Mendelssohn: Octet / Quintet

The Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields Chamber Ensemble gives a bracing, warmly expressive account of the Mendelssohn Octet. The playing is polished, the ensemble is tight, and the style and scope of the interpretation are truly symphonic, as Mendelssohn desired. The analog recording, from 1978, has a pleasing immediacy and freshness. –Ted Libbey