The Escher Quartet continues their survey of Mendelssohn’s chamber
music:
Mendelssohn: String Quartets Nos. 5 & 6
Mendelssohn:
String Quartet No. 5 in E flat major, Op. 44 No. 3
String Quartet No. 6 in F minor, Op. 80
Capriccio in E minor, Op. 81 No. 3
Fugue in E flat major, Op. 81 No. 4
All performed by the Escher String Quartet.
The Escher Quartet opened their presentat
On the third and final CD in the series, time has come for the two last quartets, as well as the Capriccio and Fugue from the Op. 81 set of Four Pieces for String Quartet begun on the previous instalment.
The String Quartet No. 5 in E flat major belongs to the three quartets composed in 1837-38 as Op. 44 and is often considered a masterpiece of the genre. Ever modest, Mendelssohn himself recommended the set to his friend, the pianist Ignaz Moscheles, with the words: ‘there are one or two amongst them I am pleased with myself, and I should like to know that I am right, and that you too are satisfied with them’.
Published posthumously, the Quartet No. 6 in F minor, Op. 80 holds a special place in Mendelssohn’s list of works: not only is it one of his very last compositions, but the amazing work is the direct and heartfelt response to the unexpected death of his beloved sister Fanny.
Here is the Schumann Quartet, performing the quartet number 6 by Mendelssohn:
