In concert: Janine Jansen and friends play the Mendelssohn Octet

I’m inspired by some recent discoveries to re-start posting weekly links to online music videos. As before, they might be old or new, perhaps just part of a concert, perhaps just half an hour more or less. Let’s see how it goes again.

This week one of the most sheerly enjoyable videos yet — the wonderful Janine Jansen with seven other mostly young musicians playing the Mendelssohn Octet. This is about the best performance I have ever heard, played with such verve and such shared delight in the music that it is very affecting. [33 mins]

Oh, I know, it is such a cliché to mention it. But it is somehow difficult to get over the astounding fact that Mendelssohn was 16 when he wrote the Octet.

By the way, linked videos from nine of the ten posts of the earlier series are still available to watch from here.