Felix Mendelssohn: String Quartet no. 2 in A minor, op. 13
YouTube
Author:
Indian Summer in Levoca
I. Adagio - Allegro vivace II. Adagio non lento
III. Intermezzo. Allegretto con moto - Allegro di molto IV. Presto
Mendelssohn was only 18 when he wrote this masterwork, a few months after the death of Beethoven in 1827. It shows how the young man had completely absorbed his predecessor’s style and technique – from the introduction of the first movement, where the violin’s questioning motif echoes Mendelssohn’s own song “Ist es wahr? (Is it true?)” recalling Beethoven’s use of notes signifying “Es muss sein (It must be)” in his own final quartet op. 135. Other echoes of Beethoven’s quartets appear throughout this work. When the storm of the last movement dies away, we are left with the violin’s question in a reflective coda.