Elias String Quartet: Mendelssohn Cycle #1 at RNCM

Johnny James, Managing Editor
Image courtesy of the RNCM.

Elias String Quartet: Mendelssohn Cycle #1 at Royal Northern College of Music (RNCM), Manchester 21 November 2023 Tickets from £10.00 — Book now

The RNCM welcomes the Elias String Quartet as Artists-in-Residence once again, as the ensemble kick off their exploration of Felix Mendelssohn’s exuberant canon of chamber works with three string quartets.

The Elias String Quartet are one of the leading quartets of their generation, praised for their intense and vibrant performances, which they’ve taken around the world. The ensemble – violinists Sara Bitlloch and Donald Grant (an RNCM staff member), violist Simone van der Giessen and cellist Marie Bitlloch – formed at the college in 1998 and have had a strong association with it ever since. This year they place a special focus on the profound artistry of Mendelssohn.

One of the most celebrated figures of the early Romantic period, Mendelssohn paired the formal balance and graceful control of the Classical period with Romantic subjectivity and fantasy, synthesising a style that was heavily influenced by Beethoven, but very much his own. His chamber works are musical conversation pieces of real sophistication, and among them, the string quartets shine brightly.

Image courtesy of Elias String Quartet.

The three quartets of Opus 44 mark the centrepiece of the composer’s mature string quartets. The Third – the last to be completed but the first to be published – was Mendelssohn’s favourite; he deemed it “more spirited and […] more grateful to the players than the others”. It’s this light and joyful work that opens Elias’ concert, before we trace our steps backwards to Quartet No 2 in A minor from Opus 13, written when Mendelssohn was just 18, and poring over the just-published late string quartets of Beethoven.

One of Mendelssohn’s most passionate works, written in the wake of an early love affair, the A minor Quartet borrows compositional techniques from Beethoven, but draws its material from one of Mendelssohn’s own songs, Frage (‘Question’), whose lovestruck lyrics implore the object of his infections to “stay forever true”. A key motif from the song influences many themes while other material binds all four movements into stunning unity, the finale circling back to the beginning, making this one of the very first cyclical chamber works.

Joined by a second violist, Alex Mitchell, the Elias String Quartet conclude the concert with String Quintet No 2 in B flat major from Op 87, written two years before Mendelssohn’s premature death at 38, and published posthumously in 1851. It features some ingenious contrapuntal writing, full of textural contrast. From the brief Andante scherzando, which recalls the nocturnal world of the Scherzo from A Midsummer Night’s Dream to the blazing, fleet-footed finale via the tragic Adagio e lento, it’s one of Mendelssohn’s finest chamber works, and a wonderful finisher.

This concert forms part of the RNCM’s packed Autumn Season, from which we select our highlights in a dedicated guide.

Elias String Quartet: Mendelssohn Cycle #1 at Royal Northern College of Music (RNCM), Manchester 21 November 2023 Tickets from £10.00 Book now

Male with beard and glasses sitting on chair with leather jacket
MusicManchester
Jonathan Biss (piano) at RNCM

Known for bridging Classical masterpieces with contemporary repertoire, Jonathan Biss performs Schubert sonatas and a specially commissioned piece by Tyshawn Sorey.

from £14.00
Singers on stage with blue lighting
MusicManchester
RNCM Gospel Choir at RNCM

Following last season’s sold-out performance, the RNCM Gospel Choir and director Wayne Ellington take to the stage again this spring.

from £11.00
Two dancers and orchestra on stage
Until
DanceManchester
Dance:Music at the RNCM

Through a treasure trove of concerts, the RNCM’s initiative Dance:Music explores the symbiotic relationship between music and dance.

from £0.00
A musician looking into the distance.
MusicManchester
RNCM Spring Season 2025

From classical masterpieces to cutting edge contemporary works, world-renowned soloists to homegrown talent, the RNCM spring season has it all.

from £8

Where to go near Elias String Quartet: Mendelssohn Cycle #1 at RNCM

Manchester
Restaurant
San Carlo Fumo

San Carlo Fumo may be part of a chain, but it doesn’t feel like it. Right at the top of Oxford Road, it’s lavishly decorated and specialises in cicchetti, or Italian small plates.

Utility Gift Shop
Manchester
Shop
Utility Gift Shop

Utility Gift Shop on Oxford Road is all about products that are new, unique, quirky and cool. High street shopping at its best.

exterior of Contact Theatre building
Manchester
Theatre
Contact Theatre

Following a major redevelopment, the iconic venue on Oxford Road will be reopening its doors to welcome the public back into the building this autumn. 

The Salutation pub in Manchester
Manchester
Bar or Pub
The Salutation

This traditional boozer, surrounded by imposing flats and university buildings, was taken over by Trof (of the Deaf Institute fame). The Sally, as the regulars call it, hosts an energetic, arty crowd – and its recently expanded outside area is another good reason to visit.

Manchester
University
MMU Student Union

Manchester Metropolitan University Students’ Union building houses a bar and various other facilities for students and staff.

What's on: Music

A black woman sat down looking to the left.
Until
MusicLeeds
Sound Out Leeds 2024/25

Leeds International Concert Season is on a mission to push boundaries, expand horizons, and ask the question: ‘What haven’t we heard?’ as it presents its city-spanning Sound Out Leeds series.

from £10.00
Two dancers and orchestra on stage
Until
DanceManchester
Dance:Music at the RNCM

Through a treasure trove of concerts, the RNCM’s initiative Dance:Music explores the symbiotic relationship between music and dance.

from £0.00
MusicManchester
Chalk at Band on the Wall

Twisting the sounds of techno and post punk, the much-hyped three-piece Chalk are bringing their high octane live show to Band on the Wall.

from £15.59

Culture Guides

Theatre in Manchester and the North
Theatre in the North

Feminist farce, a magical circus show and Oldham Coliseum return with a brand-new off-site show. All in our latest theatre guide.

Good Fridaze Family Social at Freight Island
Family things to do in the North

As we edge towards spring we take a look at the best events and activities for families, from theatre to festivals, dinosaur adventures to family raves.

Poet Evan Jones
Literature Events in the North

Some of our favourite leftfield live literature regulars are back with their first events of the year – we’ve picked a weird and wonderful heap we think you’ll love.

NEXT: A Primer on Urban Painting production still
Cinema in the North

Street art, LGBTQ+ History Month, and the first film festivals of the year are amongst our cinema highlights this month.

A painting of a young child being bathed in a sink of a 197s style kitchen. Around the sink are a rubber duck, a bottle of  washing up liquid, a jug, a kettle and a mug.
Exhibitions in the North

Galleries are racing to announce new exhibitions so check out our top picks, from art films and nostalgic paintings to Hockney's collages.

FKA TWIGS
Music in the North

Masters of minimalism, leftfield electronica and cutting edge pop. We bring you the lot in our latest live music round up.