The Auryn Quartet have been working with TACET for years now. And those of you who are in the know will appreciate what that means:... The challenges for a quartet formation from playing Beethoven's works mean picking up the tensions in the score and hanging on to them. The Auryn Quartet is not only equal to this task: they really seem to gain strength and fun from this field of tension. To be able to play at this level, the musicians constantly have to redefine the boundaries between respect for the other players and healthy self-interest. Playing in a quartet seems to have become a life elixir for the four Auryns: For twenty-three years now they have been rising to greater and greater heights. With the Quartets op. 18 by Beethoven they have definitely reached a peak. We await eagerly the promised continuation of their complete collection of Beethoven's Quartets. (WDR Herzeichen) There is no shortage of great and famous Beethoven Cycles, but there are no performances such as these. For me, this is now the set to beat. (Laurence Vittes)

In rapid succession, the Stuttgart label TACET has completed the recording of all the String Quartets of Joseph Haydn with the Auryn Quartet. With the last volume, coupling the two Quartets of Op. 77 and the individually published Opuses 103 and 42, we now have all the Haydn Quartets in an exemplary and thrilling complete recording. (...) Full of sustainable substance both in strong-willed forte and in the most tender pianissimo, fascinatingly impeccable in their intonation and completely balanced in terms of sound, one experiences the Auryn Quartet here, once again, as a top-class ensemble.' (Klassik heute)

Composer: Joseph Haydn (1732 - 1809)

Performers:
Matthias Lingenfelder, violin
Jens Oppermann, violin
Stewart Eaton, viola
Andreas Arndt, violoncello



Track Listing:
1. String quartet op. 77 no. 1 Hob. III: 81 in G major Allegro moderato
2. String quartet op. 77 no. 1 Hob. III: 81 in G major Adagio
3. String quartet op. 77 no. 1 Hob. III: 81 in G major Menuet. Presto - Trio
4. String quartet op. 77 no. 1 Hob. III: 81 in G major Finale. Presto
5. String quartet op. 77 no. 2 Hob. III: 82 in F major Allegro moderato
6. String quartet op. 77 no. 2 Hob. III: 82 in F major Menuet. Presto - Trio
7. String quartet op. 77 no. 2 Hob. III: 82 in F major Andante
8. String quartet op. 77 no. 2 Hob. III: 82 in F major Finale. Vivace assai
9. String quartet op. 103 Hob. III: 83 in D minor Andante grazioso
10. String quartet op. 103 Hob. III: 83 in D minor Menuet ma non troppo presto - Trio
11. String quartet op. 42 Hob. III: 43 in D minor Andante ed innocentemente
12. String quartet op. 42 Hob. III: 43 in D minor Menuet - Trio
13. String quartet op. 42 Hob. III: 43 in D minor Adagio e cantabile
14. String quartet op. 42 Hob. III: 43 in D minor Finale. Presto


Total playing time: 78:36

Here Joseph Haydn's music is revealed as the perfect expression of truth. And the Auryn's performance of his string quartets is exactly as it should be: vigorous, beautiful to listen to, and full of feeling. A rediscovery both of sheer beauty and intellectual development.

Composer: Joseph Haydn (1732 - 1809)

Performers:
Matthias Lingenfelder, violin
Jens Oppermann, violin
Stewart Eaton, viola
Andreas Arndt, violoncello


Track Listing:
Disc One:
1. String quartet op. 1 No. 1, Hoboken III:1 in B flat Major: Presto
2. Minuet - Minuet secondo - Minuet primo da Capo
3. Adagio
4. Minuet - Trio - Minuet da Capo
5. Finale. Presto
6. String quartet op. 1 No. 2, Hoboken III:2 in E flat Major Allegro molto
7. Minuet - Trio - Minuet da Capo
8. Adagio
9. Minuet - Trio - Minuet da Capo
10. Finale. Presto
11. String quartet op. 1 No. 3, Hoboken III:3 in D Major Adagio
12. Menuet - Trio - Menuet da Capo
13. (Scherzo). Presto
14. Menuet - Trio - Menuet da Capo
15. (Finale). Presto J
Disc Two:
1. String quartet op. 1 No. 4, Hoboken III:4 in G Major Presto
2. Minuet - Trio - Minuet da Capo
3. Adagio
4. Minuet - Trio - Minuet da Capo
5. Finale. Presto
6. String quartet op. 1 No. 0, Hoboken II:6 in E flat Major Presto
7. Menuet - Trio - Menuet da Capo
8. Adagio
9. Menuet - Trio - Menuet da Capo
10. (Finale). Presto
11. String quartet op. 1 No. 6, Hoboken III:6 in C Major Presto assai
12. Minuet - Trio - Minuet da Capo
13. Adagio
14. Minuet - Trio - Minuet da Capo
15. Finale. Allegro


