Felix & Fanny MENDELSSOHN String quartets - Virgin 4645462 [MC]: Classical Music Reviews

When I first heard Quatuor Ebène in 2006 at the Lake District Summer Music International Festival, England they were fresh-faced, relative newcomers to the international stage. Earlier in 2004 they had won the prestigious ARD international competition in Munich. The next year they secured victory in the Forberg-Schneider Foundation’s Belmont Prize. Immediately I was struck by the smoothness of their playing which had a polished elegance. In truth their stylishness probably came at the expense of a harder more decisive edge that they now have available.

With this new Virgin Classics release of quartets from Felix Mendelssohn and his sister Fanny Mendelssohn-Hensel it was fascinating to hear the undoubted progress that Quatuor Ebène had made. Felix Mendelssohn was devoted to his older sister, Fanny a pianist and highly talented composer in her own right whom he described as his “guiding light”. Poignantly close together in death as in life I have visited the graves of these soul-mates who lie adjacent to each other at the Dreifaltigkeitsfriedhof I (Trinity Cemetery I) in the Kreuzberg district of Berlin.

Felix Mendelssohn composed his String Quartet No. 2 in A minor, Op. 13 when he was eighteen in 1827 the year of Beethoven’s death. Although the work has a later opus number it was actually composed two years earlier than the String Quartet No. 1 in E flat major, Op.12. It is not surprising that this early period work uses the string quartets of Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven as stylistic models. Lyricism and high drama combine in this highly expressive opening movement marked Adagio - Allegro vivace. Passionately interpreted by Quatuor Ebène, gone is the gentle romanticism that so often describes Felix Mendelssohn’s writing; this is playing of unadulterated full-blooded romanticism. With a performance of such yearning quality at times it felt as if the music was weeping. It was impossible not to feel the intensity of the playing which squeezes out every last drop of emotion. The second movement marked Adagio non lento is a complex structure with a dramatic climax. With the player’s displaying remarkable concentration the poignancy they convey is powerful yet feels distinctly introspective. There is light, calm and affectionate playing in the third movement Intermezzo: Allegretto con moto with its swiftly agile trio section. The Finale: Presto returns to the emotional world of the opening movement. Incisive and ferocious playing from Quatuor Ebène is infused with vast reserves of virile energy.

The String Quartet No. 6 in F minor, Op. 80 from 1847 is a work full of striking contrasts in a way that Felix Mendelssohn had not expressed before. Remarkable for its emotional force the score is deeply moving, tragic and full of dissonance. Here we leave behind the elves and fairies for the realities of the grown-up world. This poignant and turbulently charged score serves as a fitting elegy to the death of his older sister and a reflection of his personal grief; he was himself to die a few months later. In the opening Allegro vivace assai Quatuor Ebène play with a sort of nervous anger, mixed with extremes of elation and despair. The Scherzo feels intensely acrimonious together with a sense of torment and the A flat major Adagio is almost unbearably poignant. Deep sobs of anguish rack the Finale: Allegro molto with the players conveying fury and sorrow.

In the last decade or so recordings of the complete Felix Mendelssohn String Quartets have experienced quite a surge in popularity. There are several high quality digital sets that I have enjoyed. The complete set that I reach for first is from the Henschel Quartet especially for their noble playing; so sparkling, exhilarating and expertly performed throughout. I have the three disc set on Arte Nova 82876 64009 2; which sadly is currently unavailable. However, the remaining Henschel accounts with the exception of the String Quartet in E flat major (1823) are available on 3 separate volumes: Vol. 1 Arte Nova 74321 96521 2 (Op. 12; Op. 80); Vol. 2 Arte Nova 82876 57744 2 (Op. 13; Op. 44/3); Vol. 3 Arte Nova 82876 60848 2 (Op. 44/1; Op. 44/2; Op. 81). The Emerson Quartet’s complete 4 disc set is splendid for its power and classy playing. Recorded in 2003/04 at the American Academy of Arts and Letters, New York City the Emerson set includes the Octet for strings, Op.20 on Deutsche Grammophon 4775370. The three other complete collections that I also highly rate are: the three disc set from the Pacifica Quartet on Cedille CDR 90000 082 (USA import); the 3 disc set from the Talich Quartet on Calliope CAL3311-3 and from the Leipzig Quartet a 5 disc set that includes arrangements of the First and Fifth Symphonies, The Hebrides and Ruy Blas overtures for piano four hands with violin and cello on MDG3071571. The Leipzig accounts are also available individually on four volumes: Volume 1 MDG 307 1055-2 (Op. 12; Op. 13; Volume 2 MDG 307 1168-2 (Op. 44/1; Op. 44/2; Op. 81: Fuga, Capriccio); Volume 3 MDG 307 1056-2 (Op. 44/3; Op. 80; Op. 81: Scherzo, Tema con variazioni) and Volume 4 MDG 307 1057-2 (E flat major 1823; Octet for strings, Op.20). In addition the Eroica Quartet using authentic performance practice has completed their survey on three volumes for the Harmonia Mundi label: Volume 1 HMU907245 (Op. 12; Op. 13; E flat major 1823); Volume 2 HMU907287 (Op. 44/1; Op. 44/2) and Volume 3 HMU907288 (Op. 44/3; Op. 80; Op. 81: Tema con variazioni, Scherzo and Capriccio without the Fuga).

Prohibited from pursuing the equivalent musical career as her brother Felix by the constraints of the gender conventions of the time Fanny Mendelssohn wrote around 400 scores and managed to publish a small number of scores. In 1834, and now a married woman, Fanny Mendelssohn-Hensel composed her String Quartet in E flat major at her Berlin home. This was Fanny’s only work in the quartet genre and one in which she acknowledged her debt to the quartets of Beethoven. It is an imaginative work high on lyrical elegance which the Ebène clearly savour. The poignant Adagio ma non troppo contains music of a distinctly elegant quality. Here I was strongly reminded of the second movement of Felix’s Quartet A minor, Op.13. Rhythmic and decidedly memorable, the Scherzo comes across as the work of a brilliantly assured composer. The intensely concentrated third movement Romanze has a somewhat reserved quality and a distinct tinge of melancholy. At times it felt as if I was intruding on Fanny’s deeply private thoughts. Brisk and upbeat in character, the Finale marked Allegro molto vivace is such extrovert music which is put across with characteristic vibrancy.

This disc has been splendidly if closely recorded and makes indispensable listening for chamber music lovers.

Michael Cookson

Support us financially by purchasing this disc from

2023 Approaching 60,000 reviews and more.. and still writing ...	Search MusicWeb Here