Early Haydn

Thomas Larcher’s fourth string quartet is titled “Lucid Dreams”, with the name taken from the transparent second movement, reminiscent of stained glass church windows – in contrast to the darkly shaded outer movements. This interplay of contrasts is also a defining feature of Haydn’s music. The Simply Quartet from Vienna, known for their cutting-edge performances, is the perfect ensemble to give voice to the broad range of colors found in this music.

Does coincidence exist? The young composer and violinist Joseph Haydn – not yet “Papa”, but rather “puppy” Haydn – played with three random other string players for the Viennese Count Von Fürnberg. The accidental harmony was so pleasing that the count asked Haydn for more repertoire for this combination. In the works that followed, Haydn laid the foundation for the string quartet, the medium that has given us so much beautiful music. In the concert series Early Haydn, the classical beauty of Haydn’s Opus 33 is in the hands of a different quartet every morning.