(2025) Haydn: String Quartets, Op. 33, Nos. 3,4,6

2025-08-26T11:22:39+02:00

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JOSEPH HAYDN, STRING QUARTETS OP. 33 NOS. 3, 4 AND 6

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Joseph Haydn often said that he had enjoyed an “exemplary destiny”: starting from nothing, he became one of the most celebrated composers of his time. He was born in Rohrau, some fifty kilometres east of Vienna, into a relatively modest family – his father was a wheelwright, a recognised and respected master craftsman. The child’s musical talent was quickly recognised; he was first sent to Hainburg and later to Vienna, where he served as a chorister at St. Stephen’s Cathedral until he turned sixteen. His firm refusal to embrace an ecclesiastical career led him to take to the streets; he then encountered the famous choirmaster Porpora, who engaged him as an accompanist for his singing lessons, lodging him in a garret where snow would sometimes seep through to his bed during the winter, but allowing him to learn Italian, singing, and composition. However, his career was launched with string quartets: in 1757, the young Haydn composed his first quartets (Opp. 1 and 2) for Baron Fürnberg. Of a new genre, distinct from the usual divertimenti, these pieces quickly achieved immense success, and copies were to be found throughout Europe. Shortly afterwards, the composer was appointed Kapellmeister, and a year later, following his unhappy marriage to Maria-Anna Keller, he entered the service of Prince Paul Anton Esterházy, one of the wealthiest families in Hungary. Deeply attached to Prince Nikolaus, Haydn held his position for thirty years, composing for the two theatres on the Esterháza estate almost all of his operas and most of his symphonic and chamber music works, before discovering London during two sojourns during which he was triumphantly celebrated. After his return to Vienna in 1795, he composed his most famous oratorios and masses alongside many other works, until his death on 31 May 1809, two weeks after Vienna’s surrender to Napoleon’s troops.

Joseph Haydn was one of the most important musicians of his time, both for the sheer number of his works and for his significant contributions to various genres. Alongside Boccherini, he was the founder of the string quartet, a new genre placing four instruments of the same family on equal footing and allowing them to dialogue without the need for a continuo bass. For a long time, the composer was credited with eighty-three string quartets, based on the complete 1801 edition by his pupil Ignaz Pleyel. Today, their number stands at sixty-eight, spanning the period from 1757 to 1803, from the birth of the genre to the dawn of Romanticism.

The six quartets Op. 33 occupy a central position within this rich output. Composed between June and November 1781, “they are of a completely new and special genre, for I have not written any for ten years,” the composer declared. Haydn, by then known throughout Europe, had already written some thirty quartets and would go on to write over thirty more. So what was this “new and special” genre? Firstly, a change of tone: whilst the quartet remained a “scholarly” work, it incorporated a truly popular dimension, as evidenced by the rondo-form finales. Secondly, the pieces are more concise and the tone lighter, with the composer’s characteristic humour coming to the fore, while “most often concealing great internal complexity” (Orin Moe), since the composer delighted in developing each small thematic element. These quartets had a decisive influence on the young Mozart and inspired many followers, such as Franz Hoffmeister and Ignaz Pleyel, who helped to perpetuate the string quartet form.

Nicknamed “The Bird”, the third quartet of Op. 33 (Hob. III.39) opens with a descending theme spanning two octaves in the first violin, perhaps evoking the trills of a bird, with a small semiquaver motif in the melody immediately taken up by the viola and the cello as an accompaniment figure. This ambiguity between melody and accompaniment is one of the characteristics of Haydn’s style, which “aims to seek unity in diversity”. Sometimes humorous, these attributes are principally addressed “to connoisseurs capable of appreciating their refinement and wit” (Frédéric Gonin). The second movement, Scherzando, begins with the four voices in homophony in C major, at a piano dynamic, contrasting with the light dialogue between the two violins, the sole protagonists of the trio. The Adagio, in F major, is tender and expressive, then dramatic in its central section; it is “Haydn’s last quartet movement to make use of the varied reprise dear to Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach”, while the final Presto, with its very popular character, is “the first” of the composer’s quartets “to bear expressly the denomination of rondo ‘ (M. Vignal). It is therefore understandable why Op. 33 is considered a true stylistic turning point.