Timing: 97:54

HAYDN String Quartets, op. 55 • Auryn Qrt • TACET 170 (70:37)


The second subgroup of “Tost” quartets is my first acquaintance with this cycle, which is now at a well-advanced stage. That the Auryn is a class act is evident from the word go in No. 1 in A: alert, well focused, and tight-knit in ensemble. The first violin is often primus inter pares in these works, and his virtuoso flights are dispatched with shapely panache and a well-judged degree of soloistic freedom. The second-half repeat is observed (and consistently throughout the set). The Adagio is taken at a nicely flowing pace, its airy lyricism beautifully conveyed. The marvelous cadenza juggernaut at bars 61 ff. is impressively realized in its combination of slowly gathering weight with improvisatory freedom. The Minuet goes at a buoyant one to the bar, and the finale has an irresistible surging flow. Comparison with their former mentors, the Amadeus (DG), is intriguing: the old Anglicized Germans attack the first movement with a larger-than-life vibrancy that would be hard for anyone to match, and makes the Auryn sound a little pallid by comparison (although its response to dynamic nuances is keen, its deliberate underplaying of single fortes is occasionally overdone). The Amadeus displays an earthier richness in the Adagio, but its Minuet is heavier and its finale has less light and shade than its protégés.


No. 2 in F Minor (the celebrated “Razor” quartet, whose hoary old anecdote is debunked in the notes) struck me as less successful overall; the opening double variations are authoritatively dispatched, but with a tendency to a kind of gliding suaveness—very beautiful in its way, but I find myself craving more friction, or resistance, to the tone (especially the first violin in the major-mode variations). More rhythmic and tonal bite would again not go amiss in the second-movement Allegro, though its oppressively eerie atmosphere is well caught. But the strict contrapuntal “ars combinatorial” of the Minuet is excessively smoothed out, imparting an inappropriately tentative feeling. The performance finds perfect form, though, in an exciting account of the F-Major Presto finale, whose elusive character, alternately tensely conspiratorial and swashbuckling, is very well captured. By way of comparison, I prefer the greater rhythmic solidity and tonal weight of the Angeles Quartet (Philips) in three movements out of four, but its staid finale is no match for the Auryn.


The sinuous first movement of No. 3 in B? receives a subtle, nuanced performance, occasionally slightly over-ethereal in feeling (see the tense first violin/cello dialogue of the second theme—here the Auryn is the polar opposite of the Aeolian [Decca], which goes over the line to an unattractive grittiness; the Tatrai [Hungaroton] strikes a nice balance in its understated brand of deadpan rusticity). The slow movement is beautifully done, with wonderfully soaring flights from the first violin. Once again, its Presto finale finds the requisite headlong drive—truly exhilarating!


The recording is beautifully balanced and natural. All in all, an impressive release that will be self-recommending to collectors of the series, or to anyone wanting a single disc of these incomparable masterpieces.


