Consone Quartet - Felix & Fanny Mendelssohn: String Quartets - COMPACT DISCS [CD]

In the second instalment of the Consone Quartet's cycle, the foursome continues it's exploration of Felix Mendelssohn's string quartets, simultaneously delving into the work of his sister Fanny, with her only work in the genre. Despite it's turbulent character, Felix's String Quartet in E minor, Op. 44 No. 2, was written three months after the composer's marriage, during a period of stability and creativity. In contrast, the String Quartet in F minor, Op. 80, was composed while he was recovering from shock, following Fanny's premature death. It is a work of striking bitterness and agitation, an unambiguous reflection of his distraught mental state. Fanny's String Quartet in E flat major is an attractive and well-crafted work, which, due to her family discouraging her pursuit of a career in composition, remained unpublished until 1988. It is given a vibrant performance here by the Consone Quartet, the first period instrument quartet to be selected as BBC New Generation Artists. Album Tracks 1. String Quartet in E minor, Op. 44 No. 2~Allegro assai appassionato 2. String Quartet in E minor, Op. 44 No. 2~Scherzo Allegro di molto 3. String Quartet in E minor, Op. 44 No. 2~Andante 4. String Quartet in E minor, Op. 44 No. 2~Presto agitato 5. String Quartet in E flat major~Adagio ma non troppo 6. String Quartet in E flat major~Allegretto 7. String Quartet in E flat major~Romanze 8. String Quartet in E flat major~Allegro molto vivace 9. String Quartet in F minor, Op. 80~Allegro vivace assai 10. String Quartet in F minor, Op. 80~Allegro assai 11. String Quartet in F minor, Op. 80~Adagio 12. String Quartet in F minor, Op. 80~Finale Allegro molto