Haydn: String Quartets Op. 74

In 1793, when Haydn returned home to Vienna after a visit to London, he wrote a set of six string quartets for Count Anton Apponyi, a chamberlain at the Imperial Court. The set was broken up into two groups of three and sold to separate publishers, thus becoming the Op. 71 and Op. 74 quartets. The works possess an almost orchestral sonority, with frequent modulations, dynamic variations and increasingly virtuosic writing reminiscent of the 'London' symphonies. Above all, they display the composer's astonishing elegance, lyricism and immense skill in fusing the profound with the light-hearted. In these compelling interpretations, the Takács Quartet display an absolute unanimity of tone and style and cement their reputation as one of today's greatest string ensembles.