A lack of cutting edge (3.5 *)

I had already commented opus 71 by Auryn, registered in the 90s, and I hesitated between 4 and 5 stars. For this version of the opus 76 from 2009, it will be between 3 or 4 stars. It takes little to lower technical capabilities of musicians, but rather a recording made in a church, very reverberant, not to track different instrumentalists. This is all the more distressing that I could appreciate the ability to save home Tacet chamber music. It is likely that one will find this type of recording unsuitable in most recent discs of this quartet, at least in Haydn (see commentary Gilles Daniel percet for opus 77, 103 and 42). However, if this record is very painful to listen with speakers, headphone listening the dramatically improves.

In opus 71, I indicated that "the rhythm does not seem ... their main concern," but that "they compensate with great gentleness, grace, delicacy, sweetness, elegance, d interiority, flexibility and nuance "and" they lack a bit manly roughness Haydn ". This double disc shows no significant change in style, but I think the opus 76 may request more than the opus 71 a cutting force, rigor in rhythm and tempo in the stability and attention to detail more than structure, and these qualities are lacking here. And I said that I have not compared the Auryn to Tátrai striking because the comparison would have been overwhelming!

I studied some movements to clarify my opinion. In the initial movement of Opus 76 No. 6, the abstract character, severe and magnetic, they disappoint because lyricism and attention to detail dominate the structure. It's much better to that of No. 5, close enough to the character. The feeling of immobility of the first movement of No. 4 "Sunrise", "Sonnenaufgang" is betrayed by a slowness that is redundant. It is missed.

However I enjoyed poetry, lyricism worthy and character of the movement taking the # 3 "Emperor" Kaiserquartett. "The difficult Menuet's No. 1 managed to get the desired savagery (again, do not compare with Tátrai), accompanied by delicate details, and the contrast is fortunately marked with a trio imbued with a true poetry Then the brilliant Finale becomes a little soft and fat, as quite often with Auryn;. a little more rigor dry would have given better results. Very often, Auryn impress with the grace with which they know present the conclusive reasons, like a bow. This may go beyond elegance. In the Finale of No. 4 that begins so well damped, the last notes before the final acceleration reaches a rhetorical clarity that highlights the following, also scored a power that was missing at the beginning of the movement. The architecture around the movement seems very well thought.