New Zealand String Quarter

Mendelssohn: String Quartets No. 2 and 5

Naxos

Rating: 3/5

The first volume of this tripartite project (quartets 1, 4 and 6) having been well received last year, the New Zealand String Quartet return to the Mendelssohn treasure trove with confident vigour. The posthumously published Op 81s, the Capriccio (no 3) and Fugue (no 4) respectively introduce the A minor (no 2) and E flat major quartets, an endeavour that works better on paper than in recital, as the luscious Romantic poignancy of the Adagio that brings the A minor to a close could better enjoy the opening of the Op 44/3 as its successor. The ensemble offers much to be admired musically in this closely-taken recording, revelling in the heights of the music's exuberance.