Musicologist R. Larry
Todd in his essay on ‘The String
Quartets of Mendelssohn’ contained
in the Emerson String Quartet’s Deutsche
Grammophon set writes: "Chamber
music remained a constant preoccupation
of Mendelssohn throughout the meteoric
career that established him at the forefront
of German music during the 1830s and
1840s. Already at the age of seven,
the boy was coached in ensemble playing
by the Parisian violinist Pierre Baillot,
and among Mendelssohn’s earliest surviving
works are various pieces for violin
and piano from 1820, and a series of
learned fugues for string quartet from
1821, all written under the supervision
of his composition teacher, Carl Friedrich
Zelter."
In recent years Mendelssohn’s
music has become considerably better
served in the music catalogues. This
is especially true for the Complete
works for the String Quartet that
can now boast numerous top-class versions.
Several complete sets of the Mendelssohn
String Quartets have been around
for some time and are firmly established
in the repertoire. Notably the sets
from the Cherubini Quartet on EMI 585693-2;
585805-2 and 586104-2, the Melos on
Deutsche Grammophon 415 883-2GCM3 from
1987, the Coull on Hyperion CDS44051/3
and from 1993 the Aurora on Naxos vol.1
8.550861, vol.2 8.550863 and vol.3 8.550862.
The first complete
set to be recorded was evidently from
the Bartholdy Quartet in 1973 on Acanta
43 075 and this has been freshly re-released
in a re-mastered three CD set by the
Arts Music Red Line label 47130-2. Hot
off the press is a re-issue of the complete
quartets from the Quatuor Ysaÿe.
That’s now available for the first time
as a set on budget price Decca Trio
4732552.
This extremely crowded
and competitive arena of the complete
String Quartets is currently
experiencing a tremendous surge in popularity.
In addition to this Emerson set there
have been several high quality alternatives
recently released. These are the Pacifica
on Cedille CDR 90000 082 (USA import);
the Talich on Calliope CAL3311-3 and
the Henschel on Arte Nova 82876 64009
2. In addition, the Leipzig Quartet
have recently concluded their complete
series (plus the Octet) on the
MDG label: MDG 307 1055-2; MDG 307 1168-2;
MDG 307 1056-2 and MDG 307 1057-2. I
have only two of the four volumes and
cannot comment on the merits of the
complete Leipzig Quartet set. Literally
at the time of writing this review it
has been announced that the Eroica Quartet,
with their style of period performance
practice, have finished their complete
set of the String Quartets for
Harmonia Mundi. I am not familiar with
these accounts and at the moment I am
unsure if the three volumes: vol. 1
HMU907245, vol. 2 HMU907287 and vol.
3 HMU907288 are available as an intégrale.
In their complete Mendelssohn
String Quartets the renowned
power and panache of the Emerson Quartet
from the USA is superbly displayed and
their classy playing is out of the top
drawer. The Emersons have built a large
following over the years and they will
surely relish these polished interpretations
that are well thought through with scrupulous
attention to detail. The Emersons in
two of the complete String Quartets
are my first choice. In the String
Quartet in E minor, Op. 44 No. 2
the Emersons’ account is not a performance
from the Viennese classical world of
Mendelssohn but an interpretation of
sheer class and absolute command. In
the String Quartet in D major, Op.
44, No.1 they achieve wonderfully polished
and expressive playing. The blend of
tone is nothing short of astonishing.
There are times when
that special Mendelssohnian character
could have been more present, as their
playing becomes a touch too luxurious
and romantic for my taste. Recorded
at the American Academy of Arts and
Letters the sound quality is crisp and
clear and most realistic. The liner
notes written by R. Larry Todd were
a fascinating read. This excellent four
disc set is currently available at mid-price
and will never be far from my CD player.
It is my second place recommendation
among the complete sets.
Undoubtedly my first
choice is from the Henschel on Arte
Nova 82876-64009-2. Their marvellous
playing is so sparkling, exhilarating
and expertly performed throughout. These
aristocratic interpretations are surely
the closest that I have heard to Mendelssohn’s
favoured Viennese classical period.
Their accounts would undoubtedly have
won the advocacy of the ultra-classically
orientated Mendelssohn. They consistently
discover the tempi necessary completely
to convey both the letter and the spirit
of the music, and their most sparing
use of vibrato feels just perfect. The
Henschels clearly have a special affinity
for these scores and their interpretations
are masterly illustrations of humane,
old world music-making. More good news
is that these performances are now available
from Arte Nova at super-budget price.
However, the reality is that this magnificent
set would have been my first choice
selection even at full price.
