String Quartet Opus 76, No. 3 in C major - In February 1797, Haydn wrote a
hymn, "Gott erhalte Franz den Kaiser", specifically as an anthem to honor
the Kaiser/Emperor.  The hymn was very popular, and Haydn used it as the
theme for his set of variations for the Adagio of the C major Quartet.
Hence, this Quartet is widely known as the "Emperor" Quartet.

The first movement Allegro is in sonata form with a 4/4 time signature.  It
begins in a ceremonial manner with a five note motif(GEFDC) which harkens
back to the title of the hymn.  There are also dotted rhythms of a French
Overture nature in the subsidiary theme.  Another distinctive feature is
the second half of the development which is a rough country dance in E
major with drone bass.  The movement needs to be played with a high level
of exuberance which lends itself to excitement; further, the ceremonial
nature of the music should be highlighted as well as the rustic development
section.

Among the three modern instrument versions, the Lindsays do not project
much exuberance; they are about 10% slower than the Tatrai and Tokyo,
but seem significantly slower than that.  "Stodgy" often applies to the
Lindsays' reading although they do a great job with the rustic part of the
development.  Both the Tatrai and Tokyo Quartets are excellent; energy is
projected strongly and with great pleasure.  Their only drawback concerns
little projection of ceremony.  The Kuijken String Quartet's tempo is
similar to the Lindsays, but the exuberance is much better although not at
the level of the Tatrai or Tokyo Quartets.  Also, the Kuijken are excellent
in displaying some regal ceremony and the country nature of the development
section.

The Mosaiques Quartet, almost as quick as the Tatrai and Tokyo Quartets,
deliver just as much excitement with the advantage of those pungent period
string instruments.  They also handle the music's ceremony better than
those two groups.  Overall, I like the Mosaiques the most, the Lindsays
the least, and the other three have my equal affection.

The second movement, Poco adagio cantible, begins with the well-known
Haydn imperial hymn, then contains four variations, each one highlighted
by a different instrument.  This is peaceful and lovely music which the
Tatrai Quartet excels at; theirs is a captivating performance.  The
Mosaiques are quite distinctive with sharp accenting and greater extremes
of dynamics than the Tatrai.  BUT, their reading is not as lovely or
relaxed as the Tatrai, and they tend to be a little too loud for my tastes
in this movement.  The Kuijken String Quartet is much more relaxed than the
Mosaiques, and I consider that an advantage.  The Tokyo sound sweeter than
the Tatrai, and that's not good in my world; otherwise, it's a very good
version.

The Lindsays play the initial theme with little projection of its hymn-like
qualities; they just might be too fast.  The variations fare much better in
their hands although there's some subdued playing.  So, it's the Tatrai on
top followed by the Tokyo, Kuijken, and a tie for the bottom
(Lindsays/Mosaiques).

The third movement, Menuetto(Allegro). Trio, is a quick minuet with slower
trio in A minor which drifts twice into the more positive key of A major.
The Tokyo String Quartet displays fine energy in the minuet and are very
tender in the trio; it's an excellent performance.  The Tatrai Quartet,
although very enjoyable, could use a little more tonal beauty.  The
Lindsays are too subdued in the both the minuet and trio; I find theirs
an entirely forgettable performance.

The Mosaiques are a little too choppy in the minuet and forceful in the
trio, but there is life in this performance compared to the account by the
Lindsays.  The Kuijken String Quartet also has some life but not a great
deal of it; their trio is a definite advantage over the Mosaiques.  My
order of preference is Tokyo, Tatrai, Kuijken, Mosaiques, and Lindsays.

The last movement, Presto, is mostly in C minor and begins with an
agitated three chord series which certainly changes the mood of the work
to a battle-like one.  However, lyricism is always around the corner.  The
movement brings us back eventually to C major.

The Tokyo String Quartet is superb; the agitated chord series is strong,
pacing is infectious, and the Tokyo offer much excitement.  The Tatrai
Quartet is almost as fine, having a slighly less desireable pacing.
The Lindsays again have trouble with strong projection and bog down
occasionally.  The Kuijken String Quartet uses a relatively slow and
relaxed tempo; it's not my idea of 'Presto' and excitement certainly
suffers.  The Mosaiques Quartet, although slower than the Tatrai and Tokyo,
bring strong projection and great pacing to the music.  Their performance
is as good as the Tokyo's.

Updates:

The Tokyo String Quartet gives an outstanding Emperor Quartet and currently
stands above the other versions at the half-way point.  The Tatrai also
distinguishes itself in the Emperor, finally providing dynamic performances
of the faster movements.  The Kuijken are fairly good but again do not
reach the high level of their G major performance.  Except for their
Adagio, the Mosaiques are excellent in the Emperor and, overall, are
delivering fine readings.  The Lindsay's Emperor Quartet is not competitive
in any of the four movements.  They are either too slow or too soft or too
relaxed throughout the work; projection is very weak, and the group appears
to need a few vitamin shots - I am unpleasantly surprised with this highly
acclaimed ensemble.

Don Satz
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