Mendelssohn: 5 Symphonies; 7 Overtures

Mendelssohn: 5 Symphonies; 7 Overtures

Mendelssohn: 5 Symphonies; 7 Overtures
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CD Details

Composer: Felix [1] Mendelssohn
Conductor: Claudio Abbado
Orchestra: London Symphony Orchestra
Performer: Elizabeth Connell
Performer: Karita Mattila
Performer: Hans Peter Blochwitz
Edition: Music CD
Format: Box set
CD Release Date: 2002-05-14
Music Label: Deutsche Grammophon
Soundtracks:
Music CD 1
  1. Symphony No.1 in C minor, Op.11 - 1. Allegro di molto
  2. Symphony No.1 in C minor, Op.11 - 2. Andante
  3. Symphony No.1 in C minor, Op.11 - 3. Menuetto (Allegro molto)
  4. Symphony No.1 in C minor, Op.11 - 4. Allegro con fuoco
  5. Octet in E flat, Op.20 - Arr. for orchestra by the composer - 3. Scherzo
  6. Overture "A Midsummer Night's Dream", Op.21 - Overture (Allegro di molto)
  7. The Hebrides, Op.26 (Fingal's Cave) - Allegro moderato
  8. Meeresstille und glückliche Fahrt, Op.27
Music CD 2
  1. Symphony No.2 in B flat, Op.52 - "Hymn of Praise" - 1. Sinfonia: Maestoso con moto
  2. Symphony No.2 in B flat, Op.52 - "Hymn of Praise" - 1. Sinfonia: Allegretto un poco agitato
  3. Symphony No.2 in B flat, Op.52 - "Hymn of Praise" - 1. Sinfonia: Adagio religioso
  4. Symphony No.2 in B flat, Op.52 - "Hymn of Praise" - 2. "Alles was Odem hat, lobe den Herrn" - "Lobe den Herrn, meine Seele"
  5. Symphony No.2 in B flat, Op.52 - "Hymn of Praise" - Molto più moderato ma con fuoco:"Lobe den Herrn,... meine.
  6. Symphony No.2 in B flat, Op.52 - "Hymn of Praise" - 3. "Saget es, die ihr erlöst seid"
  7. Symphony No.2 in B flat, Op.52 - "Hymn of Praise" - 3. "Er zählet unsre Tränen"
  8. Symphony No.2 in B flat, Op.52 - "Hymn of Praise" - 4. "Sagt es, die ihr erlöset seid"
  9. Symphony No.2 in B flat, Op.52 - "Hymn of Praise" - 5. "Ich harrete des Herrn"
  10. Symphony No.2 in B flat, Op.52 - "Hymn of Praise" - 6. "Stricke des Todes hatten uns umfangen"
  11. Symphony No.2 in B flat, Op.52 - "Hymn of Praise" - 7. "Die Nacht ist vergangen"
  12. Symphony No.2 in B flat, Op.52 - "Hymn of Praise" - 8. "Nun danket alle Gott" - "Lob, Ehr' und Preis sei Gott"
  13. Symphony No.2 in B flat, Op.52 - "Hymn of Praise" - 9. "Drum sing ich mit meinem Liede ewig"
  14. Symphony No.2 in B flat, Op.52 - "Hymn of Praise" - 10. "Ihr Völker, bringet her dem Herrn Ehre und Macht"
Music CD 3
  1. Symphony No.3 in A minor, Op.56 - "Scottish" - 1. Andante con moto - Allegro un poco agitato - Assai animato - Andante come prima
  2. Symphony No.3 in A minor, Op.56 - "Scottish" - 2. Vivace non troppo
  3. Symphony No.3 in A minor, Op.56 - "Scottish" - 3. Adagio
  4. Symphony No.3 in A minor, Op.56 - "Scottish" - 4. Allegro vivacissimo - Allegro maestoso assai
  5. Overture "The Fair Melusine", Op.32 - Allegro con moto
  6. "Trumpet Overture", Op.101 - Allegro vivace - Allegro vivace
  7. Ruy Blas, Op.95 - Overture to Victor Hugo's play - Lento - Allegro molto
Music CD 4
  1. Symphony No.4 in A, Op.90 - "Italian" - 1. Allegro vivace
  2. Symphony No.4 in A, Op.90 - "Italian" - 2. Andante con moto
  3. Symphony No.4 in A, Op.90 - "Italian" - 3. Con moto moderato
  4. Symphony No.4 in A, Op.90 - "Italian" - 4. Saltarello (Presto)
  5. Symphony No.5 in D minor, Op.107 - "Reformation" - 1. Andante - Allegro con fuoco
  6. Symphony No.5 in D minor, Op.107 - "Reformation" - 2. Allegro vivace
  7. Symphony No.5 in D minor, Op.107 - "Reformation" - 3. Andante
  8. Symphony No.5 in D minor, Op.107 - "Reformation" - 4. Choral "Ein' Feste Burg ist unser Gott!" (Andante con moto - Allegro vivace - Allegro maestoso - Più animato poco a poco)
  9. Overture for Wind Instruments, Op.24 (für Harmoniemusik)

