Haydn: String Quartets Op 50 'Prussian'

"The London String Quartet's Haydn series has been critically acclaimed. On the strength of this issue, that acclaim comes with good reason. Use of gut strings and minimal vibrato take this into the historically informed territory, while the use of the 1787 Vienna edition of the scores adds a distinct tinge of musicological respectability. For Hyperion, Philip Hobbs has done a sterling job with the recording (he is producer and engineer). Expert notes from the renowned Haydn scholar Richard Wigmore round out a simply stunning release." Recording of the Month MusicWeb January 2017

"These are stylish, faithful accounts of these six great quartets, and if you've been collecting the London Haydn Quartet's ongoing Hyperion cycle, you needn't hesitate" Gramophone Magazine, March 2016

"gut strings and paucity of vibrato notwithstanding, [the London Haydn Quartet] play with all the radiant resonance of timbre of their previous releases in this on-going Haydn series…there is never a dull moment, and the recording is of answering immediacy and bloom" BBC Music Magazine, April 2016 ****

"the four accomplished players display an instinctual and obvious love for the music. These performances are historically informed, using period instruments as well as the 1787 Artaria edition scores with full outer-movement repeats. The results are life-affirming and infectious, realised with a delightful lightness of touch." Classical Ear, 29th April 2016

"There is plenty to enjoy in these latest performances by the London Haydn Quartet. Their playing is admirably poised, expansive and superbly recorded…they do have fun with the gleeful sliding notes of the fifth quartet's closing Vivace…and they really excel in their attentiveness to the music's lyrical impulses" Early Music Today, August 2016 *****