As noted in Fanfare 31:5 in a review of the Auryn’s recordings of late Beethoven, I had no awareness at that time of the group’s having already had a 20-year career; I added praise for their work and hoped that I would hear further releases from what seemed an extraordinarily accomplished ensemble. Well, here is that release. It not only echoes my earlier impression, it suggests that the Auryn’s approach to Haydn is virtually identical to its way with late Beethoven. Tempos are essentially middle of the road, never pushed too hard, yet always animated, an animation underscored by exceptionally clean execution. Note, in particular, how, even in the most rapidly articulated passages, such as the 64th notes in the second movement of No. 3, nothing is blurred. Then, too, balances are exemplary, every voice clearly audible, the texture of the music always well focused. Some credit for this must go to superior engineering, which manages to provide a very close perspective while avoiding the occasional heavy breathing that infects some quartet recordings. But perhaps the major reason this op. 54 set seems so impressive is that it lends the music a stature that I have never heard before. (...) Perhaps the group’s op. 54 is not "the best" recorded version of the set, but, in all fairness, I’ve never heard a better one.
Mortimer H. Frank

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