The Opus 64 Quartets were written for the maverick violinist Johann Tost, as were the Quartets of Opp 54 (CDA66971) and 55 (CDA66972). The six Quartets were begun during Haydn last unhappy months as Kapellmeister at the Eszterházy court. He had outgrown the possibilites of the job and these works clearly show the early maturity of the full Classical style that the composer was to adopt during his years Vienna.