String quartets by the Mendelssohn Siblings

This concert begins and concludes with music by siblings Fanny and Felix Mendelssohn. The two were very close, and although Felix did not think Fanny should publish music in her own name, he enthusiastically encouraged her to compose. Fanny composed her string quartet in E-flat major in 1834. Just over a decade later, she died suddenly during a rehearsal, which left Felix broken-hearted. Two months before he passed away after several strokes, the same year as Fanny, he composed a requiem for his sister in the form of a string quartet. The music overflows with sadness, straight from the heart. Hear these quartets performed by string musicians from the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra. 

The programme also includes a string quartet by Rosy Wertheim from 1932. This Dutch composer lived for many years in Paris, Vienna and New York, and her home was always a hub for artists of all varieties. She composed the string quartet while in Paris, inspired by Debussy, Ravel and Stravinsky. 

In addition, we will hear Elizabeth Maconchy’s String Quartet No. 3 from 1938. Maconchy was open to modernity and simultaneously faithful to the traditional forms and expressions of the string quartet. Her music often contains traces of her Irish heritage.