New Zealand String Quartet

No 1, Op 12; No 4, Op 44 No 2; No 6, Op 80

Naxos CD 8.570001, 2008

Long gone are the days when the Mendelssohn quartets were neglected. The past few years, in particular, have seen plenty of fine recordings, and the New Zealand String Quartet are continuing the trend in Volume 1 of their survey. The sound of this disc has an ample resonance, yet with little loss of clarity; it suits the group’s generous expressive style. The deep feeling they bring to movements such as the Adagio of No 6 and the first Allegro of No 4 belies any lingering thoughts of Mendelssohn as a superficial composer.

The whole performance of No 6 demonstrates the intense sorrow of this lament for his sister Fanny, and in all three quartets the New Zealanders show themselves to be reliable guides – each movement, each episode, each phrase is given its appropriate character, yet delivered with an air of spontaneity. The only slight disappointment is the famous Canzonetta in No 1, which lacks the light, fairy touch which the Vogler Quartet (Profil, 7/95), for one, achieve.

Elsewhere, we can admire the beautiful, warm flow of No 1’s first movement, the fine, elevated tone achieved in this quartet’s finale at the point where the home key is finally regained, and the expert way these players integrate the disparate elements of No 4’s finale. Other groups may bring out more strongly particular aspects of the music – I think especially of the Pacifica Quartet’s demonstration of the sheer brilliance of Mendelssohn’s writing for strings – but this is an auspicious start, and I’m eager to hear Vols 2 and 3 of the NZ Mendelssohn cycle.

G – Gramophone recommends.