New. Mendelssohn & Grieg: String Quartets
Opus13
Awards:
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Diapason, October 2026, Nouveauté
Opus13 offer superbly accomplished performances of both works, conveying all the ardour and intensity of the Mendelssohn, and making a strong case for a re-evaluation of the Grieg.
New. Mendelssohn & Grieg: String Quartets
Opus13
Purchase product
Awards:
-
Diapason, October 2026, Nouveauté
Opus13 offer superbly accomplished performances of both works, conveying all the ardour and intensity of the Mendelssohn, and making a strong case for a re-evaluation of the Grieg.
About
The Opus13 Quartet was formed in 2014 and takes its name from the String Quartet in A minor, Op. 13, by Felix Mendelssohn, a passionate early work and the first piece they ever played together. Comprising two Norwegians (violinists Sonoko Miriam Welde and Edvard Erdal) and two Swedes (Albin Uusijärvi on viola and Daniel Thorell on cello), Opus13 were keen to record Grieg’s sublime Quartet No. 1 alongside Mendelssohn for their very first album. For them, it was important to connect with the raw power of this music and the Norwegian identity embodied in Grieg’s music. First Prize winners at the Bordeaux International and Wigmore Hall International String Quartet Competitions in 2025, Opus13 received the Borletti-Buitoni Prize in 2026 and were selected as BBC New Generation Artists. Marked by pure and fragile emotions, this programme concludes with a transcription of the famous Solveig’s Song, taken from the play Peer Gynt, written in 1867 by Henrik Ibsen and set to music by Edvard Grieg.
Contents and tracklist
Spotlight on this release
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Awards and reviews
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DiapasonOctober 2026Nouveauté
October 2026
Opus13 offer superbly accomplished performances of both works, conveying all the ardour and intensity of the Mendelssohn, and making a strong case for a re-evaluation of the Grieg.
Diapason October 2026
Their deep connection to this score [the Mendelssohn] shines through in their interpretation, bringing out all the passion, enthusiasm, and restless energy inherent in this youthful music...In the Grieg one finds the same way of delving into the musical discourse, the same moments of breath, and the same intrepid momentum - ever ready to burst into flame.
Awards Issue 2026
We've seen a number of very exciting quartets launched over the past few years, but the sheer humanity and storytelling across this debut recording underlines that Opus13 is, at least to my own ears, particularly special.
17th September 2026
You would expect good things from Opus13 – current BBC New Generation Artists, and winners at last year’s Wigmore Hall and Bordeaux string quartet competitions – and this assured, distinctive debut lives up to that...The folksy style hinted at in the second movement [of the Grieg] blossoms in the third, which gets a touch of Nordic fiddle, exuberant yet elegant
