The shadow of Beethoven falls heavily over these two quartets; or—if you prefer—the strong light of Beethoven illuminates them. Players must decide which, for the influence cannot be ignored, and emphasizing the connections risks invidious comparisons just as ignoring them robs the music of something important in its heritage. Almost all commentators, for instance CH among them in his notes for the Gabrieli set, have pointed out the close relationship between the opening of the E flat Quartet and Beethoven's Harp Quartet, Op. 74. Mendelssohn, however, is using the gesture to lighter ends, and both these groups take it not too ponderously, with the Gabrieli making a better balance between the sobriety of the Adagio introduction and the flowing, relaxed nature of the Allegro non tardante (as Mendelssohn unusually marks it).
There are even stronger comparisons with Beethoven's B flat major Quartet, Op. 130, which Mendelssohn obviously had somewhere in his mind. Beethoven's opening may lie behind the opening of the Andante, but his Cavatina (Adagio molto espressivo) not only suggests the song-like manner, and some of the harmony and part-writing, of Mendelssohn's Andante espressivo, but also the moment when the music breaks loose from its regular progress, in Beethoven's case kleppend (burdened), in Mendelssohn's con fuoco, before order is restored. The Coull play this rather more soberly than the Gabrieli, whose leader is, however, suitably careful to contain the emotion before the tranquillo is regained. Both quartets fling themselves with splendid energy into the Molto allegro with which Mendelssohn interrupts his Andante. On the other hand, though they take a nicely judged tempo for the pretty Canzonetta, the Gabrieli seem concerned to give expressive phrasing to the pervasive little quaver/semiquaver movement; the Coull take a slightly faster tempo, and play the piece simply and well.
The same Beethoven quartet colours some of the invention of the A minor Quartet (written before the E flat, opus numbers notwithstanding). There is even a story of a listener mistaking the work for Beethoven's, which the nonplussed Mendelssohn hardly knew how to take. But his use of the traditional questioning phrase, used by Beethoven in Op. 135 for the famous ''Muss es sein?'' question, really has only the outward shape of Mendelssohn's tender question ''Ist es wahr?''; and both groups quite rightly play the music as gently and affectionately as they can.
Both are fine, thoughtful performances, with those by the Gabrieli Quartet having on the whole a more intelligent response to the complexities that lie within this elegant, well-fashioned music. If only because the works go so well and so interestingly together, I would prefer these to the others listed above. Op. 13 is coupled by the Vermeer (Teldec) with Dvorak's American Quartet, and by the Medici (Nimbus), rather oddly, with Shostakovich's Piano Quintet.'