Mendelssohn:
- String Quintets Nos. 1 and 2
The Mendelssohn string quintets are rarely performed or recorded, so any new recording is welcome. The performers who call themselves L’Archibudelli come from the historically-informed school of performance (using gut strings, for example) and their recording is unique in this regard.
we get to hear the following works:
Mendelssohn:
- String Quintet No. 1 in A major, Op. 18
- String Quintet No. 2 in B flat major, Op. 87
Performed by the ensemble L’Archibudelli
Mendelssohn’s two string quintets were composed 20 years apart; and a good deal of revising and refining went into them. Overall, Mendelssohn’s approach reveals a very different sense of how his music is constructed.
Mendelssohn’s interest in chamber music helped him to clarify his own thoughts regarding musical compositions.
These performances have excellent precision, energy and enthusiasm. The group also expresses musical delicacy in many places where it is required, and they reach a point where the music seems to be speaking to the listener directly.
Here is the Mendelssohn String Quintet No 2, part 4, Allegro molto vivace in B flat major:
And next, here is the Mendelssohn String Quintet No. 2, ‘Andante scherzando’ in B flat major:
Tags: Mendelssohn, quintets, ensemble L’Archibudelli