Haydn's String Quartet No.  4 in B flat major is nicknamed "Sunrise" in
response to the soaring violin cantilena over a sustained tonic chord
from the other instruments at the start of the first movement Allegro con
spirito.  It is a lovely and graceful opening which then becomes fast,
sprirted, and exciting; the second subject is largely an inversion of
thematic material from the first subject.

To my surprise, the performance of the Tokyo String Quartet is the only
one which fully satisfies me; the cantilena is wonderful and the allegro
passages are exciting and well balanced.  With each of the other four
versions, I find the excitement more sporadic and sometimes rather
unmusical.  The Tatari Quartet is most problematic in this respect, as the
group is playing quickly and idiomatically but then engages in a piercing
loudness which I find highly distracting.  The Lindsays do fairly well,
but their subdued tones and low volume recorded sound still constitute
an issue.  The Mosaiques and Kuijken Quartets are at the level of the
Lindsays.

The second movement E flat major Adagio is essentially a three-part
improvisation on an initial five note hymn-like motif.  Each part unfolds
slowly in a manner to savor.  This is relaxing, meditative, and lovely
music which the Mosaiques Quartet performs superbly; their pungent period
instruments are very effective.  The Tokyo String Quartet performs very
well, but I much prefer the period instrument sounds of the Mosaiques;
also, I feel that the Mosaiques are more relaxed and meditative.  The
Tatrai Quartet takes us back to comforting locations; they don't have
period instruments, but their ideal interpretation is as good as the
Mosaiques.  The Lindsays are quite slow but mostly on target; my
reservation is that I feel the first violin dominates excessively and the
three remaining instruments constitute the back-up.  The Kuijken String
Quartet gives a very nice reading marred somewhat by some sour playing.

The third movement, Menuetto:  Allegro.  Trio, has a bouncy and cheerful
allegro and a trio full of mysterious modulations.  The Mosaiques Quartet
is quite slow in the Allegro; it's not boring at all since the group's
sound is very distinctive and interesting.  Also, the Trio's modulations
sound highly effective.  The Kuijken String Quartet employs the faster
Allegro which I like, but their reading isn't nearly as interesting or
distinctive as the Mosaiques; The Kuijken sound a little generic and staid.
The Tatrai Quartet has just the right bounce and snap for the Allegro, and
the interplay among the instruments is a joy to listen to and much better
than even the Mosaiques Quartet's reading.  The Lindsays don't have the
snap or bounce of the Tatrai, but they give a fine performance on a par
with the Mosaiques.  The Tokyo String Quartet is just a little below the
level of the Tatrai; it's hard to match perfection.

Bouncy and cheerful also well describe the Allegro ma non troppo final
movement.  This is care-free and exuberant music with some stretti thrown
in for variety and impact and a highly exultant coda.  The Mosaiques
Quartet is again on the slow side; exuberance is *not* reduced and
detail/interplay among voices is enhanced.  The Tokyo are faster and very
good, but they lose out to the Mosaiques because of the interplay aspect.
There isn't much bounce to the Kuijken String Quartet; as in the 3rd
movement, they need an energy boost.  The Lindsays start off poorly in a
subdued fashion, then they do the one thing that's sure to turn me off -
they turn up the humor.  This is a shame since much of the performance is
excellent and superbly played.  I like the Tatrai best of all; they are the
fastest and use the speed very well.  Also, their accenting is outstanding.

The Tatrai's B flat major is my favorite version.  Although I'm not enamored
of their first movement, the others are performed superbly.  The Mosaiques
Quartet has the second spot in my affections.

The Kuijken String Quartet has had one particular failing so far; they
sometimes lack sufficient life and energy.  Their instruments are much less
interesting to listen to than the Mosaiques, and it's a matter of putting
oneself into the music.

The Lindsays are still at the bottom of the stack, and they don't seem to be
getting better with time.  What really gets to me is not that the group gets
all kinds of raves for their Haydn recordings, but that I was one who also
talked up their virtues.  Something strange is going on here, but I'll just
go with the flow which is that I have little agreement with their
interpretive decisions.

Don Satz
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