Working in the interest of completeness, the Kodály Quartet presents a disc of early “Haydn” quartets of which two (Op. 3) are now believed to be the work of Pater Romanus Hoffstetter, and the other two to be spurious arrangements of Haydn compositions. Curious as they may be as historical oddities and incursions into the Haydn canon, there’s still enough meat here for the players to really dig into–and therein lies the problem with this recording. As always, you can’t fault the Kodály’s technical mastery, and the roomy, clear sound is a definite asset; but the ensemble’s primness of approach makes this disc a lot less fun to listen to than it ought to be. Not that anyone would necessarily seek out overwrought presentations of this music as a corrective, but these performances are extreme in their carefulness–so decorous in scope, so economical in gesture that they lack any real punch or verve.
For example, the Finale of Op. 2 No. 3 cries out for more emphatic elocution, and certainly more energetic accents to demarcate phrases. The all-important minuet, which appears at least once in each of these pieces, slides into such stately speeds and gestures that it loses its inherent wit and sparkle. That being said, if all you really want is to get to know these curiosities on a single disc at a good price, these performances will serve just fine.
