And there was Mendelssohn – the brilliant young composer, romantic and passionate, whose lifelong obsession with the music of Bach shaped his own career and inspired him to reveal it to the world.

In a New Zealand tour in 2007, the New Zealand String Quartet brought Bach and Mendelssohn together in two special programmes and revealed the bond between them – the mesmeric counterpoint of Bach’s famous Art of Fugue and the genius of his monumental Goldberg Variations with the unforgettable chamber music of Mendelssohn, which celebrated the influence of Bach and carried it into a new century.

Bach and Mendelssohn.

Programmes

Programme One

• J S Bach The Art of Fugue Contrapuncti 1, 2, 3 and 4
• Mendelssohn String Quartet Opus 44 No 1 in D
• J S Bach The Art of Fugue Contrapuncti 5, 7 and 9
• Mendelssohn Fugue Opus 81 No 4 (1827)
• Mendelssohn String Quartet Opus 44 No 3 in E flat

Programme Two

• Mendelssohn Capriccio Opus 81 No 3
• Mendelssohn String Quartet Opus 13 in a minor
• J S Bach Goldberg Variations (arr. William Cowdery)
  Read more about this special arrangement

What the critics said:

…intuitive grasp of style… the superb and committed performance was a rewarding experience.

Lindis Taylor Dominion Post

…an unprecedented musical experience…[with] each musician intensely contributing to the thrill.

Margot Hannigan, Nelson Mail

…playing of splendid clarity, poise and balance, making a telling climax to a memorable two-concert series.

Peter William, Hawkes Bay Today