Topic: Music for Passiontide & Easter

[Scion7]

More details?

[Marc]

More details?

During one of Mendelssohn's visits to Britain, his companion Karl Klingemann, friend of the Mendelssohn family, wrote in a letter to Fanny Mendelssohn that Felix had played her 'Easter Sonata'.

Was it composed by Fanny?
Was it a gift from Felix to Fanny?

Most scholars believe it was a gift. Some think this piece has gone lost, others think it is the Sonate Eccossaise AKA Fantasia in F sharp minor, op. 28.

I dunno about the manuscript mystery, so, in a way, it remains a mystery even to me.

[DaveF]

Has anyone mentioned

?

Far from being all harrowing and gloomy, ithas everything from deep tenderness and joy to, well, harrowing and gloomy.  The moment where the scoring changes from violins to viol consort in the 6th cantata is especially wonderful.

DF

[Ten thumbs]

During one of Mendelssohn's visits to Britain, his companion Karl Klingemann, friend of the Mendelssohn family, wrote in a letter to Fanny Mendelssohn that Felix had played her 'Easter Sonata'.

Was it composed by Fanny?
Was it a gift from Felix to Fanny?

Most scholars believe it was a gift. Some think this piece has gone lost, others think it is the Sonate Eccossaise AKA Fantasia in F sharp minor, op. 28.

I dunno about the manuscript mystery, so, in a way, it remains a mystery even to me.

Here is a little of what is known.
A few days after Felix's departure for England, Fanny records that she played her Easter Sonata.
What Klingemann actually states in his letter is 'Felix then played some of the first movement of your Easter Sonata, Fraulein fiancee, of which I had heard only talk until now'.
There is therefore no doubt that she did compose such a sonata.

An Easter Sonata was recorded by Eric Heidsiech in 1972. It is a four movement work in A major of which Larry Todd gives a detailed report in his book. This is attributed to Felix but the description sounds more like Fanny and there is no other record of Felix having composed such a work. Also, I'm surprised that the Mendelssohn fraternity aren't clamouring for the release of the manuscript for publication.

[Marc]

Here is a little of what is known.
A few days after Felix's departure for England, Fanny records that she played her Easter Sonata.
What Klingemann actually states in his letter is 'Felix then played some of the first movement of your Easter Sonata, Fraulein fiancee, of which I had heard only talk until now'.
There is therefore no doubt that she did compose such a sonata.

I did not know about Fanny's remark. So: thanks for this information.
I always thought that Klingemann's remark was interpreted in a more linguistic meaning, since it is used in a rather frequent way. If a composition is attributed to a person as a gift, in many occassions it's been referred to as 'his/her/your' piece. Mozart was sometimes referring to his own compositions in this way. Like sentimental married couples refer to the first song they danced and exchanged their first kiss on as 'our song'.
That's why I thought there still is/was doubt about the composer of this mystery sonata.

An Easter Sonata was recorded by Eric Heidsiech in 1972. It is a four movement work in A major of which Larry Todd gives a detailed report in his book. This is attributed to Felix but the description sounds more like Fanny and there is no other record of Felix having composed such a work. Also, I'm surprised that the Mendelssohn fraternity aren't clamouring for the release of the manuscript for publication.

This was another part of the story that I did not know about. Again: thanks for the info!

[Ten thumbs]

Until the manuscript of the Easter Sonata is released, we can only speculate. My guess is that Fanny gave the manuscript of her sonata to Felix as a leaving gift, intending to write it out from memory in his absence. She never got round to doing so because of the upheaval of her marriage.

[Que]

BUMP! 

[k a rl h e nn i ng]

Well, it's early yet 

[North Star]

Well, it's early yet 

I did listen to SMP last week, and am now listening to Concerto Italiano's Gesualdo. . . Of course, I could listen to either one at almost any time of the year.

And besides, I would think that there's a benefit in seeing this thread while there's still time to order some CDs for Easter.

[k a rl h e nn i ng]

Fair enow!

[knight66]

Yes, hi-time for my annual bath of the St M. First off will be the one to a part version by McCreesh. I first knew the piece from large scale performances and never thought I would reconcile myself to the small scale in this epic work. But I find that despite preferring soloists on other versions; this intimate and dramatic version really satisfies me. No doubt I will spin Rilling and or Richter before Easter.

