These are among the finest Haydn quartet recordings heard in years, performances which will quickly establish themselves as classics. They are consistently a degree more refined in texture and control of dynamic than the Lindsays' earlier live recordings, and the ensemble is more polished.
Yet the feeling of spontaneity is just as intense, with Haydn's witty moments pointed even more infectiously, as in the finale of Op 76 No 2, where in the main theme the little upward portamentos at the end of the eighth bar are delectably timed on each occurrence. The studio sound is fuller, too, and far better balanced, so that one can register far more clearly than before the first violin's rapid triplets in the finale of the Emperor; it's ideally crisp articulation. Matching the new performances of the Fifths and the Emperor, The Lindsays' account of Op 76 No 1 is just as strongly characterised. The sense of fun in the opening Allegro con spirito is deliciously brought out, leading on to an account of the sublime Adagio, both dedicated and refined, which conveys a Beethovenian depth of expression, making most rivals sound superficial.

The Lindsays crown their series of Haydn recordings with this superb disc of three of the supreme masterpieces...