Haydn: Opus 20 St. Lawrence String Quartet

• Joseph Haydn (1732 - 1809): String Quartet No. 1 in E-Flat Major, Op. 20:
• 1String Quartet No. 1 in E-Flat Major, Op. 20: I. Allegro moderato09:52
• 2String Quartet No. 1 in E-Flat Major, Op. 20: II. Menuet. Un poco allegretto03:58
• 3String Quartet No. 1 in E-Flat Major, Op. 20: III. Affettuoso e sostenuto09:13
• 4String Quartet No. 1 in E-Flat Major, Op. 20: IV. Finale. Presto04:02
• String Quartet No. 2 in C Major, Op. 20:
• 5String Quartet No. 2 in C Major, Op. 20: I. Moderato10:11
• 6String Quartet No. 2 in C Major, Op. 20: II. Capriccio. Adagio06:51
• 7String Quartet No. 2 in C Major, Op. 20: III. Menuet. Allegretto03:54
• 8String Quartet No. 2 in C Major, Op. 20: IV. Fuga a cuattro soggetto. Allegro03:32
• String Quartet No. 3 in G Minor, Op. 20:
• 9String Quartet No. 3 in G Minor, Op. 20: I. Allegro con spirito10:13
• 10String Quartet No. 3 in G Minor, Op. 20: II. Menuet. Allegretto04:29
• 11String Quartet No. 3 in G Minor, Op. 20: III. Poco adagio07:44
• 12String Quartet No. 3 in G Minor, Op. 20: IV. Finale. Allegro di molto05:29
• String Quartet No. 4 in D Major, Op. 20:
• 13String Quartet No. 4 in D Major, Op. 20: I. Allegro di Molto11:40
• 14String Quartet No. 4 in D Major, Op. 20: II. Un poco adagio e affettuoso09:29
• 15String Quartet No. 4 in D Major, Op. 20: III. Menuet alla Zingarese. Allegretto01:38
• 16String Quartet No. 4 in D Major, Op. 20: IV. Presto e scherzando06:46
• String Quartet No. 5 in F Minor, Op. 20:
• 17String Quartet No. 5 in F Minor, Op. 20: I. Moderato11:11
• 18String Quartet No. 5 in F Minor, Op. 20: II. Menuet05:04
• 19String Quartet No. 5 in F Minor, Op. 20: III. Adagio05:34
• 20String Quartet No. 5 in F Minor, Op. 20: IV. Finale. Fuga a 2 Soggetti03:06
• String Quartet No. 6 in A Major, Op. 20:
• 21String Quartet No. 6 in A Major, Op. 20: I. Allegro di molto e scherzando08:40
• 22String Quartet No. 6 in A Major, Op. 20: II. Adagio05:35
• 23String Quartet No. 6 in A Major, Op. 20: III. Menuet02:12
• 24String Quartet No. 6 in A Major, Op. 20: IV. Fuga con 3 Soggetti. Allegro03:12
• Total Runtime02:33:35

Info for Haydn: Opus 20

“Modern,” “dramatic,” “superb,” “wickedly attentive,” “with a hint of rock 'n roll energy” are just a few ways critics describe the musical phenomenon that is the St. Lawrence String Quartet (SLSQ). The SLSQ is renowned for the intensity of its performances, its breadth of repertoire, and its commitment to concert experiences that are at once intellectually exciting and emotionally alive.

Established in Toronto in 1989, the SLSQ quickly earned acclaim at top international chamber music competitions and was soon playing hundreds of concerts per year worldwide. It established an ongoing residency at Spoleto Festival USA, made prize-winning recordings for EMI of music by Schumann, Tchaikovsky, and Golijov, earning two Grammy nominations and a host of other prizes before being appointed ensemble-in-residence at Stanford University in 1998.

