Mendelssohn

[rauschwerk]

A couple of weeks ago I was pleased to renew my acquaintance with Lobgesang when depping as a rehearsal pianist. I enjoyed singing this as a student well over 40 years ago but haven't been particularly interested in hearing it since. However, I had a lot of fun with the tricky piano reduction, and the choir gave every appearance of enjoying themselves, too. Perhaps it's a piece which tends to be more fun to perform than to listen to?

[aeolium]

I am disappointed that this CotW again features works by Mendelssohn that are heard very frequently elsewhere on R3 - e.g. the Scottish symphony, the E minor Violin Concerto, some Lieder ohne Worte, excerpts from Elijah, the C minor piano trio. With well-known composers, the CotW really ought to be exploring less well-known works - in Mendelssohn's case perhaps the op 44 string quartets or some of the later piano music and songs. I can't think of any reason why 'warhorses' should feature on CotW at all.

[Serial_Apologist]

I'm with teamsaint on Mendelssohn, I'm afraid.

My mother, though brilliant pianist, was of the view that anything composed after Mendelssohn was just "too modern" for her sanitised ears. Everything in music had to be safe, neat, tidy and predictable, every chord and enharmonic move justified in accordance with some Mendelssohnian "norm", knowledge of which, from what I have heard of his music - which is a lot and quite enough - leads me to utter boredom.

Felix Mendelssohn? - his fans just got to be taking the Liszt! - the Cliff Richard of 19th century early Romantic music.

[teamsaint]

I think I should restart this thread, but this time with a bit of clarity !!
I am a fan...just wondered if this wasn't a particularly exciting COTW.

[EdgeleyRob]

The final movement of the Scottish (LSO) was like wading through treacle I felt....no doubt better informed minds will disagree !!

Takes some doing to make it sound like that,crikey.

[EdgeleyRob]

in Mendelssohn's case perhaps the op 44 string quartets or some of the later piano music and songs.

Ah yes I agree, and the masterpiece that is the Op 80 quartet.

[rauschwerk]

Felix Mendelssohn? - his fans just got to be taking the Liszt! - the Cliff Richard of 19th century early Romantic music.

Absolute cobblers, if I may say so.

Curiously, though, my early experience of Mendelssohn was much like yours. My mother used to play a good many of the Songs Without Words pretty well and her copy was annotated with titles for the individual numbers, such as The Mercy Cloud. That, combined with the cover picture of a very effeminate-looking composer, prejudiced me against him for a long time. When I was in my late teens, though, I heard the Italian symphony as it were for the first time and all prejudice was swept away. It's a piece I still love. How many symphonies written before that one begin in the major and end in the minor. How many concertos before Mendelssohn's have the soloists entering at once and continuing to play? Is there a more beautiful and heartfelt Psalm setting than Hear my Prayer?

[verismissimo]

... the masterpiece that is the Op 80 quartet.

[rauschwerk]

I think I should restart this thread, but this time with a bit of clarity !!
I am a fan...just wondered if this wasn't a particularly exciting COTW.

I suppose that about half the music played was well known, but warhorses? Very few, I'd say. I must catch up with Die erste Walpugisnacht, which I have never heard but which Berlioz admired, so surely it can't be boring.

[Serial_Apologist]

Is there a more beautiful and heartfelt Psalm setting than Hear my Prayer?

I had to sing that as a soloist at school

Can anyone honestly claim to love the tedium that is "Elijah"? The Victorians loved it, of course!

[teamsaint]

Takes some doing to make it sound like that,crikey.

I am used to a version that goes 20% faster...more research needed by me I think !!
Oh well. learning......slowly......

Edit, listened to the LSO/Abbado Scottish 4th mvt as recommended by Caliban...superb. I will give the Maag another go...

[aeolium]

rauschwerk, msg 22, I agree. In fairness to S_A, there are Mendelssohn works that seem to confirm the prejudice about him as being a composer of "Gemütlichkeit", like some of the Lieder ohne Worte or parts of the oratorios. But there is such a level of craftsmanship and invention in so much of the chamber works especially, as well as works like the Sommernachtstraum music, the Italian symphony and the concertos (it is unfortunate that the E minor violin concerto is so over-played today that it is hard to hear it for the ingenious work it is, in Hans Keller's view the foremost of violin concertos). And Mendelssohn was innovative from an early age: it's hard to think of a work which could have been a template for the Octet which he composed at 16, and his early string quartets introduce the cyclical conclusion whereby the finale brings back the first theme of the first movement. And we shouldn't forget that both Schumann and Berlioz, no stick-in-the-muds, were great admirers of Mendelssohn's work (Wagner, for partly extramusical reasons, not so).

[Serial_Apologist]

And we shouldn't forget that both Schumann and Berlioz, no stick-in-the-muds, were great admirers of Mendelssohn's work (Wagner, for partly extramusical reasons, not so).

Ok then, if somebody can tell me that Schoenberg was an admirer, I'm prepared to reconsider.

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

Ok then, if somebody can tell me that Schoenberg was an admirer, I'm prepared to reconsider.

" ... a personality comparable to a Mendelssohn, a Schumann, a Debussy - Artists whose ambition was not that of the reformer, though their originality was rich and distinct enough." (Style & Idea p133.)

" ... the classic composers - Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, Mendelssohn, Schumann, Brahms and even Wagner" (ibid p108)

" ... Mendelssohn ... a master" (Theory of Harmony p303)

Five examples from Mendelssohn used as examples of "good practice" in Fundamentals of Musical Composition.

Mendelssohn wasn't Arnie's favourite composer, but he certain admired much of Mendelssohn's works, particularly, it seems, the Violin Concerto and the Chamber Works. You're right - there is a lot of Victoriana in the Piano Music and neither of the Oratorios move me much (of the two, I prefer St Paul), but the Chamber Music, the 4th & 3rd Symphonies, the Violin Concerto: these will repay your "reconsideration"!


Oh, and far from by the way -

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!

[David-G]

Ok then, if somebody can tell me that Schoenberg was an admirer, I'm prepared to reconsider.

To take two particular examples - the Midsummer Night's Dream and the Scottish Symphony are such magnificent works, which speak to me very deeply, that I have no need of a Schoenberg to confirm my view that Mendelssohn was a great master.