A whole decade elapsed between Haydn’s groundbreaking Opus 20 string quartets and his next works in the genre, the Opus 33 set of 1781. The latter are sometimes known as the ‘Russian’ quartets, after their dedication to the Russian Grand Duke Paul (later Tsar Paul I), but they have also been dubbed ‘gli scherzi’ because Haydn replaced the customary minuet movement with more characterful, often jocular movements labelled ‘Scherzo’. In his ten-year break from quartets, Haydn had concentrated much of his time on writing a series of comic operas for the Esterházy court which, though now largely neglected, taught him valuable lessons in terms of the musical expression of humour and wit. The Opus 33 quartets are indeed in a generally lighter, more comedic tone than their predecessors, partly designed to appeal to a wide selection of music lovers. While they certainly do not lack poetry, they are also written in more conversational style. And they were hugely influential, not least on Mozart, who between 1782 and 1785 composed his six string quartets dedicated to Haydn as a result.

This new recording of Opus 33 by the London Haydn Quartet (LHQ) is the latest instalment in their ongoing complete Haydn cycle, and it bears all the distinctive hallmarks of previous releases in the series. The LHQ play on ‘period’ instruments, using classical bows and gut strings, with sparing use of vibrato, but creating a rich, resonant sound with pure, ringing tone. Every phrase, every bar, every note and every stroke of the bow is carefully thought through, yet the results never come across as calculated. Rather, what makes these performances so distinctive is the evident love and joy in Haydn’s music, with the listener becoming a privileged eavesdropper on intimate colloquies, which are lent a greater sense of spontaneity by the subtle deployment of dynamic shading and rhythmic rubato.

The sense of care and involvement extends to the LHQ’s choice of musical editions: here, they play from an edition published in 1782 by Schmitt of Amsterdam which, as the LHQ themselves point out, ‘offers a rare visual fluency that seems to suit this colourful music. Melodies look particularly mellifluous while brilliant passage-work seems to sparkle on the page.’ It also means that, in all six quartets, the scherzo movement comes immediately after the opening movement, with the slow movement placed third.

Anyone who associates ‘authentic performance’ with helter-skelter speeds is likely to be pleasantly surprised with the lovingly measured tempi adopted in many of the movements. The opening Allegro moderato of Op.33 no.2 (‘The Joke’), placed first on disc one, is moulded in a way that emphasises the sumptuous qualities of the E flat major tonic, whilst the equivalent movement in Op.33 no.5 is gracefully poised. Slow movements are meltingly caressed and, while the LHQ is careful not to over-milk the jocularity in indiscriminate fashion, wit and humour are there in abundance when called for. The village-fiddler slides in the Scherzo movement of ‘The Joke’ are brilliantly played up, as are the false endings of its finale.  On the other hand, the sotto voce Scherzo from Op.33 no.3 (‘The Bird’) has seldom sounded so rapt, like being taken into an exceptionally private confidence. The finales to numbers 3 and 4 fizz manically, while that to the B minor quartet (no.1) perfectly captures the gypsy-like tone of the music.

These are altogether exceptional performances, evincing a genuine and deep-seated affection for the music at every turn. When this cycle is eventually completed, it is likely to prove one of those rare classics which should be in every collection. Beautifully presented and recorded, and extremely competitively priced, it is unhesitatingly recommended!