FANFARE: Boyd Pomeroy

Composer: Joseph Haydn (1732 - 1809)

Performers:
Matthias Lingenfelder, violin
Jens Oppermann, violin
Stewart Eaton, viola
Andreas Arndt, violoncello






Track Listing:

Disc One:

String quartet op. 64 no. 1, Hob. III:65 in C major
1. Allegro moderato
2. Menuet. Allegretto ma non troppo - Trio
3. Allegretto scherzando
4. Finale. Presto

String quartet op. 64 no. 2, Hob. III:68 in B minor
5. Allegro spiritoso
6. Adagio ma non troppo
7. Menuet. Allegretto - Trio
8. Finale. Presto

String quartet op. 64 no. 3, Hob. III:67 in B flat major
9. Vivace assai
10. Adagio
11. Menuet. Allegretto - Trio
12. Finale. Allegro con spirito

Disc Two:

String quartet op. 64 no. 4, Hob. III:66 in G major
1. Allgro con brio
2. Menuett. Allegretto - Trio
3. Adagio. Cantabile e sostenuto
4. Finale. Presto

String quartet op. 64 no. 5, Hob. III:63 in D major
5. Allegro moderato
6. Adagio. Cantabile
7. Menuet. Allegretto - Trio
8. Finale. Vivace

String quartet op. 64 no. 6, Hob. III:64 in E flat major
9. Allegro
10. Andante
11. Menuet. Allegretto - Trio
12. Finale. Presto


Timing: 139.48

Here Joseph Haydn's music is revealed as the perfect expression of truth. And the Auryn's performance of his string quartets is exactly as it should be: vigorous, beautiful to listen to, and full of feeling. A rediscovery both of sheer beauty and intellectual development.'

Composer: Joseph Haydn (1732 - 1809)

Performers:
Matthias Lingenfelder, violin
Jens Oppermann, violin
Stewart Eaton, viola
Andreas Arndt, violoncello


Track Listing:
1. String quartet op. 33 No. 5, Hoboken III: 41 in G major: Vivace assai
2. String quartet op. 33 No. 5, Hoboken III: 41 in G major:Largo e cantabile
3. String quartet op. 33 No. 5, Hoboken III: 41 in G major:Scherzo. Allegro
4. String quartet op. 33 No. 5, Hoboken III: 41 in G major:Finale. Allegretto
5. String quartet op. 33 No. 2, Hoboken III:38 in E flat major: Allegro moderato
6. String quartet op. 33 No. 2, Hoboken III:38 in E flat major: Scherzo. Allegro
7. String quartet op. 33 No. 2, Hoboken III:38 in E flat major: Largo e sostenuto
8. String quartet op. 33 No. 2, Hoboken III:38 in E flat major: Finale. Presto
9. String quartet op. 33 No. 1, Hoboken III:37 in B minor: Allegro moderato
10. String quartet op. 33 No. 1, Hoboken III:37 in B minor: Scherzo. Allegro di molto
11. String quartet op. 33 No. 1, Hoboken III:37 in B minor: Andante
12. String quartet op. 33 No. 1, Hoboken III:37 in B minor: Finale. Presto
13. String quartet op. 33 No. 3, Hoboken III:39 in C major: Allegro moderato
14. String quartet op. 33 No. 3, Hoboken III:39 in C major: Scherzo. Allegretto
15. String quartet op. 33 No. 3, Hoboken III:39 in C major: Adagio ma non troppo
16. String quartet op. 33 No. 3, Hoboken III:39 in C major: (Finale) Rondo. Presto
17. String quartet op. 33 No. 6, Hoboken III:42 in D major: Vivace assai
18. String quartet op. 33 No. 6, Hoboken III:42 in D major: Andante
19. String quartet op. 33 No. 6, Hoboken III:42 in D major: Scherzo. Allegretto
20. String quartet op. 33 No. 6, Hoboken III:42 in D major: Finale. Allegretto
21. String quartet op. 33 No. 4, Hoboken III:40 in B flat major: Allegro moderato
22. String quartet op. 33 No. 4, Hoboken III:40 in B flat major: Scherzo. Allegretto
23. String quartet op. 33 No. 4, Hoboken III:40 in B flat major: Largo
24. String quartet op. 33 No. 4, Hoboken III:40 in B flat major: (Finale). Presto

Timing: 122:32

Here Joseph Haydn's music is revealed as the perfect expression of truth. And the Auryn's performance of his string quartets is exactly as it should be: vigorous, beautiful to listen to, and full of feeling. A rediscovery both of sheer beauty and intellectual development.'

