Praised by The Gramophone for the ‘deep feeling’ of its playing on Volume 1 (8.570001) and hailed for ‘what promises to be an outstanding set’ (Vol. 2, 8.570002), the New Zealand String Quartet here completes its recording of all the Mendelssohn Quartets. The composer’s first essay in the form, a strikingly accomplished work by a fourteen-year-old, is presented alongside his personal favourite, the D major, Op. 44, No. 1. This last of the three Op. 44 Quartets to be written is notable for its suave Minuet and a particularly expressive Andante. In the Op. 81 Theme and Variations and Scherzo from the last year of his life melancholy and magic meet in typical Mendelssohnian manner.