At Stanford, the SLSQ is at the forefront of intellectual life on campus. It directs the music department's chamber music program, and frequently collaborates with other departments including the Schools of Law, Medicine, Business and Education. The Quartet frequently performs at Stanford Live, hosts an annual chamber music seminar attracting musicians from all over the world, and runs the Emerging String Quartet Program through which they mentor the next generation of young chamber musicians. In the words of Alex Ross of The New Yorker: "The St. Lawrence are remarkable not simply for the quality of their music making, exalted as it is, but for the joy they take in the act of connection."

This year, the SLSQ marks its 30th anniversary season with musical engagements celebrating new compositions alongside cornerstones of the chamber music repertoire. The season kicks off with a new album of all six Haydn Opus 20s, alongside a concert at Wigmore Hall of the same program, which the Los Angeles Times recently hailed as “in-your-face exhilarating.” The season follows with engagements in North America and Europe featuring Haydn Discovery Concerts, and programs including Beethoven Opus 135, Amy Beach Piano Quintet with pianist Anne-Marie McDermott, Debussy String Quartet, Franck Piano Quintet with pianist Stephen Prutsman, Korngold String Quartet No. 3, Paul Wiancko Oboe Quintet with oboist James Austin Smith, and new commissions by Douglas Balliett, Osvaldo Golijov, and Patricia Alessandrini.

Recent highlights include recitals at Carnegie Hall and Wigmore Hall, and solo performances with Michael Tilson Thomas and the SF Symphony, Gustavo Dudamel and the LA Philharmonic and Marin Alsop and the Baltimore Symphony in John Adams's Absolute Jest for string quartet and orchestra, and the European premieres of Adams's second string quartet. Fiercely committed to collaboration with living composers, the SLSQ's fruitful partnership with Adams, Jonathan Berger, Osvaldo Golijov and many others has yielded some of the finest additions to the quartet literature in recent years. The Quartet is also especially dedicated to the music of Haydn, recording his groundbreaking set of six Op. 20 quartets in high-definition video for a free, universal release online in 2019. According to The New Yorker, "...no other North American quartet plays the music of Haydn with more intelligence, expressivity, and force..."

St. Lawrence String Quartet:
Geoff Nuttall, violin
Owen Dalby, violin
Lesley Robertson, viola
Christopher Costanza, cello

Recorded at Bing Concert Hall, Stanford University, CA.
Produced and Engineered by Mark Willsher

The St. Lawrence String Quartet (SLSQ)
has established itself among the world-class chamber ensembles of its generation. Its mission: bring every piece of music to the audience in vivid color, with pronounced communication and teamwork, and great respect to the composer. Since winning both the Banff International String Quartet Competition and Young Concert Artists International Auditions in 1992, the quartet has delighted audiences with its spontaneous, passionate, and dynamic performances. Alex Ross of The New Yorker magazine writes, "the St. Lawrence are remarkable not simply for the quality of their music making, exalted as it is, but for the joy they take in the act of connection."

“A sound that has just about everything one wants from a quartet, most notably precision, warmth and an electricity that conveys the excitement of playing whatever is on their stands at the moment.” – The New York Times

Established in 1989, the St. Lawrence String Quartet earned international recognition within a few years, winning both the Banff Quartet Competition and the Young Concert Artists audition in 1992. The group has since developed an undisputed reputation as a truly world class chamber ensemble. Called “witty, buoyant, and wickedly attentive (The Gazette, Montreal), with a “peerless” sense of ensemble (Financial Times, London), the quartet is celebrated for its “smoldering intensity” (Washington Post), and “flexibility, dramatic fire and… hint of rock 'n' roll energy” (LA Times).

SLSQ performs internationally and has served as Ensemble in Residence at Stanford University since 1998. The St. Lawrence continues to build its reputation for imaginative and spontaneous music-making through an energetic commitment to the great established quartet literature, as well as the championing of new works by such composers as John Adams, Osvaldo Golijov, Ezequiel Vinao, and Jonathan Berger. Of their collaborations with Adams, the Washington Post asserted “If good relationships are built on trust, the bond between the St. Lawrence String Quartet and composer John Adams is a marriage made in chamber music heaven.”

Booklet for Haydn: Opus 20