BaL 6.02.16 - Mendelssohn: Symphony no. 5 "Reformation"

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

9.30 a.m.
Andrew Mellor compares recordings of Mendelssohn's Symphony no. 5. It was written to mark the 300th anniversary of the Presentation of the Augsburg Confession in 1530, a critical event of the Protestant Reformation

Available recordings:

London Symphony Orchestra, Claudio Abbado
Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra, Vladimir Ashkenazy
Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, Leonard Bernstein
Sinfonieorchester Aachen, Marcus Bosch
American Symphony Orchestra, Leon Botstein (download)
Wiener Philharmoniker, Christoph von Dohnanyi
Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, Sir Colin Davis
Staatskapelle Dresden, Sir Colin Davis
Heidelberger Sinfoniker, Thomas Fey
Hungarian State Orchestra, Iván Fischer
London Symphony Orchestra, Sir John Eliot Gardiner
Wiener Philharmoniker, Sir John Eliot Gardiner
City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Edward Gardner
Vienna State Opera Orchestra, Vladimir Golschmann
Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra,, Bernard Haitink
Berliner Philharmoniker, Herbert von Karajan
La Chambre Philharmonique, Emmanuel Krivine
Kölner Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester, Rafael Kubelík
Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra, Sebastian Lang-Lessing (download)
Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra, Andrew Litton
Orchestre Symphonique de Québec, Louis Lortie
Orquesta Sinfónica de Madrid, Peter Maag (download)
Berliner Philharmoniker, Lorin Maazel (download)
Gewandhausorchester, Kurt Masur
WDR Sinfonieorchester Köln, Dimitri Mitropoulos
Boston Symphony Orchestra, Charles Munch
L’Orchestre de la Société du Conservatoire de Paris, Charles Münch
New Philharmonia Orchestra, Riccardo Muti
Stuttgart Radio Symphony Orchestra, Sir Roger Norrington
Tonkünstler-Orchester, Andrés Orozco-Estrada
Detroit Symphony Orchestra, Paul Paray
Deutsche Radio Philharmonie, Christoph Poppen
Wurttembergische Philharmonie Reutlingen, Ola Rudner
New Philharmonia Orchestra, Wolfgang Sawallisch
NBC Symphony Orchestra, Arturo Toscanini
Netherlands Symphony Orchestra, Jan Willem de Vriend
Philharmonia Orchestra, Walter Weller
Musikkollegium Winterthur, Thomas Zehetmair
Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, David Zinman

[richardfinegold]

I learned this piece via Bernstein and the NYP. I still have lp grouping it with the Italian& Scottish Symphonies and Fingal's Cave. I heard the piece in Philadelphia a few years ago with Denieve guesting there.
I've always felt that it's a bore compared to the other named works, but it has it's moments.

[frankwm]

... I've always felt that it's a bore compared to the other named works, but it has it's moments.

Not a bore in Mitropoulos' thrilling 1953 New York version...(with Fabbo Brass)

http://themusicparlour.blogspot.co.uk/2013/03/dimitri-mitropoulos-new-york.html

[visualnickmos]

I will listen to this BaL. Although I have Mendelssohn's symphonies on the shelves, I am not totally familiar with them. This is due to the fact that I find his orchestral works far less satisfying than his his chamber/instrumental works. Therefore, I am hoping that this BaL will open my ears, as it were..... I'm looking to be enlightened.

[vinteuil]

Jos van Immerseel has I think done this at least twice - once with the Radio Kamerorkest (available in various Brilliant boxes), and once with Anima Eterna, on channel classics...

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B000JR0CIE

http://amzn.com/B000003UYQ

[Alison]

It's a symphony that always comes up fresh for me. In the right hands, it's a winner.

Of the versions I know I'd plump for Edward Gardner and the CBSO with honourable mentions for Haitink and Muti.

One small correction to Alpie's list is that the Haitink recording features the LPO.

I've intended to explore the JEG since its release.

[verismissimo]

Surprised there's no Gewandhaus/Chailly. I was there when he/they did the first version at a Prom a couple of years ago. Excellent!

This was a symphony that I first learned on LP with LPO/Goossens on Saga, now departed. I currently have the Radio Kamerorkest with Immerseel and the Hungarian State Orchestra with Ivan Fischer. I'll review both!

[ardcarp]

I will listen to this BaL. Although I have Mendelssohn's symphonies on the shelves, I am not totally familiar with them. This is due to the fact that I find his orchestral works far less satisfying than his his chamber/instrumental works. Therefore, I am hoping that this BaL will open my ears, as it were..... I'm looking to be enlightened.

Dust off the Italian, and the MND music...it's Mendelssohn at his best orchestrally, IMO. The Scottish (or Scotch as it was often called) gets dreadfully dense...again IMVHO. As for next Saturday's offering, well..............

[BBMmk2]

One of the few Mendelssohn works I like, so I be doing catch up on this, most likely.

[gurnemanz]

Masur/Gewandhaus, as mentioned, is an important combination in Mendelssohn and there are in fact two complete sets of symphonies. For many years, East German LPs from (early 70s) were the only versions I owned. Available from Eurodisc. There is also a Teldec (now Warner) set recorded interestingly just as the GDR was starting to implode in the late 80s. I don't know the second set and reviewers seem to prefer the earlier set.

The only CD versions I seem to have are from big beasts in big boxes - Bernstein, Karajan, Toscanini.

[EdgeleyRob]

Masur/Gewandhaus, as mentioned, is an important combination in Mendelssohn and there are in fact two complete sets of symphonies. For many years, East German LPs from (early 70s) were the only versions I owned. Available from Eurodisc. There is also a Teldec (now Warner) set recorded interestingly just as the GDR was starting to implode in the late 80s. I don't know the second set and reviewers seem to prefer the earlier set.

The only CD versions I seem to have are from big beasts in big boxes - Bernstein, Karajan, Toscanini.

The 5th in that Warner set is first rate IMO.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

Oops - mini blunder by AMcG at 8.45 in Breakfast trailer for Record Review. Words to the effect that BaL will not be Bach, but Beethoven. However, he went on to talk about Andrew Mellor comparing versions of Mendelssohn's Reformation Symphony, so he's forgiven.

[verismissimo]

That's dealt with Abbado! A BAL that he won't win!

[visualnickmos]

That's dealt with Abbado! A BAL that he won't win!

but despite this, I very much like it!

and Maazel - well..... (my choice)

[Bryn]

Weaknesses noted notwithstanding, i have just ordered the Krivine and JEG (the latter partly for the two versions of the 'Italian'). Will catch the Fey via the iPlayer when I get back from work on Monday.