1. Allegro con moto
2. Intermezzo: Andante sostenuto
3. Scherzo: Allegro di molto
4. Allegro vivace

 Another remarkable product of Mendelssohn’s prodigious teenage years, his String Quintet in A major was completed in 1826, just after he had written the Octet, though in 1832 he substituted the original Minuet second movement for the slow intermezzo, written in memory of his violinist friend Eduard Rietz. The scoring is the ‘Mozart’ ensemble, of two violins, two violas and cello. The Allegro con moto, in triple time, opens with an elegant violin theme, but the texture soon becomes more animated as livelier ideas emerge. Mendelssohn uses all five instruments with typical ingenuity to create a rich texture. The Intermezzo, marked Andante sostenuto, is a warmly expressive song-like movement, full of tenderness and reflecting the deep affection Mendelssohn had for Rietz who died of consumption in 1832 (his younger brother Julius was a lifelong friend of Mendelssohn’s). The Scherzo (in 2/4 time) is a fine early example of a type of movement Mendelssohn was to make his own, something he succeeded in doing without ever repeating himself. This one is beautifully scored for the five string instruments, with many delicate and imaginative touches, and an enchanting pianissimo close. The finale is the movement which most clearly reflects the influence of Beethoven on the young Mendelssohn – not the late masterpieces this time, but Beethoven’s earlier works such as the Op. 18 quartets. Even so, Mendelssohn never merely imitated, and his unmistakable stylistic fingerprints are on every page as this work heads to its very satisfying conclusion. 

Nigel Simeone 2024