Mendelssohn: String Quartets, Vol. 1

Margaret Tait (Performer), Felix Mendelssohn (Composer), Aurora String Quartet (Performer), Basil Vendryes (Performer), Mariko Smiley (Performer), Sharon Grebanier (Performer)

Product Details

• Performer: Margaret Tait, Aurora String Quartet, Basil Vendryes, Mariko Smiley, Sharon Grebanier
• Composer: Felix Mendelssohn
• Audio CD (October 4, 1994)
• SPARS Code: DDD
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Naxos
• ASIN: B0000013ZF
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #14,371 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
If you believe the Schwann Opus catalog--I don't!--this disc is the only survivor of a set of three containing Mendelssohn's complete string quartets. His quartets, like much of his music, aren't nearly as well known as they deserve to be. The Quartet in D, a substantial piece, reflects Mendelssohn's typical sunny personal and musical disposition. But his final quartet, written during the brief period between his sister's death and his own, is as starkly tragic a piece as anyone of the era composed. These performances, by members of the San Francisco Symphony, are among the best Mendelssohn ever recorded. The disc is a spectacular bargain. --Leslie Gerber

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

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

By A Customer

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.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars First-rate at a cut-rate price., January 13, 2004

By	P. Blackburn "mr. right now" (Seattle, WA United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

I'll only add to the mostly well-written reviews already submitted: I recommend this recording as a first resort for those who don't own any Mendelssohn quartets or those represented here and as a next resort for those who do. The playing and sound of this recording are superb in every respect; the performers and the composer are perfectly suited.

For those who don't know the Op. 80 quartet, you're in for a surprise. This is anguished music full of as much dissonance and rhythmic upheaval as the period would allow (especially the suspensions in the development of the first movement). I don't know of a piece of music more deserving of discovery, yet I've never seen it on a quartet program. One could claim to hear bits of Schubert's Quartettsatz or Beethoven's "Tragic", but this work is Mendelssohn's own, written during a period of great personal loss. For once, he has jettisoned decorum.

With this recording, Naxos is throwing diamonds at us.

12 of 12 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

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.