The members of Quatuor Mosaïques attack these marvelous quartets with positively epicurean relish. Indeed, some listeners may find their rich, resinous, bass-heavy sound and “molto espressivo” shaping of Haydn’s sunny melodic lines a bit too much, though they never overpower the music the way the Lindsays do in their recent recordings for ASV. Actually, Haydn’s music responds well to the Mosaïque’s loving approach. The vivid opening of the “Sunrise” Quartet, the rhythmically vital minuet (really scherzo) of No. 1, the harmonic subtlety of No. 6’s Fantasia slow movement, the unbuttoned folk dancing in the “Emperor” Quartet’s first movement: these and many other moments all spring vividly to life in performances that never take expressiveness to the point of mannerism. The up-close, high-level recorded sound adds considerably to the larger-than-life impression, but arguably suits interpretations of such boldness and impetuosity. This set represents an important contribution to the Haydn quartet discography, and will provide many hours of listening pleasure.