Composer: Joseph Haydn (1732 - 1809)

Performers:
Matthias Lingenfelder, violin
Jens Oppermann, violin
Stewart Eaton, viola
Andreas Arndt, violoncello


Track Listing:
1. String quartet op. 17 no. 1, Hob. III:25 in E major Moderato
2. Menuet
3. Adagio
4. Finale. Presto
5. String quartet op. 17 no. 2, Hob. III:26 in F major Moderato
6. Menuet. Poco allegretto
7. Adagio
8. Finale. Allegro di molto
9. String quartet op. 17 no. 3, Hob. III:27 in E flat major Andante grazioso
10. Menuet. Allegretto
11. Adagio
12. (Finale). Allegro di molto
13. String quartet op. 17 no. 4, Hob. III:28 in C minor Moderato
14. Menuet. Allegretto
15. Adagio. Cantabile
16. Finale. Allegro
17. String quartet op. 17 no. 5, Hob. III:29 in G major Moderato
18. Menuet. Allegretto
19. Adagio
20. Finale. Presto
21. String quartet op. 17 no. 6, Hob. III:30 in D major Presto
22. Menuet
23. Largo
24. Finale. Allegro

Timing: 141:10

Total playing time: 65'27

The Auryn Quartet plays these works with such sovereign ease that in places they sound positively casual. But don't let this fact give any impression of complacency on the part of the players--rather the performances reveal a certain aristocratic elegance that serves these works particularly well. In the Ravel, for example, note the purity of intonation in the unison octaves of the first movement's second subject, or the finale's almost insolent vitality. The Debussy, as befits its more passionate idiom, commands a correspondingly more dramatic approach, but never at the expense of the conversational quality that great quartet playing always preserves. The group's give and take in the scherzo displays a particularly memorable species of relaxed charm, with the ensuing Andantino truly doucement expressif", as the composer directs. Fauré's elusive late masterpiece conceals numerous harmonic surprises below its outwardly placid surface, a fact that the Auryn Quartet surely understands. Listen to the subtle but always impeccably clear voicing of the central Andante's delicate web of lyrical polyphony, and to the players' ability to float the rhythms of the concluding Allegro across the bar lines. In sum, these are performances of remarkable distinction and polish, captured in state-of-the-art sonics. Another winner from this small but almost invariably excellent label." David Hurwitz Total playing time: 76'14

The Auryn Quartet plays these works with such sovereign ease that in places they sound positively casual. But don't let this fact give any impression of complacency on the part of the players--rather the performances reveal a certain aristocratic elegance that serves these works particularly well. In the Ravel, for example, note the purity of intonation in the unison octaves of the first movement's second subject, or the finale's almost insolent vitality. The Debussy, as befits its more passionate idiom, commands a correspondingly more dramatic approach, but never at the expense of the conversational quality that great quartet playing always preserves. The group's give and take in the scherzo displays a particularly memorable species of relaxed charm, with the ensuing Andantino truly "doucement expressif", as the composer directs.

Fauré's elusive late masterpiece conceals numerous harmonic surprises below its outwardly placid surface, a fact that the Auryn Quartet surely understands. Listen to the subtle but always impeccably clear voicing of the central Andante's delicate web of lyrical polyphony, and to the players' ability to float the rhythms of the concluding Allegro across the bar lines. In sum, these are performances of remarkable distinction and polish, captured in state-of-the-art sonics. Another winner from this small but almost invariably excellent label. [5/31/2003]

-- David Hurwitz, ClassicsToday.com

The String Quartet offers countless possibilities of interplay between the different instruments. If you add a fifth person to the mix, in this case the viola player, Nobuko Imai, with the Auryn Quartet, then it not only gives the whole sound a comparatively orchestral quality but also considerably increases the methods at the composer's disposal. These are just two reasons why Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's combination of 2 violins, 2 violas and a cello have become so well-loved. The opulent and tragic KV 406 in C minor together with the pure, idealistic KV 515 in C major forms the first standalone album, the famous, sorrowful KV 516 in G minor with the early, exuberant and dramatic KV 174 the second album and the chirruping, mischievous KV 614 in E flat major with the mature and worldly-wise KV 593 in D major the third. In as far as these characterisations say anything at all about the music, it is only about the opening of each piece. Each movement is distinct and different. Every quintet tells its own great story.

