Maxwell Quartet - Haydn: String Quartets Op. 71 - MusicWeb International ROTY

When it comes to eccentric programming, few releases this year have matched the Maxwell Quartet’s debut disc. I still have no idea what they were trying to achieve with their curious juxtapositioning of Haydn String Quartets and Scots traditional airs, but rather than attempt to intellectualise it, I have found that sitting back with a glass of whisky to hand and letting this superb playing simply wash over you has been one of the year’s great pleasures.