Haydn's String Quartets Op. 33, composed in 1781 and published in 1782, attracted worldwide attention. These works, also known as the "Russian Quartets," were dedicated to Grand Duke Paul of Russia. Many musicologists speculate that they served as inspiration for Mozart's six string quartets dedicated to Haydn, although direct evidence for this is lacking.
After a hiatus of about ten years since his previous quartets, Haydn created this new collection of six works. He described them as being composed "in a new and special way"—a phrase that may have served more as a marketing ploy than as a statement about the perfection of the Viennese Classical style. This interpretation would not disregard the merits of his earlier works, such as the Opus 20 Quartets or certain symphonies.
The structure of the quartets demonstrates Haydn's masterful compositional technique. In Opus 33 No. 1 in B minor, the first movement initially feigns a beginning in D major before establishing itself in the tonic key of B minor—an effect Haydn later repeated in his Quartet Op. 64 No. 2. The Scherzo of this quartet, marked Allegro di molto, is the fastest and most austere in the collection, departing significantly from the aristocratic minuet model.
Particularly noteworthy are the dynamic contrasts and piercing imitations in the Scherzo, which surely impressed the young Beethoven. The Trio in B major offers harmonic relief with smooth duetting between the upper and lower instrument pairs.
The second edition of the Opus 33 Quartets was dedicated to Grand Duke Paul of Russia, and many, if not all, of the quartets were premiered on Christmas Day 1781 in the Viennese apartment of Duchess Maria Feodorovna. Joseph Schmitt's Amsterdam edition of 1782 placed the Scherzos of Nos. 5 and 6 in second place, before their slow movements.