Search - John Todd, Felix Mendelssohn, David Curtis :: Mendelssohn: String Quartets

Masterly

David Saemann | 09/24/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is a collection of works that come from opposite ends of Mendelssohn's life. The Quartet No. 1 was written when he was 20. No. 2, published later, was written when he was 18. The Andante and Scherzo come from the last year of his life. Throughout, the writing for string quartet is masterly. I am particularly fond of the 2nd Quartet. It apparently is related to a period in Mendelssohn's life when he had fallen in love. The work has a dark, moody quality that is very soulful. The late Andante also is a superb achievement, running through a whole gamut of emotions. Throughout, the Coull Quartet play these works better that anyone else I have heard. They have a light, delicate tone when required--this is Mendelssohn, after all--and their ensemble is superb. Each of the players is capable of fulsome phrasing in his solos. The 1989 sound engineering is superb, capturing the Quartet in a realistic, pleasant ambience. I would have liked to know where this was recorded--the notes don't say. There are cheaper ways to acquire the Mendelssohn Quartets, but if you shell out for this CD I doubt you'll be disappointed."