Mendelssohn: Octet for strings 

In November 1825, his teacher Zelter wrote a letter to his friend Goethe in which he mentioned that the young student had just completed an octet “which is very well made”. That Mendelssohn became proud is no exaggeration. When the piece was premièred in the Mendelssohn family’s stately salon in Berlin, the audience was captivated – an unbroken series of inspired melodies in a classically sophisticated form. Much later, the composer remembered these days with warmth: “I had a wonderful time.”