This recording is in the DVD Audio format and will only play on hardware specifically compatible with the DVD Audio format. Standard CD players will not play this CD.

The Auryn Quartet?s second installment in their complete Beethoven cycle for Tacet is just as tremendous as the first, which comprised the Op. 18 set. Once again, the Auryns and Tacet have demonstrated a near ideal partnership between music and technique in which it is absolutely impossible to imagine one without the other. Using two Neumann M49 microphones and working in the Cologne studios of DeutschlandRadio, Andreas Spreer has captured the Auryn performances in a space which, without being dry or claustrophobic, sounds like one of those science fiction continuums where space stretches to fit time. The sound is fine and detailed, the lower strings of the viola and cello have a wonderful grainy quality to them. It?s probably close to what composers hear in their heads when they compose, before they?ve heard the music live for the first time. The Auryn Quartet, which has done a marvelous Schubert cycle for CPO, is not particularly predictable. They are relatively reserved rhetorically, and tend towards moderate to fast-ish speeds (although they can turn it on, as in the upward whoosh at the end of Op. 59 No. 3). What sets them apart is a sense of latent power that creates a superb kind of musical tension. Thomas Seedorf?s liner notes are very good. If you?re wondering, The Quartet took its name from ?the amulet that bestows intuition upon its bearer in Michael Ende?s The Neverending Story. There are other very good Beethoven cycles to be had (and sometimes, it must be admitted, the one you?ve listened to most recently sounds the best), and more on the horizon (including a novel cycle planned by the Miró Quartet who will record the quartets as they reach the age Beethoven was when he wrote them). In the meantime, it looks like the rest of the cycle will be released in the near future. Snap it up if you can! Laurence Vittes Total playing time: 283'42

If you collect Beethoven quartet recordings this is a happy time, with excellent new cycles from the Prazák Quartet (Praga), the Takacs (Decca), and this latest release, to name only three. As anyone who has heard the Auryn Quartet's Schubert recordings will attest, this is an exceptional group, sporting all of the qualities of superior chamber ensembles: a keen sense of rhythm, the ability to phrase as one, and an engaging sense of the music's ongoing dialog among the players. All of these virtues are very much in evidence here, combined with a dynamism and drive that Beethoven's music particularly demands. The fact that all six quartets fit onto two discs in their numerical order gives some indication of what to expect: fleet tempos, but also incisive accents and plenty of energy. In the B-flat quartet (No. 6) for example, the dialog between upper and lower strings in the first movement has real spontaneity, and in the finale the contrast between the melancholy opening and the main body of the movement, with its seasick chromatic inner lines, is especially sharp--the tempo (as Beethoven asks) closer to Allegro than Allegretto. The group perfectly judges the relationship between the curious inner movements of the C minor quartet (No. 4), catching the scherzo" quality of its purported slow movement particularly well. They also know how to relax into Beethoven's more effusive inspirations, clearly relishing the Adagio affetuoso ed appassionato of the F major quartet (No. 1), as well as the lovely, truly singing Andante cantabile in No. 5. If there is any criticism, it has to be said that the quartet's overall timbre is not as smooth as, say, the great Czech ensembles (Talich or Prazák), who manage just as much vitality while maintaining a more velvety melodic surface. It may be that a touch of period practice has rubbed off on these players, though I want to stress that their sound never becomes rough or ugly, as for example characterizes the Lindsay's grotesque slashing and hacking in their recently completed second ASV cycle. It's valid both for Beethoven and his models, Mozart and (especially) Haydn, and you may in any case just find yourself swept up in the infectious enthusiasm of the playing, as well as seduced by Tacet's state-of-the-art, crystal clear sonics. I look forward to the continuation of what promises to be an outstanding cycle." David Hurwitz Total playing time: 312'56

A while ago, Tacet introduced the unusual CD "7 with One Stroke" by the Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra. 7 concertos by Antonio Vivaldi - each member of the orchestra can play a solo. Now the Blu-ray Disc with the same content is released into the marketplace. Ariadne Daskalakis, the (guest) concertmistress of the ensemble, conducts the recorded proceedings. Founded by Karl Münchinger in 1945, the Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra has held a prominent position in the international orchestral world for some seven decades.