Haydn's String Quartet Op. 20 no. 3, like the other quartets in this series, offers a wealth of new musical devices to listen to. The first movement has irregular rhythmic structures that seem to peer deeply into the future, perhaps even as far as the late Romantic period. Its allegro theme opens exultantly and after two minutes has undergone several rhythmic shifts. The recapitulation does not really restate what we have heard in the exposition, but instead slathers a new coat of tone color onto it. It may be impossible to hear this dazzling display of invention once and absorb all of its entrancing complexity. The minuet is not quite as spectacular, yet features a flowing melody in the trio that gives unusual prominence to the second violin. The melody repeats itself several times, its texture changing slightly each time. Yet the movement is not actually a series of variations. The Poco adagio features a resonant cello playing semiquavers, first as an overlay to the central melody. Suddenly it snatches the lead melody from the violin and the two players banter it back and forth. The finale is primarily a battle of wits between the instruments with heavily accented figures, which communicate Haydn's rollicking sense of fun.

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