Mendelssohn Complete String Quartets, Vol. 1 Quatuor Van Kuijk

• Felix Mendelssohn (1809 - 1847): String Quartet No. 2 in A Major, Op. 13, MWV R 22:
• 1 Mendelssohn: String Quartet No. 2 in A Major, Op. 13, MWV R 22: I. Adagio - Allegro vivace 07:45
• 2 Mendelssohn: String Quartet No. 2 in A Major, Op. 13, MWV R 22: II. Adagio non lento 07:26
• 3 Mendelssohn: String Quartet No. 2 in A Major, Op. 13, MWV R 22: III. Intermezzo. Allegretto con moto - Allegro di molto 04:46
• 4 Mendelssohn: String Quartet No. 2 in A Major, Op. 13, MWV R 22: IV. Presto - Adagio non lento 09:45
• String Quartet No. 1 in E-Flat Major, Op. 12, MWV R 25:
• 5 Mendelssohn: String Quartet No. 1 in E-Flat Major, Op. 12, MWV R 25: I. Adagio non troppo - Allegro non tardante 06:55
• 6 Mendelssohn: String Quartet No. 1 in E-Flat Major, Op. 12, MWV R 25: II. Canzonetta. Allegretto 03:57
• 7 Mendelssohn: String Quartet No. 1 in E-Flat Major, Op. 12, MWV R 25: III. Andante espressivo 04:17
• 8 Mendelssohn: String Quartet No. 1 in E-Flat Major, Op. 12, MWV R 25: IV. Molto allegro e vivace 08:04
• String Quartet No. 3 in D Major, Op. 44 No. 1, MWV R 30:
• 9 Mendelssohn: String Quartet No. 3 in D Major, Op. 44 No. 1, MWV R 30: I. Molto allegro vivace 12:15
• 10 Mendelssohn: String Quartet No. 3 in D Major, Op. 44 No. 1, MWV R 30: II. Menuetto. Un poco allegretto 04:37
• 11 Mendelssohn: String Quartet No. 3 in D Major, Op. 44 No. 1, MWV R 30: III. Andante espressivo ma con moto 05:34
• 12 Mendelssohn: String Quartet No. 3 in D Major, Op. 44 No. 1, MWV R 30: IV. Presto con brio 07:01
• Total Runtime 01:22:22

Info for Mendelssohn Complete String Quartets, Vol. 1

The Quatuor Van Kuijk celebrates the tenth anniversary of its creation and its sixth recording for Alpha with a complete set of Mendelssohn’s quartets, of which this is the first volume: it opens with the Quartet op.13, composed in 1827, when he was only eighteen years old. ‘A trial run? No, a masterstroke! In every movement of this first quartet, we are constantly aware that the sense of urgency is the blood that runs through its veins. Never before have we heard such tension maintained over an entire quartet’, writes Stéphane Goldet in the album’s booklet notes.

"The Van Kuijk marry high technical polish (tuning and ensemble virtually flawless), close attention to Mendelssohn’s detailed markings and a spirit of youthful, spontaneous ardour." (Gramophone Magazine Awards)

Quatuor van Kuijk:
Nicolas Van Kuijk, violin
Sylvain Favre-Bulle, violin
Emmanuel François, alto
Anthony Kondo, cello

Van Kuijk Quartet
Founded in 2012, in Paris, the Van Kuijk Quartet recently won the 2015 Wigmore Hall String Quartet Competition, along with the associated Best Beethoven and Best Haydn prizes.

In the few years since the quartet first formed, they have found success throughout Europe: as well as triumphing at the Wigmore Hall, the quartet won the 1st Prize and Audience Award at the Trondheim International Chamber Music Competition, in Norway, and are also laureates of the Aix-en-Provence Festival Academy and the FNAPEC Ensembles Music Competition, both in France.

The Van Kuijk Quartet is in residence at Proquartet, Paris, where they study with members of the Alban Berg, Artemis and Hagen quartets. Having taken their first steps as students of the Ysaye Quartet, the young musicians now study with Günter Pichler at the Escuela Superior de Mùsica Reina Sofia in Madrid; their studies take place thanks to the generous support of the International Institute of Chamber Music of Madrid.

The quartet also participates in various academies; they have taken part in the McGill International String Quartet Academy (Montreal) with Michael Tree of the Guarneri Quartet and André Roy ; the 58th Weikersheim International Chamber Music Academy with the Vogler Quartet and Heime Müller, formerly of the Artemis Quartet; and others academies in Aix-en-Provence and Verbier.

An established presence in major international venues, the Van Kuijk Quartet has performed at the Salle Gaveau in Paris, the Wigmore Hall in London, and at festivals in Heidelberg, Verbier, Aix-en Provence and Stavanger. This summer, they will take part in the Tivoli Concert Series in Denmark and the Lockenhaus Chamber Music Festival in Austria.

Booklet for Mendelssohn Complete String Quartets, Vol. 1