Meta4 (Strijkkwartet)

HAYDN, VON ZEMLINSKY & DUTILLEUX

With his opus 76, Joseph Haydn delivers six of his most exciting and original string quartets. These late works provide a good picture of how the Austrian composer was able to compose a full-fledged piece from a single motif or melody. For example, in the first part of the third quartet he incorporates the Austrian hymn 'Gott Erhalte Franz Den Kaiser', which he had written the year before. The other three parts each start with the same series of notes, G-E-F-D-C, the initials of the emperor's hymn. A bite-sized piece for Meta4, a young Finnish string quartet that is taking the international chamber music stages by storm with fresh and daring performances. Their debut recording with Haydn's opus 55 became CD of the month in Classic Fm Magazine in November 2009: “The players of Meta4 approach Haydn's notes so naturally and so candidly that it renders their performance a highly pleasurable listen.” The trademark of the four enthusiastic Finns is their attention to contemporary repertoire, including works dedicated to them by Finnish composers.