Search - Felix [1] Mendelssohn, Jaromir Klepac :: Mendelssohn: String Octet; Piano Sextet [Hybrid SACD]

Extraordinary performances of much underated works!

D. J. Edwards | Cheshire, CT United States | 03/29/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"From the very begining of the octet, the listener is swept away with the fervor of the 15 year old Mendessoln in a chamber piece that made him famous. The playng of the Prazak and Kocian string quartets is beyond praise: they play the Octet as the masterpiece that it is and make of the sextet more than the sum of its parts. The sextet really isn't a chamber piece in the traditional sense but an extended piano showpiece with five sting intruments in a traditinal four movement format of chamber music. The adagio is very beautiful and regretably far too short. The last movement is brillilant piano playing with rich string accompaniment. If, as it is stated in the cd booklet, that the octet was compsed when Mendelssohn was 15 and the extet at 14, one can only wonder what the composer might have created had he lived a longer life. What achievements for a young teenager! Beautful, joyful music, with rich harmony, and masterful interplay between the instruments. Inspired playing! I enjoy his complete quartets with the Talich string quartet and his string quintets with the Raphael Ensemble. This Praga cd along with his other chamber works belong in your music library. The finest chamber ensembles have taken his works seriously and this says much for these generally underated works."

Premier performace of the Octet

dm | rochester, ny | 06/08/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The performance of the Octet, I believe, can stand along with the best ever recorded. The playing of the two quartets is precise and lively, and the sound is excellent.

As far as the sextet, the music itself is a bit quaint for me. But again, the musicanship and sound is first rate."