In 1827, 18-year-old Mendelssohn felt pressure to fill the void left by Beethoven's death on March 26th of that year, immersing himself in Beethoven's works.
Compositional Technique
Mendelssohn's Opus 13 quartet shares characteristics with Beethoven's Opus 132, including the rare key of A minor, a slow introduction, and first violin recitatives over tremolo strings before the finale.
Performer Biography
The Quatuor Arod, the string quartet performing on this album, won their two most important competitions with Mendelssohn's Opus 13.
Composition History
Mendelssohn composed the Quartet in E minor (Opus 44 No. 2) almost in one sitting during his honeymoon with Cécile Jeanrenaud in June 1837.
Composition History
Mendelssohn's Quartet in A minor (Opus 13) was influenced by Beethoven's string quartets, particularly Opus 132, and also by Mendelssohn's own Lied titled 'Frage' (Question).
Composition History
The Four Pieces Opus 81 were posthumously published by Julius Rietz, Mendelssohn's successor at the Leipzig Gewandhaus, and include pieces from different periods, some written in the last three years of Mendelssohn's life.
Interpretation
The Quatuor Arod conceived this album as an epic tale of Mendelssohn's life, told through his string quartets, starting with his first (Opus 13) and including works from his marriage year and his final years.
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