Argus Quartet performs the vivid first movement of Fanny Mendelssohn’s String Quartet in E-Flat Major for their House Music series video. This piece has become a regular part of their repertoire over the past season—they’ve performed it on many programs, sometimes highlighting how Fanny Mendelssohn and her brother, Felix Mendelssohn, influenced each other in their musical compositions. Argus Quartet has dedicated much of their time to performing lesser known works from all eras; Fanny Mendelssohn’s music has often been underperformed, which spiked their interest in learning this piece.
Argus Quartet has maintained a rich relationship with Metropolis for several years, performing as a standing quartet in a variety of 1 Rivington programs with composers from the Sleeping Giant collective, Elvis Costelleo Juri Seo, and Molly Herron, and also contributing as individuals in the Ensemble’s larger configurations. For this project, they present a recording made in the same physical space after months of socially distant, virtual rehearsals. It’s been a treat to be able to safely work together in the same room again—they’d almost forgotten the magic of simultaneously playing together, until last September, when they had their first in-person rehearsal after months apart. Here, it’s easy to see how special Fanny Mendelssohn’s music is to the ensemble; their playing is tight and spacious, imbued with a deep understanding and sentiment. — Vanessa Ague
Episode: 79Date: January 19, 2021Artist: Argus QuartetInstrumentation: String QuartetWork: "String Quartet in E-Flat Major: I. Adagio ma non troppo"Composer: Fanny MendelssohnMore from House Music