A glance at the Penguin Guide from 1990 demonstrates how much Haydn's cause has advanced. String quartet-wise, there is no Opus 9 or 17; the famous Sun Quartets, Opus 20, are represented by the C Major quartet in a miscellaneous recital by the Lindsays; the Tatrai's survey of the Russian Quartets, Opus 33, is present but then we jump to Opus 71; Opus 50, 55 and 64 (amazingly) are absent as cycles. In way of a (broad) contrast, the Triumvirate reviews fourteen Mahler Firsts . . . . . . . . .

The Kodaly Quartet did much to transform this dynamic. Better still, their performances continue to hold currency. To date, an array of well-heeled contenders has yet to evict them from Fort Apache. They are in full flight in Opus 54 and marvellously recorded.

As commentators have long noted, these are atypical quartets by the Master; they are top-heavy as their onlie begetter, Johann Tost, wanted to shine on the first violin. No matter: the C Major with its `Adagio -Presto - Adagio' finale is a masterpiece. Much the same could be said of the G Major. The third quartet is in the rare key of E Major, Haydn's third such venture in this domain. While Tovey declares that it is "one of (Haydn's) greatest works and should be better known", I am more inclined to agree with H C Robbins Landon: it is a fine work but not among his best.

The Kodaly Quartet - and not least their first violinist, the formidably-named Attila Falvay - are equal to the challenge of these masterworks. There is light and shade in abundance. Goethe was right to describe the medium as "four rational people conversing", but in Opus 54 the Kodalys also laugh, shiver and air their aspirations.

For less than a packet of ciggies, what are you waiting for?

Haydn wrote so much music that it is sometimes difficult to believe that he could maintain such high quality for so many years in so many mediums. As much as I love his symphonies and choral works - never having been convinced by his operas - it is in his chamber works that I find most bliss and the Kodaly Quartet in their bargain series on Naxos has done as much as anyone to popularise them. Both sound quality and execution defy their super-bargain origin and they are often the first recommendation regardless of price.

So here's another treasurable issue. As was occasionally the case with Naxos in the earlier days, someone has messed up in the proofing and quality control, so the titles of movements for Quartets 1 and 2 on this Opus 54 have been reversed (although the timings are still correct); this probably happened because for some reason No.2 is programmed first. No matter; the point is the music: it is superlative and it is superlatively played.

I was looking especially for No.2 having heard it played supremely well by the newly reformed Artea Quartet at a Conway Hall Sunday Concert last week. It seems that they are as enamoured of the glorious Adagio as I instantly became on that first hearing, as they played it as an encore. The filigree embellishments and Romantic sweep are extraordinarily ahead of their time, sounding like something Mendelssohn or even Tchaikovsky might have penned. The vitality and energy of the playing here matches what I heard live and I can thoroughly recommend this disc. The music, written at the height of Haydn's mature genius, requires a vrtuoso first violin who can scale the heights with sweetness and poise in the Vivace opening movement of No.2 and sing like a bird in that Adagio.

No. 1 is scarcely less inventive although I think No.3 has not quite the memorability and melodiousness of its two partners. No need to hesitate, though; these works are Haydn par excellence.

Haydn: String Quartets Op. 54, Nos. 1-3 is a recording played by the Kodály Quartet on this NAXOS recording from 1989. The booklet is standard NAXOS meaning that it is very short but being that NAXOS is a budget brand for classical music this is quite understandable. It does include a short well-written essay about the works in question along with a short biography of the Kodály Quartet. Recommended. 4/5.