Thursday evening at Mannes, the Orion Quartet gave the third in its series of four annual recitals. The ensemble has emphasized the music of Haydn this season, and on this occasion all the works scheduled were by that composer. Haydn, of course, is known as the "father of the string quartet" and this was a wonderful opportunity to hear works from various points in his career played side by side. This allowed the listener to better trace the development of the composer's style and the increasing mastery of the genre that culminated in the completion of his final quartet. It is a mistake to view Haydn merely as a predecessor to Mozart and Beethoven - he was as great a genius in his own right, and his works are not only among the earliest quartets written but the finest as well.
The program opened with the Quartet in G minor, Op. 74, No. 3, Hob. III:74 (1793), one of the six "Apponyi Quartets" and nicknamed "The Rider" for the galloping pace of its final movement. It was dedicated to the Hungarian nobleman Count Antal Apponyi, an excellent violinist himself and later the patron of Beethoven. There's a certain irony in this. As social change swept through Europe on the heels of the French Revolution, the music of that turbulent era also underwent a profound transformation. No longer was classical music the sole preserve of royalty and the nobility. While hitherto composers had written works intended for private performance at aristocratic courts such as that of the Esterházys where Haydn himself had been employed, there was now a new emphasis on the common man as public concert halls began to proliferate and royal patronage gave way to ticket sales. Already, in 1786, Da Ponte had abandoned the pretensions of opera seria when writing the libretto for Le nozze di Figaro, a work that explicitly called into question the hereditary rights of the old order. In the same way, though Haydn may have dedicated his work to an aristocrat, he was actually looking forward to hearing them performed in London where they would be published in 1795 and where the impresario Johann Salomon had already arranged public performances at the Hanover Square Rooms. When the Orion Quartet played this same work earlier in the month at the Chamber Music Society, the Program Notes observed:
"The Quartets, Opp. 71 and 74 occupy an important niche in the history of chamber music as the first such works written expressly for public performance. Haydn, who was always sensitive to accommodating his audiences, made the Quartets suitable for the concert hall by providing them with ample dramatic contrasts, basing them on easily memorable thematic material, allowing a certain virtuosity to the first violinist in the fast movements (to show off Salomon's considerable skills), and giving them an almost symphonic breadth of expression."
The next work was the Quartet in C major, Op. 50, No. 2, Hob. III:45 (1787), one of the six "Prussian Quartets." It was through their dedication to Frederick William II that the works gained their nickname, but it was really the publishing rights that most concerned Haydn. The composer, who could be quite avaricious at times, sold these to two different firms - Ataria in Vienna and Foster in London - while all the while leading each to believe they held exclusive rights.
After intermission, the program closed with the Quartet in F major, Op. 77, No.2, Hob. III:82 (1799), one of the two "Lobkowitz Quartets." This was the last of Haydn's string quartets (the Op. 103 consists of two middle movements from an uncompleted work) and the one he himself termed his most beautiful. The original commission from Prince Lobkowitz had called for six pieces, but Haydn's health was already failing and he was unable to complete the full series.
The Orion Quartet consists of four extremely gifted musicians - Daniel Phillips and Todd Phillips, violin; Steven Tenenbom, viola; and Timothy Eddy, cello - and is one of the very best chamber ensembles now active anywhere. One could not have asked for a better performance than that they gave Thursday evening. Throughout the recital, all four showed displayed a deep understanding of Haydn's music and total respect for the composer. Their magnificent playing brought out nuances in the pieces I had never before realized were there. It was truly a privilege to have heard them.
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