Erkki Melartin - String Quartet No. 1 (Score Video)

Performed by the Meta4 Quartet - Minna Pensola & Antti Tikkanen, violins; Eriikka Nylund, viola; Tomas Djupsjöbacka, cello
Erkki Melartin (1875-1937) was a Finnish composer and conductor, a contemporary of Jean Sibelius. For more on Melartin, see my score video of his fourth string quartet: • Erkki Melartin - Strin...
Melartin's first string quartet was written in 1896 when he was just 21. As a result, it carries stronger influence from late Romanticism than, for example, his more varied and inventive fourth quartet; nevertheless, it is a colorful and vivacious work typical of the composer which is well worth hearing, containing multiple elements foreshadowing his mature works in the genre.