Felix & Fanny Mendelssohn - String Quartets (Consone Quartet)

Information

• Felix Mendelssohn - String Quartet in E Minor, Op. 44 No. 2
• Fanny Mendelssohn - String Quartet in E Flat-Major
• Felix Mendelssohn - String Quartet in F Minor, Op. 80

Consone Quartet

    Agata Daraškaitė, violin

    Magdalena Loth-Hill, violin

    Elitsa Bogdanova, viola

    George Ross, cello

Date: 2025

Label: Linn Records

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In the second installment of their cycle, the Consone Quartet explores Felix Mendelssohn’s string quartets alongside his sister Fanny’s sole work in the genre. Felix’s String Quartet in E minor, Op. 44 No. 2, reflects a period of stability and creativity following his marriage, while his String Quartet in F minor, Op. 80, composed after Fanny’s untimely death, conveys bitterness and emotional turmoil. Fanny’s String Quartet in E flat major, unpublished until 1988 due to familial discouragement, is given a lively and expressive performance. The Consone Quartet, the first period-instrument quartet named BBC New Generation Artists, brings these works to life with historical insight and vibrancy.

The Consone Quartet, the first period-instrument string quartet selected as BBC New Generation Artists, is acclaimed for their expressive interpretations of classical and romantic repertoire. Formed at London’s Royal College of Music, they launched their career in 2015, winning multiple awards including the York Early Music International Young Artists prizes, the 2016 Royal Over-Seas League Ensemble Prize, and a 2022 Borletti-Buitoni Trust fellowship. They perform widely across Europe and North America at major venues and festivals, collaborate with contemporary composers like Gavin Bryars and Oliver Leith, and maintain a strong commitment to education, working with institutions including the Royal College of Music, Guildhall, and New England Conservatory.