Haydn: String Quartets Op. 76, Nos 4 - 6

The Chiaroscuros complete Haydn's last full set of quartets.

The String Quartets, Op. 76 are among the most renowned of Joseph Haydn's sets of quartets, and carry the stamp of their maker: No other set of eighteenth-century string quartets is so diverse, or so unconcerned with the norms of the time. In the words of Haydn's friend and contemporary Charles Burney 'they are full of invention, fire, good taste and new effects' - a striking description considering that Haydn had reached the respectable age of 64 when he composed the set. On a previous disc, the Chiaroscuro Quartet has recorded the first half of Op. 76, including No. 3, the celebrated 'Emperor' quartet. The release has won great acclaim, with the critic in Gramophone writing: 'The Chiaroscuros' account of the remaining three Op 76 quartets can't come soon enough.' Well, here it is - a disc which like its predecessor spans a wealth of moods and atmospheres: from the magical sunrise of the opening of 76/4 to the manic minuet and boisterous finale of 76/6, a movement without a tune worth the name but utterly engrossing even so. The Chiaroscuro Quartet was formed in 2005 by the violinists Alina Ibragimova (Russia) and Pablo Hernán Benedí (Spain), the Swedish violist Emilie Hörnlund and cellist Claire Thirion from France. Performing music of the Classical period on gut strings this highly international ensemble has a unique sound - described in The Observer as 'a shock to the ears of the best kind'.

Formed in 2005, the Chiaroscuro Quartet consists of the violinists Alina Ibragimova (Russia) and Pablo Hernán Benedí (Spain), the Swedish violist Emilie Hörnlund and cellist Claire Thirion from France. Dubbed 'a trailblazer for the authentic performance of High Classical chamber music' in Gramophone, this highly international ensemble performs music of the Classical period on gut strings. The quartet's unique sound - described in The Observer as 'a shock to the ears of the best kind' - is highly acclaimed by audiences and critics all over Europe, with its lithe and gracious playing combined with an extraordinarily committed ensemble mentality. An acclaimed and growing discography includes recordings of music by Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, Mendelssohn and Haydn. The ensemble was a prizewinner at the German Förderpreis Deutschlandfunk/ Musikfest Bremen in 2013 and received Germany's most prestigious CD award, the Preis der deutschen Schallplattenkritik, in 2015. Among the ensemble's chamber music partners are renowned artists such as Kristian Bezuidenhout, Nicolas Baldeyrou, Chen Halevi, Trevor Pinnock, Malcolm Bilson, Jonathan Cohen and Christophe Coin.

Since 2009, the Quartet has been artist-in-residence at Port Royal-des-Champs, giving a concert series dedicated to Mozart's string quartets. The players are Menuhin Festival Artists at the Gstaad Festival and perform at the Vienna Konzerthaus, Aldeburgh and Edinburgh Festivals, Amsterdam Concertgebouw, Wigmore Hall and Gulbenkian Foundation.