Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy: String Quartet Op. 12, String Quintet Op. 18, Minuetto Prazak Quartet, Zemlinsky Quartet, Josef Kluson

• Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy (1809 - 1847): String Quartet in E-Flat Major, Op. 12:
• 1 Bartholdy: String Quartet in E-Flat Major, Op. 12: I. Adagio non troppo - Allegro non tardante 07:20
• 2 Bartholdy: String Quartet in E-Flat Major, Op. 12: II. Canzonetta (Allegretto) - Più mosso 03:48
• 3 Bartholdy: String Quartet in E-Flat Major, Op. 12: III. Andante espressivo – attacca 03:53
• 4 Bartholdy: String Quartet in E-Flat Major, Op. 12: IV. Molto allegro e vivace 08:22
• String Quintet No. 1 in A Major, Op. 18 (with two violas):
• 5 Bartholdy: String Quintet No. 1 in A Major, Op. 18 (with two violas): I. Allegro con moto 12:08
• 6 Bartholdy: String Quintet No. 1 in A Major, Op. 18 (with two violas): II. Intermezzo. Andante sostenuto 07:27
• 7 Bartholdy: String Quintet No. 1 in A Major, Op. 18 (with two violas): III. Scherzo. Allegro di molto 04:22
• 8 Bartholdy: String Quintet No. 1 in A Major, Op. 18 (with two violas): IV. Allegro vivace 06:09
• Minuetto in F-Sharp Minor:
• 9 Bartholdy: Minuetto in F-Sharp Minor 05:27
• Total Runtime 58:56

Info for Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy: String Quartet Op. 12, String Quintet Op. 18, Minuetto

This chamber music by Mendelssohn features compositions from the composer's youth. In these works, glittering echoes of A Midsummer Night's Dream are deftly blended with avant-garde declamations reminiscent of the recently-deceased Beethoven. The works featured here aptly demonstrate the precocious genius of a musician described by Schumann as 'The Mozart of the 19th century ... he is the brightest composer of the age and he comprehends, with finest humor, the contradictions of our time more clearly than anyone, so that he is the first to reconcile them.'

Prazak Quartet
Zemlinsky Quartet
Josef Kluson, viola

The Pražák Quartet
one of today’s leading international chamber music ensembles - was established in 1972 while its members were students at the Prague Conservatory, and won major chamber music prizes early on, including first prize at the prestigious Evian String Quartet Competition, along with a special recording prize from Radio France. Since then, the quartet has gained attention for its place in the unique Czech quartet tradition, and for its musical virtuosity.

For more than 30 years, the Prazak Quartet has been at home on music stages worldwide. They are regular guests in the major European musical capitals such as Prague, Paris, Amsterdam, Brussels, Milan, Madrid, London, Berlin, and Munich, and have been invited to participate at numerous international festivals, where they have collaborated with such artists as Menahem Pressler, Jon Nakamatsu, Cynthia Phelps, Roberto Diaz, Josef Suk, and Sharon Kam.

The quartet has toured widely in North America, having performed in New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Dallas, Houston, Washington, Philadelphia, Toronto, Montreal and many others. The quartet returns to the US and Canada every other year.

The Prazak Quartet has recorded extensively for Praga/Harmonia Mundi which, to date, has released 50 award-winning CDs. In addition to numerous radio recordings in France, Germany, the Netherlands, and the Czech Republic, the Prazak Quartet has also made recordings for Supraphon, Panton, Orfeo, Ottavo, Bonton, and Nuova Era.

As of 2020, violinist Marie Fuxová and cellist Jonáš Krejčí joined the quartet. The new members bring their extensive string quartet and chamber music experience, having played with the Pavel Haas, Škampa, Petersen and Schulhoff quartets as well as in many chamber orchestras and ensembles. They bring their experience and energy into the group while remaining faithful to the Czech quartet tradition, character and quality which are the longtime hallmarks of the Pražák Quartet. A new CD with the last string quartets of Josef Haydn will be released on the Aparté/Praga label in August 2021.

Booklet for Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy: String Quartet Op. 12, String Quintet Op. 18, Minuetto