Aurora String Quartet - Mendelssohn: String Quartets Vol. 1 (1994)

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