Mendelssohn: String Quartet No. 1 in E-Flat Major & Octet in E-Flat Major

Featuring

Merel Quartet
Castalian String Quartet
Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy

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Performer Biography

The Castalian String Quartet, formed in 2011 and based in London, has received numerous awards, including the inaugural MERITO String Quartet Award and a Borletti-Buitoni Trust Fellowship Award.

Compositional Technique

Mendelssohn's Octet Op. 20 is considered unique in its genre, showcasing his unsurpassed mastery of using all possibilities of the eight instruments, including an eight-voice fugato in the Finale.

Composer's Artistic Vision

Even in his earliest string quartets, Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy developed his own unique musical language, influenced by predecessors like Haydn, Mozart, and Beethoven.

Recording & Production

This album was recorded from February 13th to 16th, 2019, at Konzerthaus Blaibach, Germany, with Andreas Werner of Silencium Musikproduktion as the recording producer, editor, engineer, and mastering engineer.

Performer Biography

The Merel Quartet, founded in Zurich in 2002, is praised for its stylistic awareness and versatility, performing a repertoire spanning three centuries from Bach to contemporary composers.

Compositional Technique

The Finale of Mendelssohn's Octet Op. 20 features a brilliant command of counterpoint, including a theme quoted from the Hallelujah Chorus of Händel's 'Messiah'.