The fourth quartet, Op. 33 (Hob.III.40), in B flat major, opens with an Allegro moderato whose theme is characteristic of Haydn’s humour. The composer loved to surprise with melodies that do not follow the usual pattern of “impulse, climax, conclusion”: the theme, in the first violin, launches into a repeated cadential motif underlined by trills. A few bars later, the composer repeats the F-F-D cell three times, before it reappears in the cello, as if the latter had been unable to stop in time! Mozart recalled the joke in the Finale of his Quartet K. 458, dedicated to Haydn and written in the same key. Other surprises await the listener in this sonata-form Allegro. The Scherzo that follows, in triple time, is reminiscent of a minuet, framing a trio in minor, before the beautiful Largo in E flat, which is constructed in three parts around three iterations of the principal theme: first stated, then developed in a highly modulating discourse, it reappears in a luminous major, then undergoes further developments before its third appearance and the coda. The Finale is a new example of Haydn’s characteristic humour. Constructed as a rondo in an A-B-A’-C’’ structure, it passes through modulations that sometimes give the impression of a false note and ends with a coda in which the theme is riddled with silences, then extends in long values, before ending in pizzicatos, like a jest, proving once again that the humour expressed by Haydn – a composer who was both serious and jovial according to his contemporaries – derives “from an aesthetic and analytical reflection sufficiently profound and elevated that [...] we continue today to still appreciate it with delight” (F. Gonin).

Finally, the sixth quartet, Op. 33 (Hob.III.42) is in D major. Subtly constructed, playing on small motifs, its first movement exposes an eight-bar theme, the last four bars of which are a variation on the first four. It surprises the listener with a false recapitulation, preceding the actual recapitulation, which only incorporates the varied part of the theme. This is followed by the soothing and meditative Andante in D minor, whose theme is presented by the second violin over a long sustained note played by the first violin, before a genuine dialogue between the four instruments. The Scherzo, with its well-marked beats and accents, gives pride of place to the cello in the trio, before the return of the Scherzo. The tranquil Finale is a series of variations (A-B-A’-B’-A’’-B’’), alternating between a major and a minor section and, as a little joke, a false ending before the proper conclusion.

Joseph Haydn was in the habit of playing the first violin when performing his quartets, as Giovanni Paisiello, an Italian composer who had come to Vienna for one of his operas, reported in his memoirs in 1784. The viola part was then played by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, who said of his mentor, twenty-four years his senior: “He alone has the secret of making me smile, of touching me to the depths of my soul...” These quartets, where complexity is combined with humour, and the scholarly with the popular, will undoubtedly touch their listeners.

Bénédicte Gandois
Translation: Michelle Bulloch – Musitext

Bibliography

VIGNAL, Marc, “Haydn”, in François-René Tranchefort, Guide de la musique de chambre, Fayard, Paris, 1989.

GONIN, Frédéric, Quatre regards sur les quatuors de Joseph Haydn, Delatour-France, Sampzon, 2012.

BARBAUD, Pierre, Haydn, Seuil, coll. Solfèges, 1963.

ROBBINS Landon, H. C., Haydn, Chêne/ Hachette, Paris, 1981.

QUATUOR TERPSYCORDES

The Terpsycordes Quartet redefines the connection between a musical ensemble and its audience. It invents new ways to experience a concert of chamber music and is committed to reaching underprivileged as well as young audiences, in order to share its art with as many people as possible.

The Terpsycordes Quartet is the story of a friendship going back over 25 years. Formed in Geneva in 1997, guided by the artistic vision of Gábor Takács-Nagy and nurtured by the teachings of members of the Amadeus, Budapest, Hagen, Lasalle and Mosaïques quartets, the Terpsycordes Quartet quickly made its mark on the musical scene, notably winning First Prize at the Geneva Competition in 2001, as well as other international competitions (Weimar, Graz, Trapani). Encounters with major 20thcentury composers such as György Kurtág and Sofia Gubaidulina, as well as personalities from the world of baroque music, including Gabriel Garrido, Chiara Banchini, Florence Malgoire and Leonardo García Alarcón, have contributed to defining and refining the quartet’s aesthetic evolution. Members of the Quartet continue to play regularly with various other ensembles such as the Geneva Chamber Orchestra, Cappella Mediterranea, Gli Angeli Genève, Contrechamps, l’Armée des Romantiques or Elyma. This wealth of experience has enabled the Terpsycordes Quartet to maintain its repertoire under constant review. Its approach is based on freedom of choice and acceptance of risk, as characterised by its constant quest for cohesion as a group balanced by individual freedom, respect for the text and independence with respect to the score.

The repertoire of the Terpsycordes Quartet spans from the pre-classical period to contemporary creations. Since 2021, it has been performing a complete cycle of Joseph Haydn’s quartets on period instruments at the Museum of Art and History in Geneva, while maintaining a special relationship with major 20thcentury Genevan composers – Ernest Bloch and Frank Martin. The publication by Claves Records, in the spring of 2024, of a new album entirely devoted to Frank Martin’s works has enriched their discography – already acclaimed by the critics – and which ranges from Haydn to Piazzola.

