Mendelssohn / Tippett Quartet- String Quartets
An exciting new collaboration between Somm Recordings and the Tippett Quartet begins with striking performances of early and late string quartets by Mendelssohn. Fiercely imbued with the spirit of Beethoven, Mendelssohn's Opp. 12, 13 and 80 quartets brim and boil with an innovation, dynamism, emotional sincerity and technical flair some would deny the composer. These deeply felt performances from the Tippett Quartet present Mendelssohn in a new light and challenge Hans von Bülow's notorious observation that he "began as a genius and ended as a talent." All three quartets - Op. 13, composed when Mendelssohn was just 18-years-old, and Op. 80, his last major work, completed two months before his death at 38 - speak movingly of loss. Op. 12 laments the passing of Beethoven, Op. 13 regrets unrequited love, Op. 80 an inconsolable response to the death of Mendelssohn's sister, Fanny. The earlier works, the Tippett Quartet says, "command an astounding expressive power and technical prowess with all the exuberance and intensity of a young man searching for the sublime and the profound." Mendelssohn's last significant musical utterance, the valedictory Op. 80, "turns his sense of loss, grief and, most of all, anger into a truly sublime work of art". "When we were recording them, " says the Tippett Quartet, "it felt like we were playing brand new pieces by a living composer, not works that carry, and have become burdened by, the weight of tradition". These poignant, powerful, emotionally raw, musically rich performances make persuasive claim for music of passion, poetry and profundity and offer fresh insights into Mendelssohn as he was meant to be played.
Tracklist:
- String Quartet No. 6 In F Minor, Op. 80, Mwv R37: I. Allegro Vivace Assai
- String Quartet No. 6 In F Minor, Op. 80, Mwv R37: II. Allegro Assai
- String Quartet No. 6 In F Minor, Op. 80, Mwv R37: III. Adagio
- String Quartet No. 6 In F Minor, Op. 80, Mwv R37: IV. Finale. Allegro Molto
- String Quartet No. 1 In E-Flat Major, Op. 12, Mwv R25: I. Adagio Non Troppo - Allegro Non Tardante
- String Quartet No. 1 In E-Flat Major, Op. 12, Mwv R25: II. Canzonetta. Allegretto - Più Mosso
- String Quartet No. 1 In E-Flat Major, Op. 12, Mwv R25: III. Andante Espressivo
- String Quartet No. 1 In E-Flat Major, Op. 12, Mwv R25: IV. Molto Allegro E Vivace
- String Quartet No. 2 In A Minor, Op. 13, Mwv R22: I. Adagio - Allegro Vivace
- String Quartet No. 2 In A Minor, Op. 13, Mwv R22: II. Adagio Non Lento
- String Quartet No. 2 In A Minor, Op. 13, Mwv R22: III. Intermezzo. Allegretto Con Moto - Allegro Di Molto
- String Quartet No. 2 In A Minor, Op. 13, Mwv R22: IV. Presto - Adagio Non Lento
An exciting new collaboration between Somm Recordings and the Tippett Quartet begins with striking performances of early and late string quartets by Mendelssohn. Fiercely imbued with the spirit of Beethoven, Mendelssohn's Opp. 12, 13 and 80 quartets brim and boil with an innovation, dynamism, emotional sincerity and technical flair some would deny the composer. These deeply felt performances from the Tippett Quartet present Mendelssohn in a new light and challenge Hans von Bülow's notorious observation that he "began as a genius and ended as a talent." All three quartets - Op. 13, composed when Mendelssohn was just 18-years-old, and Op. 80, his last major work, completed two months before his death at 38 - speak movingly of loss. Op. 12 laments the passing of Beethoven, Op. 13 regrets unrequited love, Op. 80 an inconsolable response to the death of Mendelssohn's sister, Fanny. The earlier works, the Tippett Quartet says, "command an astounding expressive power and technical prowess with all the exuberance and intensity of a young man searching for the sublime and the profound." Mendelssohn's last significant musical utterance, the valedictory Op. 80, "turns his sense of loss, grief and, most of all, anger into a truly sublime work of art". "When we were recording them, " says the Tippett Quartet, "it felt like we were playing brand new pieces by a living composer, not works that carry, and have become burdened by, the weight of tradition". These poignant, powerful, emotionally raw, musically rich performances make persuasive claim for music of passion, poetry and profundity and offer fresh insights into Mendelssohn as he was meant to be played.
Tracklist:
- String Quartet No. 6 In F Minor, Op. 80, Mwv R37: I. Allegro Vivace Assai
- String Quartet No. 6 In F Minor, Op. 80, Mwv R37: II. Allegro Assai
- String Quartet No. 6 In F Minor, Op. 80, Mwv R37: III. Adagio
- String Quartet No. 6 In F Minor, Op. 80, Mwv R37: IV. Finale. Allegro Molto
- String Quartet No. 1 In E-Flat Major, Op. 12, Mwv R25: I. Adagio Non Troppo - Allegro Non Tardante
- String Quartet No. 1 In E-Flat Major, Op. 12, Mwv R25: II. Canzonetta. Allegretto - Più Mosso
- String Quartet No. 1 In E-Flat Major, Op. 12, Mwv R25: III. Andante Espressivo
- String Quartet No. 1 In E-Flat Major, Op. 12, Mwv R25: IV. Molto Allegro E Vivace
- String Quartet No. 2 In A Minor, Op. 13, Mwv R22: I. Adagio - Allegro Vivace
- String Quartet No. 2 In A Minor, Op. 13, Mwv R22: II. Adagio Non Lento
- String Quartet No. 2 In A Minor, Op. 13, Mwv R22: III. Intermezzo. Allegretto Con Moto - Allegro Di Molto
- String Quartet No. 2 In A Minor, Op. 13, Mwv R22: IV. Presto - Adagio Non Lento