Mendelssohn: String Quintets 1 & 2

"There have not been many previous recordings of these lovely works. ... This recording opens with the second quintet, and it opens with a movement full of stormy tremolos and falling rain, followed by a relaxed Andante Scherzando where birds seem to be enjoying the weather in the trees. The slow movement is partly overcast and snowy, and the Finale is breezy and bountiful. The reason for beginning the program with Quintet 2 may be that the better-known Quintet 1 tends to overshadow it -- and starting off with heavier drama makes one appreciate both sides of the coin. Quintet 1 is more of a hike through the woods in Spring, perhaps beside a lake sometimes. The Intermezzo (II) seems to include a brook. ... The Leipzig Quartet plays with a warm sound, and their recording is clear and interpretation poetic" (David W. Moore, American Record Guide, Nov./Dec. 2013, p. 102).

View catalog record here!