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The expressive string playing of this concert begins with music by Mendelssohn. His "sentimental" string quartet, Op. 13, was composed in 1827 at the age of 18, during a period of intense inspiration following Beethoven's death. As his sister Fanny explained, "I believe it was because we were young and had just been exposed to Beethoven's later work, and we had absorbed his style very deeply." The central motif of "Is it true?" was taken from Mendelssohn's earlier song "Question" – and clearly references Beethoven's late quartet, Op. 135, with its neo-romantic and monumental character, whose finale bears the motto "Must it be?" Following this, there is a fascinating return to a Renaissance form: Three madrigals for violin and viola by Martinů, which he composed in 1947 while in exile in America and during a period of serious health problems. Here, we experience a fascinating interplay between the two instruments, rhythmic drive, but also intimate and folk-inspired passages, reflecting his longing for his homeland of Bohemia. Finally, we hear Debussy's only string quartet: He wrote it in 1893, as he was gradually breaking away from the traditional styles of the Classical and Romantic periods and developing his own individual impressionistic musical language. The piece is characterized by an oriental-inspired theme – which his contemporary, Paul Dukas, also admired: "The melody moves as if it were walking on a luxurious, intricately patterned carpet of wonderful colors."
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