Joseph Haydn must have been curious - away from the extensive obligations for music at the court of Prince Esterhazy, he found in the string quartet the ideal field for experiments. The quartets from op. 9 contain ideas that would only find expression in symphonies and sonatas much later.

The Leipzig String Quartet are starting with Quartets 1 to 3, that sound as fresh and new as if they had just come from the pen.

After all, ten years of compositional experience lie between Haydn's first attempts in the genre and the six quartets op. 9. The pieces repeatedly demand ludicrously virtuosic passages from the first violin, and some movements with their bravura cadenzas are even reminiscent of a violin concerto.

However, the far advanced balance of the voices is surprising. Far from being simply accompaniment, there are also many demanding details in the lower voices.

The renowned Leipzig String Quartet again lend their artistry to this next volume in their survey of Haydn's String Quartets.