The Doric Quartet here conclude in magnificent style the cycle they began in October 2018. The line-up may have changed slightly, Ying Xue having replaced Jonathan Stone as second violin, but their approach is very much the same – Mendelssohn as red-blooded successor to Beethoven.

I like the way they hold back in the Adagio introduction to the Op 13 Quartet, vibrato used sparingly and for striking colouristic effect, compared to a more generalised warmth in the recent Takács account; this heightens the contrast with the Allegro proper, which in the Doric’s hands has a desperate-sounding cut and thrust to it, though never at the cost of detail. They take a spacious view of the slow movement, revelling not only in its sombre grandeur but also in Mendelssohn’s unorthodox textures and intense discords. The Ébène are more highly charged and responsive, the Tetzlaff and Elias more flowing, but all bring something powerful to their interpretations. The songlike Intermezzo has here a telling immediacy, though the Elias are more potent still, with a real one-in-a-bar swing to their playing; but I like very much the way the Doric contrast this with the elfin Trio, the fast repeated notes dispatched with élan. The finale is imbued with a driving energy, making the reminiscence of the quartet’s opening all the more poignant.

They are particularly impressive in Op 44 No 1, ripping into the opening movement with vigour but never at the expense of airiness of textures, finding a delicious contrast with the more lyrical writing and in the shadows that dominate the development. The Cecilia are a touch less accentuated (and omit the exposition repeat). The Minuet is, in the Doric’s hands, a pensive affair, the players relishing the sustained chordal writing, while the Trio’s outbreak of quavers in the first violin are nicely understated. The mood of wistfulness continues in the slow movement, the melody beautifully restrained here, punctuated by piquant cello pizzicato. The Cecilia, by comparison, are more generous with their vibrato, but the sweetness is offset by the flowing tempo. The Doric’s effervescence in the finale is impossible to resist, the Cecilia sounding just a degree or two tamer.

Anyone who regards the Op 44 quartets as lesser creatures than Opp 13 and 80 should sample the Doric’s reading of the E minor Quartet (Op 44 No 2). They convey so potently the chewy anxiety of the opening, and understand that Mendelssohn (like Mozart) can be more heartbreaking still when he moves from minor to major – as he does for the second theme. The Scherzo has a bristling energy but without any hint of aggression; the Cecilia here sound a little tentative, though the Elias, while slower, give the writing an airborne finesse. The undulating beauty of the Andante is, as we’ve now come to expect from the Doric, an unhurriedly solemn affair, but on a par with the Elias’s masterly account, while the Presto agitato finale is dispatched with a single-mindedness that makes most groups look half-hearted.

Add to this wonderful notes by Bayan Northcott and a detailed and natural-sounding recording, and you have a major new addition to the Mendelssohn discography.