Mendelssohn Quartet

One of my favorite musical experiences ever was playing with the brilliant musicians in the New York Youth Symphony chamber program. We played the first movement of the Mendelssohn Op. 13 quartet. It’s performed here brilliantly by the Juilliard quartet – it was the recording we were using to work from at the time. We spent a year on this piece, and I still listen to it with great appreciation and tenderness in my heart. The experience taught me how good a piece can get after practicing it for a year. We spent the entire second four months just working on the musicality – the technique was nearly polished. I also forever learned how to spell “Mendelssohn.”