I don’t what it is, but for some reason I’ve really been on a Haydn kick recently. How fortuitous, then, that a Haydn string quartet would be at the heart of today’s Noontime Concert.

Members of the Manhattan Chamber Players will perform music for various combinations of strings by Richard Strauss, Haydn, and Brahms.

We’ll hear the Sextet from Strauss’ final opera, “Capriccio” (1942). The extended movement is not an arrangement, by rather an intimate introduction to an opera which poses the question: which is the greater art, poetry or music? In the opera, the composer Flamand rehearses his new composition at the chateau of Countess Madeleine, who is divided in her affections between Flamand and his rival, the poet Olivier.

Haydn’s String Quartet No. 19 in C minor, Op. 17, No. 4 (c. 1770), mingles agitation with pathos. You can feel the composer teetering into his “sturm und drang” phase.

On the other hand, Brahms’ String Quintet No. 1 in F Major, Op. 88 (1882), couldn’t be more different. Brahms doubles the violas for the piece, which he described to Clara Schumann as “one of my finest works.” He also intimated to his publisher, Simrock, “You have never heard such a beautiful work from me.” This was no idle boast. The work is occasionally referred to as the “Spring” Quintet. Brahms completed the piece at a spa in Upper Austria, and the work exudes warmth, contentment, and even joy.

Then stick around – I will further indulge my Haydn fancy with his magnificent oratorio, “The Seasons,” in advance of the composer’s birthday, which is coming up this Saturday. This is music that truly never goes out of season.

Strings are the thing on today’s Noontime Concert, and then soloists and chorus sing the praises of spring, courtesy of Haydn, from 12 to 4 p.m. EDT, on WWFM – The Classical Network and wwfm.org.