Schuppanzigh-Quartett - Fanny & Felix Mendelssohn: String Quartets (2025)

Tracklist

01. String Quartet in E-Flat Major, H-U 277: I. Adagio ma non troppo
02. String Quartet in E-Flat Major, H-U 277: II. Allegretto
03. String Quartet in E-Flat Major, H-U 277: III. Romanze
04. String Quartet in E-Flat Major, H-U 277: IV. Allegro molto vivace
05. String Quartet No. 3 in D Major, Op. 44 No. 1, MWV R 26: I. Molto allegro vivace
06. String Quartet No. 3 in D Major, Op. 44 No. 1, MWV R 26: II. Menuetto. Un poco allegretto
07. String Quartet No. 3 in D Major, Op. 44 No. 1, MWV R 26: III. Andante espressivo ma con moto
08. String Quartet No. 3 in D Major, Op. 44 No. 1, MWV R 26: IV. Presto con brio

The Schuppanzigh Quartet was founded in 1996 by violinist Anton Steck. A date with a signal effect, because exactly 200 years earlier the namesake, the Viennese violinist Ignaz Schuppanzigh (1776-1830), formed the first professional string quartet with a fixed line-up. This historic namesake performed works by Beethoven and Schubert, among others, for the first time. In this spirit, today's Schuppanzigh Quartet wants to revive the spirit of the old days.
The Schuppanzigh Quartet is one of the most successful ensembles to have explored historical performance practice at an international level over the years. The power that emerges from the musical writings of past eras gives the ensemble a distinctive and unmistakable sound language. The successful mixture of newly discovered works and the masterful interpretation of the Viennese classics and early Romantics are part of the ensemble's fundamental orientation.
The discovery of the works of Beethoven's friend Ferdinand Ries became a milestone, which was described by the press as a great success and as the most exciting repertoire discovery in the classical quartet literature for years - and by some distance (Fono Forum). Five CDs with Ries' quartets and quintets have now been recorded.
A three-part series guiding the listener through the magnificent quartet works of Joseph Haydn was completed in 2012. The quartet received the French Diapason d'Or record award, among others. Fono Forum magazine wrote: Every quartet, every movement becomes a matter of life and death with the Schuppanzighs.
The recording with the Beethoven Quartet Opus 59, No. 3 - played on Beethoven's own instruments! - found its way into the Deutsche Grammophon Gesellschaft (DGG) Complete Beethoven Edition anniversary box set.