Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847) - Bicentennial Celebration!

[snyprrr]

VC

[Scion7]

VC

First we have the 'is he a German or a Jew' controversy, now you say he was a Viet Cong ??

When will it end, Lord, when will it end?!!!?? 

[jlaurson]

Latest on Forbes.com:
Classical CD Of The Week: Scarlatti Classical And En Suite

As every clever Scarlatti disc or recital should, this one has had some thought put into the selection and arrangement of the sonatas, rather than just willy-nilly lumping together personal favorites. True, the pudding-proof is in the listening, not the admiration of the thought behind it. But it's worth mentioning all the same in this case, especially since on Claire Huangci's disc it works so particularly well: The pianist (whom I heard at the 2011 ARD International Music Competition, where she came second, then still performing as Tori Huang) arranged bundles of sonatas in the form of baroque suites (disc 1) and classical sonatas (disc 2), as laid out by her lucid, well-written, and refreshingly level-headed liner notes:...


http://www.forbes.com/sites/jenslaurson/2016/06/10/classical-cd-of-the-week-thats-mendelssohn

[mjmosca]

So glad to find this thread! In the US it seems that Mendelssohn is little played in the concert hall, but still, happily popular on the radio. And what great music!

What recording of the entire "Midsummer Night's Dream" do you recommend- I am looking for advice. Thank you!

[Florestan]

What recording of the entire "Midsummer Night's Dream" do you recommend- I am looking for advice. Thank you!

[Mirror Image]

So glad to find this thread! In the US it seems that Mendelssohn is little played in the concert hall, but still, happily popular on the radio. And what great music!

What recording of the entire "Midsummer Night's Dream" do you recommend- I am looking for advice. Thank you!

This is my favorite Midsummer Night's Dream. It doesn't get any better than this IMHO. Abbado's credentials in Mendelssohn are pretty well-established and there's a great performance of the 'Italian' on this recording as well:

[Spineur]

So glad to find this thread! In the US it seems that Mendelssohn is little played in the concert hall, but still, happily popular on the radio. And what great music!

What recording of the entire "Midsummer Night's Dream" do you recommend- I am looking for advice. Thank you!

I happen to like Felix Mendelssohn a lot as well.  He you are interested in his sacred repertoire, I can recommend the oratorio Paulus
[asin]B00008UANP[/asin]
Its in my top 10 sacred works list.
An his chamber music is really charming.  The quartet Op 13 is a beauty as is his octet Op. 20.    If you like piano music, i like among other pieces his "Variations sérieuses" Op. 54.  Here is Alfred Brendel at it
https://www.youtube.com/v/N8VCyD5I5I4

[Jo498]

How much spoken text does the Previn include? Many famous and recommended recordings (e.g. Maag, Fricsay) have no spoken text and are also missing some of the shorter pieces or melodram sections?

I don't have any with different actors speaking the texts but the Abbado mentioned above has brief passages spoken by an actress (in German) and seems to include all or most of the short/melodram pieces.

My recommendation for a similar version with one narrator speaking the relevant passages for context would be Ozawa/Boston/DG with Judi Dench as narrator (English). No coupling and only about 55 min on a full priced disk, though

[Florestan]

How much spoken text does the Previn include?

None at all, unfortunately.

[jlaurson]

None at all, unfortunately.

Unfortunately??? Oh, it's such a boon, I think. Can't stand when Judi (for example) rips me out of the music.

[Florestan]

Unfortunately??? Oh, it's such a boon, I think. Can't stand when Judi (for example) rips me out of the music.

Well, after having recently heard the complete Peer Gynt, including spoken dialogues, I would not have it any other way in the future, as they are essential for the atmosphere, the mood and the development of the work. It might not be the case with AMSND, though. 

[Jo498]

On the track listings at amazon the melodrams are included in Previns. But they make no sense if there is nothing spoken, e.g. Oberon's and Puck's spells. Of course a single narrator is different from the actual actors of the respective figure and the passages spoken on those recordings are fairly short, just a little bit around the music. But they provide the context without which the shorter pieces don't make sense.

The other option is to treat the music basically as a suite and skip the melodrams and short pieces.

