Probably no composer other than Mozart displayed such a prodigious talent in childhood as that displayed by the young Mendelssohn. His early flowering genius made him something of a phenomenon, and this saw his stature in adulthood rise to equal that of the greats - Bach, Beethoven and, of course, Mozart. This was followed by the inevitable decline in reputation - his comfortable upper middle class upbringing in a Berlin banking family hardly fitted the late 19th century image of the struggling and tortured soul of the romantic artist.

Mendelssohn is so much more than the composer of the Scottish and Italian Symphonies, the Violin Concerto and the oratorio Elijah. The chamber music reveals not only his youthful precociousness, as heard in the Octet composed at the age of 16 and a work of pure genius, but also in the Sextet, which ranks only a little behind its famous sibling for sheer bravura and craftsmanship. The string quartets are seriously underrated works, and show Mendelssohn’s deep appreciation of Beethoven’s quartets. These are masterful works that repay closer acquaintance.

Mendelssohn today is rightfully considered one of the great composers, and the works in this 6 CD set get right to the heart and soul of a man over-praised during his life and for too long under-appreciated in death.

Contents:
CD 1
- String Quartet in E flat Op.12
- String Quartet in A minor Op.13
Gewandhaus-Quartett

CD 2
- String Quartet in D Op.44 No.1
- String Quartet in E minor Op.44 No.2
Gewandhaus-Quartett

CD 3
- String Quartet in E flat minor Op.44 No.3
- String Quartet in F minor Op.80
Gewandhaus-Quartett

CD 4
- Four Pieces for String Quartet Op.81
- String Quartet in E flat
Gewandhaus-Quartett

CD 5
- String Quintet in A Op.18
- String Quintet in B flat Op.87
Sharon Quartet
with Petra Vahle (viola)

CD 6
- Piano Sextet in D Op.110
Dalia Ouziel (piano) · Gil Sharon (violin) · Ron Ephrat (viola) · Liisa Tamminen (viola) · Alexander Hülshoff (cello) · Jean Sassen (double bass)

- Octet in E flat Op.20
Amati String Orchestra