Though Mendelssohn's genius was clear at the age of 16, when he wrote his Octet, he was not quite so precocious as Mozart. The first...

Though Mendelssohn's genius was clear at the age of 16, when he wrote his Octet, he was not quite so precocious as Mozart. The first six of his string symphonies were all written in 1821, when Mendelssohn was 12 years old. Each work is cast in a simple three movement, fast/slow/fast form, and no movement lasts more than five minutes. There are many influences. The shadows of Mozart, Haydn, J. C. Bach, Handel and others fall over the music, and the quality of invention is somewhat juvenile, but with each succeeding work one sees a growth of inspiration, particularly in slow movements. The English String Orchestra play these works in lively fashion...Boughton's choice of tempos seems unfailingly adroit.

-- Gramophone [3/1989]