I always regarded the performances of Mendelssohn’s String Quartets presently in the Naxos catalogue as no more than stopgaps, and I am pleased the label has now revisited the works in the capable hands of the New Zealand String Quartet. They set out their credentials in a hard-hitting account of the Sixth Quartet, a score that gives a rare glimpse of angst among Mendelssohn’s emotions that came as the result of the recent death of his beloved sister, Fanny. It is a work of turmoil, the New Zealanders digging deep into their strings to capture the restlessness as the score grows increasingly dark, a more conventional expression of sorrow in the third movement offering a brief respite from the surrounding bleakness. It is a work that would normally contrast with the youthful mood of the First Quartet, but here the performers unfailingly seek out the strength in the music, and after a suitably vivacious scherzo, there is melancholy underlining their approach to the slow movement. They tear into the finale with much passion and an optimistically fast tempo, and carry this mood over into the intense opening allegro of the Fourth Quartet. The scherzo again introducing an impish quality to contrast with the long flowing lines of the third movement. Another high-voltage finale brings the work to an end, the New Zealanders offering a different perspective to both quartets to that we normally hear. It is a welcome addition to the catalogue to stand by the side of the long established Melos Quartet recording. At times the urgency of the outer movements finds the intonation of the leader, Helene Pohl. getting a little excitable, but otherwise the playing has much to commend it, Rolf Gjelsten’s cello playing a delight throughout. Recorded in Canada with the team that produces Naxos’s outstanding guitar recordings, the sound is both immediate and transparent.