Festetics String Quartet

The Festetics Quartet (pronounced "Fesh-Tat-Itch") are a string quartet from Budapest, Hungary.

The members are Istvan Kertesz, first violin; Erika Petoefi, second violin; Peter Ligeti, Kriszta Veghelyi, viola; and Rezső Pertorini, cello. The Festetics Quartet combines the use of period instruments with the legendary tradition of Hungarian string quartets. The Quartet is named after the Festetics family, founders of the famous Helikon music library. Its repertoire includes string quartets by Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, and Schubert.

Haydn's original manuscript scores (notation), bear systematic marks which have no apparent musical meaning. The Festetics Quartet claim that the composer made those marks to have specific meaning, that they have tried to understand them and play Haydn's works accordingly.

The Festetics Quartet has recorded all of the Haydn string quartets, available on CD.