Music reviews of Mendelssohn: 5 Symphonies; 7 Overtures

Music Review: Three and a half. The Overtures are great but the Symphonies are a different matter.
Rating: 3 Stars

Abbado offers some lushly textured Mendelssohn recording here. He is beautifully and ably supported by the sterling playing of the London Symphony Orchestra. Dating from the mid `80s, the recorded sound is also good despite its early digital vintage. Abbado takes a very classical view of Mendelssohn, however. He generally eschews any romanticism and perhaps that is where he falls down.

Performance: 4/5
For the most part these performances are incisive and the playing of the LSO is first rate. The overtures are generally invigorated with plush textures shining out quite consistently. It's a credit to Abbado that he has always produced golden throated playing from all the orchestras he has worked with. In that sense, who can doubt his natural talent for leading an orchestra? In the Symphonies, however, it feels like concentration and commitment does have the tendency to sag on occasion. This seems particularly true in the inner movements of the First Symphony (though the alternative scherzo is very pleasant) and the outer movements of the `Reformation' Symphony. Otherwise everything is quite excellent on this front. A small caveat would be that the palette of colour and timbre is rather restricted. Here, Previn got more out of this orchestra.

The `Lobgesang' may be the best part of this set, along with the overtures. It is realised beautifully, affectionately and musically. The singing of London Symphony Chorus is very good. It is very powerful at times. Elizabeth Connell (Soprano), Karita Mattila (Soprano) and Hans Peter Blochwitz (Tenor) do good justice to the work as solo voices, though superior singing in this work has been recorded before and since.

Sound: 5/5
There is very little indeed to complain about regarding the sound for this set. It is full blooded, warm and weighty with good detail as well. Perhaps it lacks a little sparkle but this is a very minor issue indeed and not too detrimental a caveat. Throw in a wide soundstage and it is some of the best sound the DG engineers were producing at the time. The main weakness in the sound is to be found in the Lobgesang where some may feel it to be a little fogged, muddy and overly reverberant.

Interpretation: 2/5
This is where the most telling problems arise. I must state now that I see Mendelssohn, along with Schumann, Bruch and Brahms, as a more romantic composer than Abbado apparently does. I suppose taste dictates much here. If you see Mendelssohn as closer in idiom to Haydn, Mozart and Schubert than he is to Schumann, Beethoven or Bruch then Abbado's set is almost certainly the set for you. Unfortunately, I don't see Mendelssohn like that.

True, there is no getting away from the fact that the First Symphony is classical in idiom. That is easy to accept and, as such, Abbado has followed Flor, Ashkenazy and Karajan (among others) in interpreting it classically. The Second Symphony is where Abbado diverges from the Classical path. This is a broad, magnificent view of the work. Indeed, it has something valedictory in the way he conceives it. Having said that, it has been equally well interpreted by the likes of Litton, Karajan and Dohnanyi. They each have a valedictory about them.

The `Scottish' Symphony marks a return to the classical idiom. Others have got more darkness and tragedy from this score. See, for example, Karajan and Bernstein. Indeed, these two took an almost impressionistic account of the first movement. Abbado continues his genial approach which is rather superficial and uninspiring in this work. The coda of the third is taken with almost vulgar amounts of rhetoric. This is not in keeping at all with what preceded these closing passages.

The Fourth can be interpreted classically or romantically and here Abbado has much more success. This Symphony comes off much better in this set than the Third does. Abbado's Fifth wobbles between classicism and romanticism without firm decision either way. Much of the expression in the outer movements suggests a romantic conception but the inner movements seem to be decidedly classical while the final coda doesn't come off with the incisiveness and finality that Munch, Bernstein and Karajan brought.

Overall, this is a mixed set musically. There is some uncertainty as to how Abbado sees Mendelssohn but generally he opts for a classical approach, in line with Mozart or Haydn. There is validity in that as Mendelssohn drew greatly from both composers. Orchestras such as those of Bamberg, Vienna and Berlin seem more in touch with Mendelssohn's Germanic roots as well. This is a solid set, the stand outs being the Second Symphony, the Fourth and the eight shorter pieces. Indeed, the Hebrides receives a very strong performance. If Abbado's way appeals, you will enjoy this set more than I did.


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