I. Vivace
II. Adagio
III. Menuetto. Allegro - Trio
IV. Finale. Vivace assai


Like the rest of the op.50 quartets, Haydn composed the 2nd quartet of the series in 1787 and dedicated it to amateur cellist and music-lover King Frederick William II of Prussia. It's different in nature to the 1st quartet. Rather than an ostinato and cadences, this time we get uncommon 3/4 time plus a healthy contrast between the irregular first theme and the waltz-like second theme. In the development section both themes are given some treatment and there's counterpoint thrown into the mix. The recapitulation has the main theme imitated by the cello and viola and then the violins invert proceedings.
The relaxing 2nd movement, Adagio, opens with a strummed accompaniment and gentle 2nd violin until the 1st violin comes in an octave higher. The gentle opening theme is embellished and there's some lovely chromatic harmony. The music feels almost operatic here as it veers dramatically and elaborately into C minor. The movement is also marked by a five-measure passage of sixteenth notes for the cello, almost certainly written to please the dedicatee of the piece (Haydn used this ploy when writing for King Fred often in the op.50 set).
The rougher-hewn 3rd movement begins with a descending triad played by the first violin. The minuet is then led by the cello but Haydn keeps us on our toes as he later changes key to F minor. The original triad gets flipped over, by the 2nd violin. to an ascending triad in the trio where Haydn plays more tricks on the listener with moments of silence. The trio ends quirkily over a rising cello.
The highly chromatic finale, Vivace Assai, begins with simple motifs and heavy dialogue between the instruments (it's argued that Haydn did this to annoy his critics). Haydn continues to deconstruct the original motifs wittily. As in the first movement Haydn uses a Mozartian, lyrical, contrasting melody as a counter-weight. Interestingly, throughout the finale (and actually throughout the whole quartet) Haydn uses the key of C♯ at key moments which seems to act as a catalyst to make changes, whether this is creating dissonance, moving away from the major key or creating dynamic tension.
This is not a widely recorded quartet so there's not too many recordings to go at. Most of these will be covered below. Whilst I've been largely more complimentary about the London Haydn's op.50 set here they sound just... Well... Weird! The harmonica-esque violins are quite awful in the 1st movement and odd balances throughout plague this performance so I really can't recommend it. Elsewhere it's all mostly good news as its pretty hard to mess up.

Lightweights

Kodaly
Schneider

Middleweights

Festetics - harmonically very interesting period recording. A little dry but the Festerics' elegant playing dispels any slight negativity.
Fine Arts (1967) - showing its recording age a little and a bit richer in vibrato than I'd like but there's lots to
Aeolian - a slightly slower than usual traversals but you've got to admire the Aeolian's tightly focused and homogenous playing which works very well in this work.
Auryn - as expected, there's fabulously precise music-making. An elegantly poised and reflective recording with perfect intonation that just misses a little more characterisation.
Leipziger - (see Auryn, above)
Doric (live @ Wigmore) - a very capable performance where the only negative is a strangely recessed soundstage. Otherwise this is good stuff, enticingly played.

Heavyweights

Angeles - sometimes frustratingly tepid the Angeles obviously relish this work as they pull out their best playing (when they're good they're very good) in an especially more symphonic achievement. I do love a good finale and they give us a super one.
Tatrai - as with most of the Tatrai's Haydn there's so much character in much of the playing that you tend not to notice their more relaxed tempi here as you're so focused on those lovely little touches.
Salomon - delectable poised and beautifully balanced account. I enjoy the Salomon's tone immensely here and as per usual MR. Standage is on top form.
Amati - tone and clarity are top of the Amati's agenda and they nail this lovely quartet with some delightful violin playing. Precision ensemble, , brisk tempi, fluid runs and crisp articulation throughout. Everything to like.
Zaide - a little over-cautious in the opening Vivace but their pacing and structure are ideal. Really nothing to complain about and so much to admire. The sound of this whole set is truly impressive.
Buchberger - brusque and no slouches, the German ensemble really gather no moss with bags of forward momentum. They're not the most subtle quartet at odd moments but you're so solidly involved with their colourful playing that you don't care.
Nomos - as well played and textured as their op.50/1. Lots of nice colour and strong harmonies. Sound is still a little dry but not overtly so in this excellent account.

Kings of the Ring

Tokyo - a recording that is just perfect in my book. The Tokyo have it all. When you hear playing of this quality it's best just to sit back and admire the artistry. No point in looking for faults. There aren't any. This OOP set has long been a top choice for some and it's easy to hear why. A performance that skips and trips delightfully, particularly in a minuet that is a joy of quartet playing.
Lindsays - for me, the Lindsays' op.50 set was the pinnacle of their Haydn quartets and they are terrific again, here. It's a strong performance throughout but there's almost a live feel to the whole effort, especially in a hugely spirited and totally immersive finale. I can't fault a moment of this. Brilliant.