When you invest in a new album of classics, you’ll want a musical calibre surpassing previous releases of the same works and a sense of originality across the collection and voices within. That’s exactly what you’ll find in Tinalley String Quartet’s new Mendelssohn release, featuring Australia’s star soprano Greta Bradman.

The Adagio non troppo of Mendelssohn’s String Quartet No 1 feels stretched and leisurely, but still retains its delicate nature – much like the tracks to come. The Canzonetta contains equal doses of rigidity and charm. By work’s end, I realised I was so swept into the music that I hadn’t felt the need to observe the players – their performance is remarkably unobtrusive: the near-perfection of...