Felix
Mendelssohn (1809 -1847)
Nick Shardlow (2nd
violin): “Mendelssohn
composed this work in 1827 when he was only 18 years old.
He was undoubtedly influenced by Beethoven and this
particular quartet looks to Beethoven’s quartet Op.
130, which is in the same key, for its raison
d’être.
“It is an intense and moving work, and never fails to
provide an electrifying emotional energy both for the
audience and for us as performers. It is exuberant and
dramatic; tempestuous in the first movement, soulful in the
second, mercurial in the third and anguished in the fourth,
before ending in a state of melancholic calm. For us it has
a definite overarching spirituality, and a wonderful sense
of connection with the thoughts and emotions of the young
Mendelssohn.”
www.solsticestringquartet.com
Recorded
live at Friends’ Meeting House, Brighton, 16 October
2008