The only time I have sung it with professional forces was for Abbado, a strangly half way house between old-school and the HIP methods. Small choir, fullish modern orchestra and a viola da gamba. It had remarkable soloists. If it ever surfaced on CD, I would buy it for the soloists. But I suspect it would not be overall satisfying.

The journey begins.

Mike

[Que]

Bach's St Matthew Passion is a monument in music history. Every year it is performed around the globe and especially during Passiontide. In the Netherlands where I live it is a kind of ritual to attend a performance of this work every year. It is hard to imagine that before the St Matthew Passion reached this status another work was just as popular - at least in Germany - as Bach's oratorio is today: Der Tod Jesu by Carl Heinrich Graun. Although he was first and foremost active as a composer of music for the stage it is this work that cemented his reputation. It was first performed on Good Friday in 1755, and was repeated the next year. This became a tradition, which lasted until 1884.

Review by Johan van Veen HERE

Q

[Que]

For many years Reinhard Keiser was closely connected to the Oper am Gänsemarkt in Hamburg. He was the first really great German opera composer. His colleague Johann Mattheson called him "the greatest opera composer in the world" and Johann Adolf Scheibe stated that he was "perhaps the most original musical genius that Germany has ever produced". Although there is a kind of revival of his music he still hardly gets the recognition he deserves. That is partly due to the fact that a large part - probably even most - of his oeuvre has been lost. His best-known work today is his Brockes-Passion. It is a specimen of the genre of the Passion oratorio which was to dominate Passion music during the 18th century. In comparison his St Mark Passion is very different: it belongs to the genre of the oratorio Passion to which also Johann Sebastian Bach's Passions belong. It has been documented that the latter performed his colleague's Passion at several occasions. That bears witness to his high esteem of his Keiser's work which probably also influenced his own Passions.

Whoever is the composer, he has given us a work to savour which should be performed more often.

Rest of the review by Johan van Veen HERE and the review by Brian HERE.

Q

[knight66]

Review by Johan van Veen HERE

Q

Que, Thanks, I am listening on Spotify to the only version there and am enjoying it a lot. It is an entirely new piece to me. The review you linked to was very helpful.

Mike

[OrchestralNut]

Yes, hi-time for my annual bath of the St M. First off will be the one to a part version by McCreesh. I first knew the piece from large scale performances and never thought I would reconcile myself to the small scale in this epic work. But I find that despite preferring soloists on other versions; this intimate and dramatic version really satisfies me.

My favourite discovery of 2015 (by far!) was Bach's St. Matthew Passion, via the McCreesh recording.  I have since sampled many larger ensemble recordings and haven't heard anything yet that I like better than the intimate McCreesh.

Bach's StMP, what a gorgeous work! 

[Mandryka]

I've decided to celebrate Easter by listening to Gesualdo's responsoria. So far, I've been focussed on Parrott's recording, but it must be a bit old fashioned now. Anyone got any favourites?

[Jo498]

Here is a Bach St. Matthew from the Concertgebouw 1976, if I understand correctly the first time Harnoncourt was invited to conduct that piece there (in 1975 he had already done the St. John) There is also a Missa solemnis from 2012 available there.

http://www.radio4.nl/luister-concerten/concerten/5878/nikolaus-harnoncourt-dirigeert-de-matthauspassion-

[aligreto]

Here is a Bach St. Matthew from the Concertgebouw 1976, if I understand correctly the first time Harnoncourt was invited to conduct that piece there (in 1975 he had already done the St. John) There is also a Missa solemnis from 2012 available there.

http://www.radio4.nl/luister-concerten/concerten/5878/nikolaus-harnoncourt-dirigeert-de-matthauspassion-

Thank you for posting that link. I look forward to listening to it soon.

[The new erato]

Rest of the review by Johan van Veen HERE and the review by Brian HERE.

Q

I think I haven given this a definite thumbs up in the listening thread once-upon-a-time.

[k a rl h e nn i ng]

I've decided to celebrate Easter by listening to Gesualdo's responsoria. So far, I've been focussed on Parrott's recording, but it must be a bit old fashioned now. Anyone got any favourites?