While there is no lack of first class recordings of Mendelssohn's string quintets, this CPO release of the two works played by the
Mannheimer Streichquartett and joined by violist Jone Kaliunaite will be welcomed by fans of the composer. The German group's ensemble is tight but relaxed, the tempos quick but unhurried, and the interpretations deeply felt but never inappropriately expressive. In the early A major Quintet, the account is light, lean, and driven while the reading of the later B flat major Quintet is appropriately richer, fuller, and more weighty, without in any way compromising clarity or lucidity. Some listeners may prefer the Raphael Ensemble's warmer-hearted renderings, or the
Berlin Philharmonic Quintet's more symphonic approach, but they are unlikely to be able to resist the Mannheim group's appealingly direct accounts. Captured in CPO's standard cool, clear digital sound, this disc could serve as well as either one's only recording of these works, or as one's second, third, or fourth recording.