My recent Musicweb
review of the complete Mendelssohn
String Quartets compares in considerable
detail the sets from the Aurora on Naxos
vol.1 8.550861, vol.2 8.550863 and vol.3
8.550862; the Talich on Calliope CAL3311-3;
the Henschel on Arte Nova 82876 64009
2; the Bartholdy re-released on Arts
Music 47130-2; the Emersons on Deutsche
Grammophon 4775370 (including the Octet
for strings) and the Pacifica on
Cedille CDR 90000 082 (USA).
This Deutsche Grammophon
set of the complete Mendelssohn String
Quartets from the Emersons includes
an account of Mendelssohn’s masterwork
the Octet for strings in E flat
major, Op.20. As a bonus feature,
the fourth disc also serves as a CD-ROM,
entitled ‘Recording the Octet’.
This is an entertaining and informative
eleven minute video documentary of how
the four Emerson members recorded the
Octet for strings. The performers,
with the encouragement of producer Da-Hong
Seeto and the assistance of recording
studio technology, decided to record
the Octet themselves, rather
than engage four additional players.
The Emersons used eight different instruments
that included some very famous originals
and some modern copies, without stating
which instrument was played at which
time. Make no mistake this project was
not just made for amusement or reasons
of expediency, the Emersons take their
art very seriously. Both concept and
finished result have divided critical
opinion and caused some controversy.
The Emersons have provided a very special
interpretation that made me sit up and
take notice.
The Octet is
a masterwork of pure genius and it is
truly amazing that Mendelssohn was only
sixteen when he wrote the score in 1825.
Mendelssohn’s achievement was all the
more remarkable as he composed the work
out of the blue with no real precedents
or models to follow. Compositions for
Octet were extremely rare, especially
those for strings only. Louis Spohr
had recently composed a work for Double
string quartet, which was not the
same as an eight-part octet. Beethoven
in 1792 had written an Octet for
winds in E flat major, Op. 103 and
the Schubert Octet in F major D.
803 was scored for winds as well as
strings. Possibly Mendelssohn had heard
the Schubert F major Octet, which
was first performed in 1824. It is also
worth pointing out that Mendelssohn’s
teacher Friedrich Zelter could not have
assisted him a great deal, as he was
not capable of writing anything near
as good himself.
Music writer William
Altmann aptly provided a description
of the character of Mendelssohn’s Octet,
"The sea of sound that rages
through the Octet is very powerful,
achieving indeed quite an orchestral
tone at times, though there is no lack
of delicate passages." Mendelssohn
left instructions that, "This
Octet must be played by all the instruments
in symphonic orchestra style… piano’s
and forte’s must be strictly observed
and more strongly emphasised than is
used to in pieces of this character."
The playing from the
Emerson Quartet in the warm and spacious
opening movement is hugely impressive.
Right from the opening bars I could
feel the red-hot intensity of this reading
and I particularly enjoyed the masterly
change of pace that they achieved so
effortlessly. Their playing in the gently
lyrical second movement andante
is full of passion; so overwhelming
so that I found it sending a wave of
shivers down my spine. Make no mistake,
this is no coiffeured performance, but
a highly electrifying and beguiling
musical experience.
The third movement
is the first example of what was to
become Mendelssohn’s trademark elfin-fairy
scherzos. The thrilling and high-spirited
character of the movement is given a
razor-sharp alertness, superb control
and rhythmic precision. The final movement
presto, with its masterly
fugal writing is a dazzling tour-de-force,
that is given a marvellous reading that
projects the drama and intensity to
most brilliant effect. The sound quality
is cool and clear, although there was
plenty of sonic activity going on down
the left channel of my headphones, it
did not detract too much from the pleasure
of the performance.
In my collection I
have several top quality accounts of
Mendelssohn’s magnificent Octet.
I hold in high regard those versions
from the Leipzig String Quartet on MDG
Gold 307-1057-2; The Chamber Music Society
of Lincoln Centre on Delos DE 3266;
the celebrated period-instrument version
from Hausmusik on Virgin Veritas 5-61809-2
and the critically acclaimed and evergreen
1978 recording from the ASMF Chamber
Ensemble, on Philips 420-400-2. Tantalisingly,
I have just been briefed on the release
of a new period-instrument account from
Roel Dieltiens and his Explorations
Ensemble on Harmonia Mundi HMC901868.
Listening to any recording
of the wonderful Octet has never
previously engendered that special feeling
of awe, excitement and total involvement
as conveyed here by the Emersons, who
penetrate deeply into the heart of the
score. The Emersons are now my leading
choice in the Octet for strings.
Simply superb!
This is a highly desirable
set and includes a really special account
of the Octet for strings.
Michael Cookson
Emerson Quartet: (Eugene Drucker (alternating
as 1st and 2nd violin); Philip Setzer (alternating
as 1st and 2nd violin); Lawrence Dutton (viola);
David Finckel (cello)) 
