Mendelssohn: Complete String Quartets, Vol. 2

When Mendelssohn’s sister Fanny died aged 42 in 1847, Mendelssohn poured his grief into the String Quartet No. 6, the last major work he completed. It’s superbly performed by the Quatuor Van Kuijk in this second installment of their Mendelssohn quartet survey. The jagged edges of the Sixth’s opening have an unsettling immediacy in Van Kuijk’s interpretation, while the slow movement is both dignified and deeply moving. The Fourth and Fifth Quartets are also included, the Fourth’s “Scherzo” highlighting the lithe athleticism and razor-sharp reflexes these French players bring to the table. The scampering high spirits of String Quartet No. 5’s final movement brings this vibrantly expressive album to a rousing conclusion.