Mendelssohn: String Quartet Vol.1

Felix Mendelssohn (Composer), Aurora String Quartet (Performer) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Performer: Aurora String Quartet
• Composer: Felix Mendelssohn
• Audio CD (October 4, 1994)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Naxos
• ASIN: B0000013ZF
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #165,095 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Varied, Top-Notch Mendelssohn, September 26, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Mendelssohn: String Quartet Vol.1 (Audio CD)

There are many strengths to celebrate in this recording. First, the music. The two quartets represent Mendelssohn at his finest, yet they explore the antipodes of his emotional spectrum. The Quartet No. 6, a late work written soon after the death of the composer's beloved sister Fanny, is unlike almost any Mendelssohn that had come before. Whereas Mendelssohn seemed addicted to the minor key throughout his carer, most of the drama in his minor-key works seems canned, especially when compared to the passion and torment of Beethoven's or Schumann's minor-key excursions. But in the Quartet No. 6, the passion is real. The first movement is a whirlwind of restless energy, lacking any comfort. None is offered in the second movement, not a typical Mendelssohn scherzo but a sort of witches' dance, bleak and macabre in feeling. Respite of a sort comes in the elegiac slow movement, achingly nostalgic as it is. None of the mawdlin sentiments Mendelssohn is guilty of in some of his earlier slow music: This is clearly a deeply felt lament for Fanny. The last movement is again restless, almost demonic, in the manner of the last movement of Schubert's Death and the Maiden Quartet.

Then comes the Quartet No. 3, perhaps my favorite Mendelssohn quartet, a sunny and expansive work in the manner of the composer's Italian Symphony. The first movement starts very much like that symphony's first movement, with a bright theme stated over tremolos in the lower strings. A tender second theme is finally dominated by the buoyant first theme, which propels the movement to one of the most memorable of Mendelssohn's codas. As in the Italian Symphony, the first movement is a hard act to follow, but the delicate minuet second movement and andante provide a lovely melodiousness before the whirlwind finale concludes the quartet in a spritely fashion.

The Capriccio and Fugue are sizable chunks from the workman's bench and are both welcome as well, especially with the loving care the Aurora String Quartet lavishes on them.

In fact, the Aurora is just about perfect in this music. The integration of the quartet is a wonder, but the solo playing of the members, especially the first violin (Sharon Grebanier), are equally remarkable. I haven't enjoyed the Third Quartet so much since the virtuoso performance I heard the golden-era Julliard give on an old Epic recording (that goes back a way!).

The recording, made in a resonant hall that does not in any way compromise the lifelike presence of the quartet, is very fine as well. In short, this is all around top-notch Mendelssohn. At Naxos' price, it's can't-go-wrong Mendelssohn.

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Bargain at any price, October 3, 2000

By 

Anne Marie Kasnekaw (Wash DC) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mendelssohn: String Quartet Vol.1 (Audio CD)

Being a former college student, I have found myself strapped for extra $$ on more than one occasion. As a current struggling musician, I still find myself strapped for extra $$. This recording is, I feel, an excellent opportunity to experience Mendelssohn at a great price. It is well done, by both the Aurora Quartet and Naxos. I have found many of their CD's to be of fine quality, performance and price. I reccomend this selection to anyone wishing to expand their listening repertoire.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic recording of one of the greatest quartests written, January 9, 2007

By 

Isaac Epp "counting electric sheep" (San Francisco, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Mendelssohn: String Quartet Vol.1 (Audio CD)

I should first confess that I have a pretty large soft spot for dark and complex chamber music so this is something I was naturally drawn to. With that out of the way, I consider Mendelssohn's string quartet #6 in F minor to be one of the finest chamber pieces ever composed, and the Aurora quartet's recording of it is my preferred version.

I could listen to the quartet in F minor and the capriccio in E minor on repeat for days... and admittedly have done so on multiple occasions.