String Quartet No. 27 in D Major, Op. 20 No. 4 Hob. III:34: I. Allegro di molto 10:57
• 14 String Quartet No. 27 in D Major, Op. 20 No. 4 Hob. III:34: II. Un poco adagio e affettuoso 09:44
• 15 String Quartet No. 27 in D Major, Op. 20 No. 4 Hob. III:34: III. Menuet alla zingarese. Allegretto - Trio 01:40
• 16 String Quartet No. 27 in D Major, Op. 20 No. 4 Hob. III:34: IV. Presto e scherzando 06:53
• String Quartet No. 23 in F Minor, Op. 20 No. 5 Hob. III:35:
• 17 String Quartet No. 23 in F Minor, Op. 20 No. 5 Hob. III:35: I. Moderato 11:14
• 18 String Quartet No. 23 in F Minor, Op. 20 No. 5 Hob. III:35: II. Menuet - Trio 05:02
• 19 String Quartet No. 23 in F Minor, Op. 20 No. 5 Hob. III:35: III. Adagio - Segue fuga 06:30
• 20 String Quartet No. 23 in F Minor, Op. 20 No. 5 Hob. III:35: IV. Finale. Fuga a due soggetti 02:39
• String Quartet No. 24 in A Major, Op. 20 No. 6 Hob. III:36:
• 21 String Quartet No. 24 in A Major, Op. 20 No. 6 Hob. III:36: I. Allegro di molto e scherzando 08:38
• 22 String Quartet No. 24 in A Major, Op. 20 No. 6 Hob. III:36: II. Adagio. Cantabile 06:04
• 23 String Quartet No. 24 in A Major, Op. 20 No. 6 Hob. III:36: III. Menuetto. Allegretto - Trio 02:34
• 24 String Quartet No. 24 in A Major, Op. 20 No. 6 Hob. III:36: IV. Fuga a 3 soggetti. Allegro 02:55
• Total Runtime 02:26:47

Info for Haydn: String Quartets, Op. 20

Haydn’s six Op. 20 string quartets are milestones in the history of the genre. He wrote them in 1772 for performance by his colleagues at the Esterházy court and, unusually, not specifically for publication. Each one is a unique masterpiece and the set introduces compositional techniques that radically transformed the genre and shaped it for centuries to come. Haydn overturns conventional instrumental roles, crafts remarkably original colours and textures, and unlocks new expressive possibilities in these works which were crucial in establishing the reputation of purely instrumental music. The range within the quartets is kaleidoscopic. From the introspective, chorale-like slow movement of No. 1 via the terse and radical quartet No. 3 in G minor to the comic spirit of the fourth in D major, each of the quartets inhabits a distinct musical world. For many, this is some of the greatest music Haydn ever wrote.

Playing these seminal works is one of the world’s finest young ensembles, the Doric String Quartet. As well as having already produced a string of acclaimed recordings on Chandos, the group has been widely praised for its live performances of Haydn’s works. The Sunday Telegraph wrote that ‘Haydn and the Doric are a perfect match… Unequivocally, these were performances of terrific panache and perception, seeming to get right under the skin of Haydn’s creative genius’.

“…The Doric Quartet, making sparing use of vibrato, play with much sensitivity. Their slow movements, in particular, are beautifully done. So, too, are the three whispered fugal finales, as well as such pieces as the deeply expressive opening movement of the F minor Quartet, Op 20 No 5…” (Misha Donat, BBC Music)

"Overall these are interpretations with a strong profile – the music always provokes a response from the players, beyond the mere presentation of what is in the score. The Doric can even be dramatic, as if aware that this is the period of Sturm und Drang (“storm and stress”) and the remarkable year of Haydn’s splendid symphonies numbers 45-47. They do not assume that this music can somehow play itself if one just attends to the score. Not everyone approves of this – BBC Music Magazine, while generally admiring, refers to an “over-expressive approach”. Conversely, Harriet Smith on the BBC’s CD Review broadcast lauded that very freedom and expressiveness, finding now that some admired predecessors to the Doric can sound a bit too “well-mannered”. For me such music should be strongly characterized, even if that involves some risk-taking in tempi, longer pauses, stronger attacks, and altered dynamics. So I can certainly enthuse about this release to those not already wedded to another recording." (Roy Westbrook, MusicWeb-International)

Doric String Quartet

The Doric String Quartet is now firmly established as one of the outstanding quartets of their generation. In 2008 they won 1st prize in the Osaka International Chamber Music Competition in Japan, 2nd prize at the Premio Paolo Borciani International String Quartet Competition in Italy, where they also received a special mention for their performance of Haydn, and the Ensemble Prize at the Festspiele Mecklenburg-Vorpommern in Germany.

Now in its 12th season highlights over the last year have included a critically acclaimed Haydn evening at Wigmore Hall broadcast by BBC Radio 3, debut recitals in Paris (Auditorium du Louvre), Milan and Frankfurt, and visits to the Schwetzinger, Florestan, Isle of Man and East Neuk Festivals. Further afield the Quartet toured throughout Japan and returned to Israel and South East Asia. They have collaborated with Mark Padmore, Chen Halevi, Julius Drake, Piers Lane, Melvyn Tan, the Leopold String Trio and Florestan Trio.

During 2009/10 the Quartet return to Wigmore Hall four times, as Quartet and in recitals with Philip Langridge, Andrew Kennedy (for a world premiere) and Alasdair Beatson. Future engagements include recitals at the Konzerthaus in Berlin and in Lucerne, Brussels and Hamburg, return visits to Israel and Italy, and debut concerts in Australia, New Zealand, Spain, and the USA.

In November the Doric’s first commercial CD is released on the Wigmore Hall Live label of their Haydn concert at Wigmore Hall on 15 January 2009 and in 2010 they record their first CD for Chandos as part of a long-term collaboration.

Formed in 1998 at Pro Corda, The National School for Young Chamber Music Players, in Suffolk, from 2002 the Doric String Quartet studied on the Paris-based ProQuartet Professional Training Program, where they worked with members of the Alban Berg, Artemis, Hagen and LaSalle Quartets and with Gyorgy Kurtag. The Quartet continue to work with Rainer Schmidt (Hagen Quartet) at the Music Academy in Basel.

In 2000 the Doric String Quartet won the inaugural Bristol Millennium Chamber Music Competition which led to a seven year residency at the Wiltshire Music Centre combining a concerts series with education work across the region. They continue this relationship as ‘Artists in Association’. The Quartet went on to give recitals at the Purcell Room and Wigmore Hall under the auspices of the Park Lane Group, appeared at the ORF (Austrian Radio) Funkhaus in Vienna in 2003 and made their Edinburgh Festival debut in 2006.

Alex Redington and Jonathan Stone completed their postgraduate studies at the Royal Academy of Music in 2005 where they studied with Howard Davis. Simon Tandree studied in Saarbrücken and Detmold with Dietmut Poppen. John Myerscough graduated from Selwyn College, Cambridge in 2003 and is now a Fellow of the Guildhall School of Music and Drama where he studies with Louise Hopkins.

The Doric String Quartet acknowledges the generous support of an Anonymous Foundation.

Booklet for Haydn: String Quartets, Op. 20