Mendelssohn: Complete Piano Quartets

By the time Felix Mendelssohn composed his first three opus-numbered works he had a substantial catalogue of chamber, vocal and orchestral works to his credit – all at the age of 15! This trio of piano quartets predates the miraculous Octet for strings, yet each of them holds its distinct appeal. A fluent grasp of form and voicing can be taken for granted in one already thoroughly schooled in compositional technique. Mendelssohn was still finding his own voice, melodically speaking, while emerging from the shadow of Mozart and Beethoven, but these are already pieces with his fingerprints alone.