It’s hard to imagine music that gives more sheer listening pleasure than Haydn’s quartets, and these three rank among his best. The Kocian Quartet also plays them with all of the gusto and verve they require in the outer movements, whether it be the folksy finale to No. 1, the juicy attack on the trills in the first movement of No. 2 (maybe the players were aware of the similarity to the ending of Janácek’s Second Quartet), or the rhythmic kick in the finale of the “Rider” Quartet (No. 3). If I have any reservation at all it’s that the high-level recording, which in all other respects is outstanding regarding balance and clarity, robs a section such as the lovely slow movement of No. 3 of some of its serenity and tends to make a true pianissimo hard to find. However if this is a fault, it’s one in the right direction because the overall impression the players make is overwhelmingly fresh and joyous, which of course is the point. In multichannel playback the sonics are even more vivid, and certainly not diffuse or unnatural, and Praga thankfully has avoided the temptation to make this a “surround” experience, keeping the players nicely focused front and center. If you love Haydn’s quartets, get this. [1/6/2005]
