Mendelssohn & Grieg: String Quartets Opus13

• Felix Mendelssohn (1809 - 1847): String Quartet No. 2, Op. 13, MWV R 22:
• 1 Mendelssohn: String Quartet No. 2, Op. 13, MWV R 22: I. Adagio - Allegro vivace 07:43
• 2 Mendelssohn: String Quartet No. 2, Op. 13, MWV R 22: II. Adagio non lento 07:25
• 3 Mendelssohn: String Quartet No. 2, Op. 13, MWV R 22: III. Intermezzo. Allegretto con moto - Allegro di molto 04:44
• 4 Mendelssohn: String Quartet No. 2, Op. 13, MWV R 22: IV. Presto 08:56
• Edvard Grieg (1843 - 1907): String Quartet No. 1, Op. 27:
• 5 Grieg: String Quartet No. 1, Op. 27: I. Un poco Andante - Allegro molto ed agitato - Allegro agitato - Più mosso - Presto - Prestissimo 12:04
• 6 Grieg: String Quartet No. 1, Op. 27: II. Romanze. Andantino - Allegro agitato - Tempo I - Allegro agitato - Tempo I 06:27
• 7 Grieg: String Quartet No. 1, Op. 27: III. Intermezzo. Allegro molto marcato - Più vivo e scherzando - Coda - Vivo 06:36
• 8 Grieg: String Quartet No. 1, Op. 27: IV. Finale. Lento - Presto al Saltarello - Presto - Un poco Andante - Presto 09:01
• Peer Gynt, Op. 23, Act IV:
• 9 Grieg: Peer Gynt, Op. 23, Act IV: Solveig’s Song (Transcr. for String Quartet by Opus13) 04:24
• Total Runtime 01:07:20

Info for Mendelssohn & Grieg: String Quartets

The Opus13 Quartet was formed in 2014 and takes it's name from the String Quartet in A minor, Op. 13, by Felix Mendelssohn, a passionate early work and the first piece they ever played together. Comprising two Norwegians (violinists Sonoko Miriam Welde and Edvard Erdal) and two Swedes (Albin Uusijarvi on viola and Daniel Thorell on cello), Opus13 were keen to record Grieg's sublime Quartet No. 1 alongside Mendelssohn for their very first album. For them, it was important to connect with the raw power of this music and the Norwegian identity embodied in Grieg's music. First Prize winners at the Bordeaux International and Wigmore Hall International String Quartet Competitions in 2025, Opus13 received the Borletti-Buitoni Prize in 2026 and were selected as BBC New Generation Artists. Marked by pure and fragile emotions, this programme concludes with a transcription of the famous Solveig's Song, taken from the play Peer Gynt, written in 1867 by Henrik Ibsen and set to music by Edvard Grieg.

Opus13

Opus13
is a Swedish-Norwegian string quartet formed in 2014 at Barratt Due Institute of Music in Oslo. In 2025 they won the First Prize and further prizes at both the 16th Wigmore Hall International String Quartet Competition and the Bordeaux International String Quartet Competition. In addition, this year they have also been awarded the prestigious Borletti-Buitoni Trust Award.

Named after the Mendelssohn op 13 quartet, which was the first piece that they played together, they are also passionate ambassadors for Nordic classical and contemporary music, as well as genre-crossing collaborations with folk and pop artists.

In addition, they are the founders and artistic directors of an annual chamber music festival in Lillehammer, Norway.

First Prize winners at both the 2025 Wigmore Hall International String Quartet Competition and the Bordeaux International String Quartet Competition, Opus13 is rapidly building a reputation on the international chamber music scene. In 2026, they were named recipients of the prestigious Borletti-Buitoni Trust Award and the Sixten Gemzéus Music Award, and selected as BBC New Generation Artists. Their debut album, featuring works by Mendelssohn and Grieg, will be released on Alpha Classics in fall 2026.

Named after Mendelssohn’s youthful and passionate A Minor Quartet, Op. 13 — the first piece they ever played together —the quartet was formed in Oslo in 2014 by four teenagers eager to dive into the world of string quartets. Opus13 comprises Norwegian violinists Sonoko Miriam Welde and Edvard Erdal, violist Albin Uusijärvi and cellist Daniel Thorell, both from Sweden.

In addition to performing core string quartet repertoire by composers such as Mozart, Bartók, and Schubert, Opus13 are passionate ambassadors of Nordic classical and contemporary music, frequently programming works by Grieg, Stenhammar, Tarrodi, Byström, and Fagerlund. They also enjoy genre-crossing collaborations, having performed with Norwegian folk and popular music artists including Gjermund Larsen Trio, Sissel Kyrkjebø, and Sver.

Upcoming debuts include performances at Concertgebouw Amsterdam, Wigmore Hall London, Laeiszhalle Hamburg, Essen Philharmonie, Rotterdam De Doelen and Stockholm Konserthus. They present a three-season concert residency at Leeds International Chamber Series as well as festival projects at the Baltic Sea, Bergen and Banff Festivals. Opus13 return to South Korea for a series of performances and make their debut tour of Japan including performances in Osaka, Yokohama and Tokyo.

Opus13 collaborates with leading musicians such as Janine Jansen, Leif Ove Andsnes, Tabea Zimmermann and Anne Sofie von Otter. Their musical development has been shaped by ongoing mentorships with Bjørg Lewis and Berit Cardas of the Vertavo Quartet and Tim Frederiksen. From 2025 the quartet has also studied with Prof. Oliver Wille (Kuss Quartett).

In 2023, the quartet was awarded Equinor’s Classical Music Award. Opus13 are the founders and artistic directors of Vinterspill på Lillehammer, an annual chamber music festival in Lillehammer, Norway.

Booklet for Mendelssohn & Grieg: String Quartets