Talich Quartet - Mendelssohn: The Complete String Quartets (2013)

Two of the three discs in this set have been reviewed individually (by Dan Davis), who gave both of them our highest rating. That leaves the three quartets of Op. 44 for consideration, and they are every bit as fine as the rest. The Talich Quartet plays this music about as well as it can be played. Note for example how the group differentiates the two inner movements of the D major quartet (No. 1), avoiding the monotony that Mendelssohn risks in having two movements in similar tempos follow one another.

The quartet also plots the evolution of the three slow movements, from Andante con moto to Andante to Adagio non troppo, with ideal sensitivity to their individual characters, while the outer movements of each quartet have both the necessary buoyancy and rhythmic edge. The Talich players accomplish all of this with uniformly lovely tone, total unanimity of ensemble, and perfect intonation, making the “appassionato” and “agitato” designations in the E minor quartet especially compelling.

Mendelssohn’s quartets have been receiving a good bit of attention on disc lately, and for good reason. They are not as well known as they should be, yet they remain the finest works in their medium between Beethoven and Dvorák. One of them, the F minor quartet Op. 80, just might be Mendelssohn’s finest instrumental work in any form. More consistent in quality than his symphonies, elegant and shapely, these quartets deserve much wider exposure. The sonics are extremely natural, warm, and present, with remarkably little extraneous performance noise (a few of the usual sniffles aside)–in short, an essential set for lovers of great chamber music and great quartet playing. -- David Hurwitz