String Quartet in G major K. 387

I: Allegro vivace assai II: Menuetto III: Andante cantabile IV: Molto allegro The Stamic Quartet give a finely-judged performance at the 2012 'Indian Summer in Levoca' Festival. The first of Mozart's 'Haydn' Quartets seems bathed in the good nature of its dedicatee. This work might almost be the epitome of the quartet as conversation. The work is warm and open throughout, with immaculate detail in the individual parts. The andante third movement strikes a deeper, sensual, atmosphere. But the finale, which tries to be a fugue, consistently veers into merriment -- the very end 'switches off' in a typical Haydn style.