The Amsterdam String Quartet still impresses as one of the better period instrument groups currently before the public, but the devil is in the details, and this second disc of Haydn quartets isn’t quite as impressive as the first, basically because of the limitations imposed by the approach. I’m thinking of the odd things that happen to balance and tone when the first violin plays in its highest register, as in the trio of the Op. 64 quartet’s minuet (the second of Haydn’s two optional trios for this piece). Then there are those grinding, vibrato-less chords that we find in the slow movements, and slower bits of the quick ones too–moments where even sources often used to justify the sound (such as the Joachim/Moser Violin School) sing the praises of a nice ensemble vibrato timbre, specifically in quartet-playing.
On the plus side, there is the same wonderfully balanced dialogue between the players that we noticed previously, with the cello in particular putting a rich, resonant bottom on their sound. Tempos tend to be very well-judged, rhythms snappy and precise, particularly in the finales or in the Gypsy minuet of Op. 20 No. 4. The sudden eruption of drama in the Andante of Op. 64 No. 6 is particularly effective, and constitutes a real high point in these performances. And as usual from Channel Classics, the SACD multi-channel sonics continue to set the standard for the industry. So while I do wish the players tried a bit harder to add some warmth to their tone and simply make a beautiful, vocal sound, of their type these are still enjoyable versions.