As I got to know the music (except for Ouverture and wedding march) in the Ozawa/Dench recording, I always miss something without the words.

[Mirror Image]

Unfortunately??? Oh, it's such a boon, I think. Can't stand when Judi (for example) rips me out of the music.

I can't help but to agree here. I loathe narration in musical works.

[Jo498]

But it is not narration in a musical work in that case (which I agree is pretty weird, e.g. in Gurrelieder).

It is music for a spoken play. The short music for the spells does not make a lot of sense if the words are not spoken. One could do without the spoken words in the intro to Titania's lullaby or the finale, I guess. But overall, unless one knows MSND by heart and exactly where the music comes in, I found it more interesting with the spoken passages for context.

[Scion7]

Picked it up for $2 at Nicely Out of Tune at the beach Saturday.   

[asin]B00318EDCE[/asin]

[SurprisedByBeauty]

Review: Irish Chamber Orchestra On Tour With A Mendelssohn Revelation

The Irish Chamber Orchestra may not be much of an established brand in the international orchestra-world,
but they are on their best way of getting there. Currently on a on-and-off tour of continental Europe, they
are spreading their excellence in places like Brussels, Freiburg, Vienna and Heidelberg. It helps that they
surround themselves with interesting and good musicians. Among them "Principal Artistic Partner" (a bit
labored, their titles) Gábor Tákacs Nagy, that old-school continental musician with semi-quavers running in
his veins, "Principal [Guest] Conductor and Artistic Partner" composer-clarinetist-conductor Jörg Widmann,
and, on this tour, Igor Levit, one of a hot new generation of musicians; a young-ish, nicely severe pianists...
https://www.forbes.com/sites/jenslaurson/2017/03/28/review-irish-chamber-orchestra-on-tour-with-a-mendelssohn-revelation/

I knew that the "Parsifal" bit (i.e. Dresden Amen) is in the Fifth Symphony... but that it sounds so much like Charles Ives, I'd never noticed.

[SurprisedByBeauty]

Review of a spectacular recording of the String Symphonies:


Classical CD Of The Week: Rocking The Mendelssohn String Symphonies

https://www.forbes.com/sites/jenslaurson/2017/11/03/classical-cd-of-the-week-rocking-the-mendelssohn-string-symphonies/#516ae1226f40

[motoboy]

I put on the Reformation Symphony in honor of the quintentinseniatiel. I was never a big Felix fan and vaguely remember playing stunt/double first trumpet in it a few years back. I remembered it being a bit boring.

But I was wrong. I was thrilled hearing it again. I think this might be my gateway drug back into absolute music, which I have poo-poo-ed for the last half decade or so.

Here's to rediscovery!

[Karl Henning]

What is the consensus on the Brilliant complete chamber music box?

[gprengel]

In the beginning of the year I discovered a symphony fragment of about 80 measures in full score  (till 2:25) and some sketches for the second theme, the end of the exposition and 2 sketches for the development by Mendelssohn from the year 1844 in Frankfurt which fascinated me so much that I made an attempt to complete it.

I finally made it also to complete the beautiful second movement sketch from Mendelssohn to a whole Andante movement of about 14 minutes.
The first 2:50 minutes are based on a full melody sketch with various hints to the accompaniement by Mendelssohn.After orchestrating this I continued with a new middle part with various themes with each increasing in strength and coming to a dramatic climax with an appassionate fugato.
After this various variations of Mendelssohn's beautiful Andante theme follow until a recapitulation of the beginning. The movement ends with a most tender final variation.

The recording was made with Finale and NotePerformer and is best heard with some good headphones:

I.Allegro

http://www.gerdprengel.de/Mendelssohn_unfinished_symphony1.mp3
http://www.gerdprengel.de/Symphony_in_C_Allegro.pdf

II. Andante cantabile

http://www.gerdprengel.de/Mendelssohn_unfinished_symphony_Andante.mp3
http://www.gerdprengel.de/Mendelssohn_unfinished_symphony_Andante.pdf

I hope you will enjoy it and tell me whether and where I should make any improvements ...

Gerd