Minguet Quartett - Mendelssohn: String Quartets (2018)

Tracklist
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01. String Quartet No. 1 in E-Flat Major, Op. 12, MWV R25: I. Adagio non troppo-Allegro non tardante
02. String Quartet No. 1 in E-Flat Major, Op. 12, MWV R25: II. Canzonetta. Allegretto-Più mosso
03. String Quartet No. 1 in E-Flat Major, Op. 12, MWV R25: III. Andante espressivo
04. String Quartet No. 1 in E-Flat Major, Op. 12, MWV R25: IV. Molto allegro e vivace
05. 4 Pieces for String Quartet, Op. 81: No. 1, Tema con variazioni, MWV R34
06. 4 Pieces for String Quartet, Op. 81: No. 2, Scherzo, MWV R35
07. 4 Pieces for String Quartet, Op. 81: No. 3, Capriccio, MWV R32
08. 4 Pieces for String Quartet, Op. 81: No. 4, Fuga, MWV R23
09. String Quartet in E-Flat Major, MWV R18: I. Allegro moderato
10. String Quartet in E-Flat Major, MWV R18: II. Adagio non troppo
11. String Quartet in E-Flat Major, MWV R18: III. Menuetto-Trio
12. String Quartet in E-Flat Major, MWV R18: IV. Fuga

Mendelssohn composed Twelve Fugues for String Quartet in 1821, and in his String Quartet in E flat major composed shortly thereafter a fugue forms the finale. The adagio, with its melancholy, emphatically intensified melody and quartet texture finely spread over all the instruments radiates a new and very unique sound. What is remarkable about Mendelssohn's Quartet, Op. 12 is the lyrical character of the first movement, which quite obviously engages in dialogue with Beethoven's late Quartet, Op. 127 in the same key. The individual voice of the composer, who was a mere twenty years old at the time, is very clear. His Four Pieces for String Quartet are not a homogeneous work, even if after his death they came to be known as his String Quartet No. 7, Op. 81. The four movements are from different periods of time: the variation movement and the scherzo from 1847, the year of his death, the capriccio from 1843, and the concluding fugue from as early as 1827. The stylistic aspect shifts from movement to movement.