Sunrise and Sunset: string quartets by Haydn and Mendelssohn

Haydn's String Quartet No.4 is known and loved as the 'Sunrise' quartet for its magical opening: a dreamy, gracefully ascending theme on the first violin, over sustained chords in the lower strings. Sunlight pervades the rest of the quartet, along with echoes of Eastern European folk dance.

Darkness descends with Mendelssohn's Sixth Quartet. Full of emotion and foreboding, it was written in memory of his beloved sister, Fanny, who had died suddenly aged 41 earlier that year, and as the sun set on Felix's own short life. He was to die just two months later, at the age of 38.

HAYDN String Quartet in B flat major 'Sunrise', Op 76 No 4

MENDELSSOHN String Quartet No. 6 in F minor, Op. 80

Brother Tree Sound string quartet:

Anna de Bruin, violin Thea Spiers, violin Triona Milne, viola