Mendelssohn--The Great Symphonies

[richardfinegold]

I'm looking for a good modern recommendation here. I'll state at the outset that I'm not asking about the early string symphonies or the first two numbered works, both of which bore me to tears.
The Bernstein 2 lp set of Scotch, Italian, and Reformation, and the Hebrides have served me for decades, but the lp seems to have gone missing. On CD I have Masur/Leipzig, but I find it utterly charmless. Stowkowski did a great Italian towards the end of his life and it's to bad that he didn't do the rest. I used to have an Abbado set but I don't recall it with any particular fondness.

[cloughie]

I'm looking for a good modern recommendation here. I'll state at the outset that I'm not asking about the early string symphonies or the first two numbered works, both of which bore me to tears.
The Bernstein 2 lp set of Scotch, Italian, and Reformation, and the Hebrides have served me for decades, but the lp seems to have gone missing. On CD I have Masur/Leipzig, but I find it utterly charmless. Stowkowski did a great Italian towards the end of his life and it's to bad that he didn't do the rest. I used to have an Abbado set but I don't recall it with any particular fondness.

LSO Maag 3
NPO Sawallish 4/5

[AjAjAjH]

Try the Abbado again. Great, <IMHO>

[Nick Armstrong]

The French CD critics' programme I listen to most weeks on France-Musique has covered Nos 3 & 4 in its 'blind tasting' comparisons in recent years. I remember that in both cases, the critics' verdicts coincided with my own based on the extracts played.

The best sounding No 3 was the earlier of Abbado's recordings: 1968 with the LSO (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Mendelssohn-...0457903&sr=1-4)


Although the above version is coupled with No 4, that 1968 Abbado version of the Italian lost out to his 1985 recording with the same orchestra, the digital remake available in several combinations.


As regards No. 3, the Maag version mentioned by cloughie had long been my favourite... without having done any great comparison. On the French programme, it suffered in comparison with the Abbado, but I still wouldn't be without it - along with the Midsummer Night's Dream music, the disc has a particular atmosphere all its own.

[Barbirollians]

Previn and the LSO in No 4 ! I am a fan of the Abbado set though.

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

The earlier Abbados are here:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Mendelssohn-Symphonies-London-Symphony-Orchestra/dp/B000SSPKZY/ref=sr_1_14?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1360491096&sr=1-14

But for an "incomplete" set (omitting 1&2) how about:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Mendelssohn-Symphony-3-5-5-Overtures/dp/B000NPCMIK/ref=sr_1_10?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1360491096&sr=1-10

And, if later Abbado isn't to your taste, and you feel the urge for a complete cycle that demonstrates that boredom to tears isn't a necessary requirement in the first two Symphonies:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Mendelssohn-5-Symphonies-Edith-Mathis/dp/B001DCQI9G/ref=sr_1_4?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1360491096&sr=1-4

[cloughie]

Richard - your comment about the first two symphonies I find mildly strange - boring - surely not - I'm not a fan of the chaoral part of 'Hymn of Praise' but the Sinfonia ia a delight - full of lovely tunes.

http://www.for3.org/forums/showthread.php?7553-Mendelssohn-The-Great-Symphonies

Weller with the RSNO is a good set at a reasonable price.

[richardfinegold]

Richard - your comment about the first two symphonies I find mildly strange - boring - surely not - I'm not a fan of the chaoral part of 'Hymn of Praise' but the Sinfonia ia a delight - full of lovely tunes.

http://www.for3.org/forums/showthread.php?7553-Mendelssohn-The-Great-Symphonies

Weller with the RSNO is a good set at a reasonable price.

I haven't listened to 1&2 for a while. My memories of 1 are indistinct; it just never seems to leave an impression (and the relative number of recordings of 1 vs the last 3 would suggest that most listeners feel the same way). Lobgesang has it's moments but many long stretches of ennui (and for that reason, reminds me of Mendelssohn's Oratorios, Elijah and Paulus) I remember a concert performance that was a torture test for many in the auditorium, with more than a few gents around me nodding off and snoring during the finale.
I listened to the first two movements of Abbado's Italian on Spotify yesterday. I can't tell which recording was used. It's not bad but it doesn't really make much of the great second movement, imo, compared to Stowki and Bernstein, who, ironically, sound more Italianate to me than Signor Abbado does. I also listened to Andrew Litton's Scotch Symphony (Bergen PO), which I am considering because it is in SACD, and was impressed. I think that Abbado is a great and very versatile conductor, but I just don't think that Mendelssohn is one of his strengths.
I used to own the Maag many years ago. I particularly remember the Midsummer Night's Dream music, which was my introduction to this wonderful music.
My benchmark now for MND is Levine, on a great DG disc that couples it with Schubert's Rosamunde excerpts, and features the Shakespeare extracts in English. One of my Desert Isle discs . Away, Ye Spotted Snakes!

[AmpH]

rfg - the most consistently enjoyable set of Mendelssohn symphonies to which I regularly return is imv the Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra / Ashkenazy cycle available on a Decca Trio 3CD set. IIRC no's 2 ( Hymn of Praise ) and 3 ( Scottish ) were BaL choices.

Another personal favourite is the pairing of Symphonies 3 and 4 with CoE / Harnoncourt, originally on Teldec, now available as an Apex budget issue I think - typically clear, insightfull and energetic performances, but as ever with these forces not to everyone's taste.

These recordings are all available on Spotify.

[vinteuil]

Norrington with the London Classical players for 3 and 4.

The cheapo Brilliant box of the Complete Symphonies has Frans Bruggen with 1 and 4, Edo de Waart with 2, Arnold Ostman for 3 and Jos van Immerseel for 5 - all very interesting and enjoyable, well worth a punt...

[Nick Armstrong]

The cheapo Brilliant box of the Complete Symphonies has Frans Bruggen with 1 and 4... all very interesting and enjoyable, well worth a punt...

Interesting - Bruggen was the French critics' v good-sounding choice on 'instruments d'époque'...

[BeethovensQuill]

I think this is great recording of the 3rd and 5th http://www.mdt.co.uk/mendelssohn-sym...is-profil.html

[EdgeleyRob]

There's not a lot wrong with this set IMO.

http://www.prestoclassical.co.uk/r/Warner%2BClassics/2564692729

[Barbirollians]

There's not a lot wrong with this set IMO.

http://www.prestoclassical.co.uk/r/W...ics/2564692729

The OP has it and doesn't like it !

[EdgeleyRob]

The OP has it and doesn't like it !

Oops didn't notice that.
I wouldn't say they are charmless though!