The Alinde Quartett, the ensemble performing on this recording, is named after Franz Schubert's art song 'Alinde,' a reflection on young love.
Composition History
The Capriccio in E minor by Mendelssohn was discovered among his papers after his death and was not originally intended to be part of a larger cycle or connected to his other quartets.
Composer Biography
Fanny Mendelssohn, Felix Mendelssohn's sister, was a talented musician whose father forbade her from pursuing a professional career in music, limiting her performances to private Sunday concerts at their home.
Interpretation
The Alinde Quartett, the performers on this album, discovered Henry Purcell's Fantasias while working on Mendelssohn's dark quartet, finding them a 'light-hearted contrast' that became a personal awakening.
Composition History
After completing his String Quartet, Felix Mendelssohn lived for only two more months, making it his final finished composition.
Composer Biography
Henry Purcell, considered the greatest English composer, died at the young age of 36 at the height of his career and was buried in Westminster Abbey.
Composition History
Felix Mendelssohn's last completed work, his String Quartet, was written in memory of his sister Fanny, who died suddenly in May 1847.
