Mendelssohn’s String Quartet No. 2 in A minor

Inspired somewhat by love and death, the

String Quartet No. 2 was written in 1827 when Mendelssohn was just 18 years old. He already had a number of fine chamber works under his belt and this very mature work shows just how far he had come. Beethoven’s death just months before played its part in the work’s genesis, not to mention an affair of the heart which also inspired his song, ‘Frage’. There is evidence of that song throughout this quartet, not to mention echoes of Beethoven’s late quartets, which apparently captivated Mendelssohn.