Mendelssohn: Octet / Quintet

Felix Mendelssohn (Composer), Academy Chamber Ensemble (Performer), Iona Brown (Performer) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Performer: Academy Chamber Ensemble, Iona Brown
• Composer: Felix Mendelssohn
• Audio CD (October 25, 1990)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Philips
• Run Time: 63 minutes
• ASIN: B0000040Z0
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #138,320 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

29 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A fitting remembrance of a sterling musician and violinist, June 21, 2004

By 

"indigocoatl" (Austin, TX USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mendelssohn: Octet / Quintet (Audio CD)

I have listened to this recording for years (I had it on vinyl, back in the old days). IMO it is the definitive recording of the Octet.
Given Ms. Brown's recent (6/10/2004) death to cancer, if you are on the fence about purchasing this recording, do it now, while it is still in print. I, for one, will never be without my copy of this performance. It is thrilling, full of energy and drive, but with lovely and touching moments, as well.

22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An older recording, still sounds great, August 23, 2003

By 

Alan Beggerow (Sterling, IL USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Mendelssohn: Octet / Quintet (Audio CD)

This recording dates from 1978,but the quality of sound is very good. Mendelssohn's octet is for strings, and along with his 'Overture To A Midsummer Night's Dream', was written when he was a teenager. It is a work full of melody and freshness, a basic part of chamber music repertoire.

The performance is excellent, and a bonus of a string quintett is included. Recommended!

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars best octet recording i could find, March 30, 2008

By 

T. Jerde (sf, ca) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Mendelssohn: Octet; Quintet in B flat (MP3 Download)

spent all evening listening to samples from all the available recordings of the octet, and settled definitively on this one. i was a bit concerned that the andante melody might come off a bit anemic and unsustained compared to L'Archibudelli or Hausmusik, but the tightness of ensemble and extreme clarity of sound (especially in the quicker movements, of course) totally won me over. for a chamber ensemble of this size, clarity is so critical to avoid a muddy texture, and this recording really allows the light brilliance to come through, and they're so ON! impeccable rhythm, wonderful acoustic, great audio fidelity, and stylistically, the individuals' sounds are wonderfully matched and cohesive. very happy with my decision.

the only difficulty was deciding whether to buy this album, or the same recording off the deutsche grammophon album (the two-disc one that has symphony 4 and the violin concerto along with a few other things including this). i kinda liked the sound (mastering?) better on the samples from the deutsche grammophon website (where you can buy the individual tracks for download), but it was hard to tell for sure (though i am quite confident that they're the same recorded performance--not sure how it managed to wind up on two different labels). anyway, i decided i wanted the quintet too, so i chose this one, and as i said am very happy.