Papa Haydn. Is he, in today’s pejorative meaning, pretty close to the image of a simpleton? The Doric Quartet say differently; and to hear how, sample the first-movement Allegro con spirito of No 3, ...

Between 1757 and 1799, Franz Joseph Haydn completed 67 string quartets. Every one, even the lightweight early divertimentos, has something in it to enjoy. Many of the last quartets are masterpieces.

Under recent directorships, it and other “heritage” art-form programs frequently have felt like tick-box afterthoughts to schedules dominated by ostensibly contemporary, genre-­shattering items.

If Haydn is today called the ‘father’ of the String Quartet, and Mozart took the form to new heights, then Beethoven – characteristically – took hold of it and completely transformed it. The five Late ...

The host of Now Hear This and Mexico City Philharmonic music director shares the pieces by Joseph Haydn, also known as “the king of strings,” that mean the most to him. A playlist is available where ...