The Best of Jakob Ludwig Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy (3 February 1809 — 4 November 1847)
A grandson of the philosopher Moses Mendelssohn, Felix Mendelssohn was born into a prominent Jewish family, although initially he was raised without religion and was later 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 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 anti-Semitism 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.
0:00 Symphony No. 4 in A Major, Op. 90: I. Allegro vivace
8:20 A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Op. 61: Wedding March
12:51 String Quartet No. 6 Op. 80 in F minor
19:54 Songs Without Words, Op. 30: No. 18, Allegretto tranquillo
23:19 String Symphony No. 9 in C Major, MWV N 9: III. Scherzo
26:14 Concerto for Violin and Piano in D Minor, MWV O 4: I. Adagio
35:55 Symphony No. 3 in A Minor, Op. 56: II. Vivace non troppo
40:27 A Midsummer Night’s Dream, MWV M 13, Act III: Nocturne
45:53 Rondo Capriccioso, Op. 14
52:13 String Symphony No. 12 in G Minor, MWV N 12: I. Grave allegro
58:06 Songs Without Words, , MWV U 110: No. 6 in F-Sharp Minor “Venetian Gondola”
1:00:54 A Midsummer Night’s Dream, MWV M 13: Scherzo