Mendelssohn
A grandson of the philosopher Moses Mendelssohn, Felix Mendelssohn was born into a prominent Jewish family. He was brought up without religion until the age of seven, when he was baptised as a Reformed Christian. Mendelssohn was recognised early as a musical prodigy, but his parents were cautious and did not seek to capitalise on his talent.
Mendelssohn enjoyed early success in Germany, where he also revived interest in the music of Johann Sebastian Bach, and in his travels throughout Europe. He was particularly well received in Britain as a composer, conductor and soloist, and his ten visits there – during which many of his major works were premiered – form an important part of his adult career. His essentially conservative musical tastes, however, set him apart from many of his more adventurous musical contemporaries such as Franz Liszt, Richard Wagner, Charles-Valentin Alkan and Hector Berlioz. The Leipzig Conservatoire (now the University of Music and Theatre Leipzig), which he founded, became a bastion of this anti-radical outlook.
Mendelssohn wrote symphonies, concerti, oratorios, piano music and chamber music. His best-known works include his Overture and incidental music for A Midsummer Night's Dream, the Italian Symphony, the Scottish Symphony, the overture The Hebrides, his mature Violin Concerto, and his String Octet. His Songs Without Words are his most famous solo piano compositions. After a long period of relative denigration due to changing musical tastes and antisemitism in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, his creative originality has now been recognised and re-evaluated. He is now among the most popular composers of the Romantic era.
Mendelssohn
A grandson of the philosopher Moses Mendelssohn, Felix Mendelssohn was born into a prominent Jewish family. He was brought up without religion until the age of seven, when he was baptised as a Reformed Christian. Mendelssohn was...
TCHAIKOVSKY Symphony No. 4 in F minor
TCHAIKOVSKY Symphony No. 5 in E minor
TCHAIKOVSKY Romeo and Juliet – Fantasy Overture
TCHAIKOVSKY Waltz from Serenade for Strings
J S BACH Suite No. 2 for Flutes and Strings
J C BACH Sinfonia in B flat
BEETHOVEN Leonore Overtures 1 & 3, Coriolan Overture et al
WEBER Der Freischütz, Euryanthe, Oberon - Overtures
LISZT Les Préludes
WAGNER Tannhäuser Overture - Lohengrin Prelude
BRAHMS Symphony No. 3 - Academic Festival Overture
GRIEG Two Elegiac Melodies
RAVEL Boléro
J STRAUSS II Perpetuum Mobile
music by Cheubini, Mendelssohn, Berlioz, Suppé, Bizet, Mahler, Tchaikovsky
Studio recordings, 1926-32
Concertgebouw Orchestra of Amsterdam
conducted by Willem Mengelberg
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R. STRAUSS, WAGNER, MENDELSSOHN Electrical test recordings
MENDELSSOHN A Midsummer Night's Dream (excerpts)
BERLIOZ Symphonie Fantastique (excerpt)
Recorded 1924 & 1938
Total duration: 50:12
New York Philharmonic Orchestra
BBC Symphony Orchestra
conducted by Willem Mengelberg
MENDELSSOHN Concerto in D minor for violin and strings
Recorded in 1953
Duration 23:32
Yehudi Menuhin, violin
Philharmonia Orchestra
Conducted by Sir Adrian Boult
LALO Symphonie espagnole
MENDELSSOHN Violin Concerto
DVOŘÁK Violin Concerto
Recorded 1936-47
Total duration: 66:17
Nathan Milstein, violin
conducted by Eugene Ormandy
Philharmonic-Symphony Orchestra of New York
conducted by Arturo Toscanini
conducted by Leopold Stokowski
VIVALDI Violin Concerto
BEETHOVEN Romance No. 1
BEETHOVEN Romance No. 2
MENDELSSOHN Violin Concerto
PAGANINI Caprice in A minor
Studio recordings, 1931-51
Total duration: 75:31
Mischa Elman, violin
New Symphony Orchestra
Lawrance Collingwood, conductor
Chicago Symphony Orchestra
Desiré Defauw, conductor
Wolfgang Rosé, piano
MENDELSSOHN Symphony No. 3 'Scottish'
MENDELSSOHN Symphony No. 5 'Reformation'
GOULD Philharmonic Waltzes
Recorded 1950 & 1953
Total duration: 68:59
Philharmonic-Symphony Orchestra of New York
conducted by Dimitri Mitropoulos