The Terpsycordes Quartet is actively engaged in social and educational projects. It offers concerts in partnership with foundations, associations, and facilities for the disabled, those in precarious situations or in detention. It also collaborates with schools in the City of Geneva. It breaks conventions by offering unique experiences aimed at sharing its passion, including outdoor concerts in unusual locations, musical bike rides or public rehearsals, thus creating original opportunities to introduce the magic of chamber music to diverse audiences.

The Terpsycordes Quartet is supported by the City of Geneva and by the Republic and Canton of Geneva.

Girolamo Bottiglieri - violin
Raya Raytcheva - violin
Caroline Cohen-Adad - viola
Florestan Darbellay - cello

www.terpsycordes.com

REVIEWS

Ritmo

"[..] La primera de ellas está dedicada a la segunda triada del magnífico Op. 33 de Haydn. Se da la extraña circunstancia de que el primer disco del Op. 33 (5, 2, 1) del Quatuor Terpsycordes se publicó en 2006. Más vale tarde que nunca: 19 años después, este cuarteto fundado en Ginebra remata la serie con los últimos 3 Cuartetos, siguiendo el orden de la edición de Artaria (5, 2, 1, 3, 6, 4). Llaman la atención el laconismo y la viveza con la que el Terpsycordes acomete el primer movimiento del n. 3 (apodado El pájaro, en esta versión queda claro por qué). Sobresalen también los primeros rondós que Haydn incorpora al género (ns. 3 y 6), adecuadamente feroces. No es imprescindible rescatar a su pareja de baile de 2006, funciona bien como disco aislado. [..]" - Daniel Pérez Navarro, Diciembre 2025

Le Courrier

"[..] Ce répertoire est bien connu du Quatuor Terpsycordes, qui depuis 2021 poursuit une intégrale sur instruments d’époque des quatuors de Haydn au Musée d’art et d’histoire de Genève. C’est sur la centralité de l’Opus 33 que l’ensemble se penche pour cette sortie chez Claves, en mettant à l’honneur trois de ces six quatuors. Les Genevois·es font cela avec un brio, un ravissant cisèlement expressif de l’engrenage polyphonique, une légèreté et une transparence de la diction musicale très philologique, qui illumine ce répertoire avec un équilibre aérien remarquable." - Gianluigi Bocelli, décembre 2025

24 Heures

"Dès son 2e disque en 2006, le Quatuor Terpsycordes abordait l’«Opus 33» de Joseph Haydn avec une pertinence très affûtée pour le jeune ensemble d’alors. Dix-neuf ans plus tard, ils complètent ce monument du classicisme, marqué au sceau de la profondeur et de la légèreté. En 1781, Haydn est au sommet de son art, mais ne lâche rien de son humour. Les Terpsycordes y assument leur maturité en souriant. Car les Genevois ont lancé une intégrale au concert des 68 quatuors à cordes de l’inventif Autrichien. C’est devenu leur langue paternelle!" - Matthieu Chenal, décembre 2025

Opus Klassiek

"[..] We already have a large number of leading recordings of both Op. 20 and Op. 33, but it is fair to say that the Quatuor Terpsycordes can confidently join them, because there is nothing to criticize in this Haydn performance. [..] The quartet is well versed in Haydn's delicate moods and whims, but his spirituality is also in good hands with them." - Aart van der Wal, February 2026

Scherzo

"[..] The Quatuor Terpsycordes, playing period instruments, performs three of the six quartets. The sound is meticulously crafted, free of harshness, with carefully moderated vibrato , energetic bow strokes in the rapid movements, and, above all, an accentuation of each phrase with exquisite detail. Thus, in the muted passage of No. 3, they demonstrate a remarkable delicacy in the dynamic gradation below the piano , a technique repeated in the Largo of No. 4. In the repetitions, such as those in the Andante of No. 6, their mastery in imparting a subtle yet effective nuance to each repetition is evident. And in the rapid movements, such as those that conclude each quartet, the vivacity of the phrasing becomes infectious." - Andrés Moreno Mengíbar, December 2025

Tribune de Genève

"Le Quatuor Terspsycordes poursuit son intégrale des quatuors à cordes de Joseph Haydn, mais le prochain concert a un goût festif avec le vernissage d’un nouvel enregistrement chez Claves de trois perles tirés de l’«Opus 33» du compositeur autrichien. [..]" - Matthieu Chenal, décembre 2025