Mendelssohn: Octet —Jupiter & Jasper String Quartets (Marquis 81613)
Family relationships and longtime friendships interconnect the members of these two outstanding ensembles, and this collaborative album absolutely dazzles! There is the world premiere recording of Dan Visconti’s Eternal Breath, Osvaldo Golijov’s modern classic Last Round and an incandescent performance of Felix Mendelssohn’s Octet in E-Flat Op 20. Bill and Margie Freivogel—parents of players in both quartets—commissioned Eternal Breath in 2011 for their 40 th wedding anniversary. The Freivogels envisioned a work that would involve their four children (all of whom grew up playing string quartets together), but also wanted to include their children’s spouses, three of whom are professional musicians. For Golijov’s Last Round (1996), a tribute to the great Argentinian composer and musician Astor Piazzolla, the quartets are joined by bassist Michael Cameron. Felix Mendelssohn’s Octet (1826) may be the greatest piece of music ever written by a teenager. Instead of treating the two quartets as separate entities, Mendelssohn weaves all kinds of deft and subtle conversations among the eight musicians, in every possible combination. The ultimate family affair!