# Mendelssohn Fans



## Saul_Dzorelashvili (Jan 26, 2010)

Any great Mendelssohn fans here?

He is my favorite composer!


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## Stunt21 (Jan 22, 2010)

I've never felt I've had time enough to explore him deeply, but I know one thing; every time I've listened to something written by him, whether knowing it was from him or not, it always turned out to be so great!

Greetings


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## Lukecash12 (Sep 21, 2009)

His violin concerto is more typical of the times, but nevertheless great. And his oratorios are fantastic!


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## Polednice (Sep 13, 2009)

He's not my favourite, but I do really, _really_ like his music. I've always loved his 1st, 3rd and 4th symphonies, and I think his Piano Trios are fantastic - I want to explore more of his chamber music (and I keep meaning to find a decent full cycle of his _Lieder Ohne Worte_.


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## Aramis (Mar 1, 2009)

I used to be a great fan of him, not sure if I still am (didn't listen to his stuff for some time), but I belive it didn't vanish. Great dude he was.


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## Weston (Jul 11, 2008)

An amazing prodigy. Who could not like the Octet or The Hebrides Overture? I enjoy his overtures and the Songs Without Words. Those are the more memorable melodies for me. I'm not so much moved by his symphonies. Not yet.


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## Polednice (Sep 13, 2009)

Weston said:


> An amazing prodigy. Who could not like the Octet or The Hebrides Overture? I enjoy his overtures and the Songs Without Words. Those are the more memorable melodies for me. I'm not so much moved by his symphonies. Not yet.


The first two movements to the 3rd and the first of the 4th should be a good way in.

Also, don't forget to mention A Midsummer Night's Dream - wonderful!


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## Lukecash12 (Sep 21, 2009)

Quote:

"Mendelssohn was born in Hamburg, the son of a banker, Abraham, who was himself the son of the famous Jewish philosopher, Moses Mendelssohn. Felix's family, however, converted to Lutheranism, and moved to Berlin in 1812. His sister was Fanny Mendelssohn (later Fanny Hensel), who was a well known pianist and amateur composer herself.

Mendelssohn began taking piano lessons from his mother when he was six, and at seven was tutored by Marie Bigot in Paris. From 1817 he studied composition with Carl Friedrich Zelter in Berlin. He probably made his first public concert appearance at the age of nine, when he participated in a chamber music concert. He was also a prolific composer as a child, writing his first published work, a piano quartet, by the time he was thirteen. The elderly Goethe met the young Mendelssohn and took quite a shine to him, saying to him 'When I am sad, come and cheer me with your playing.'

As a teenager, his works were performed at home with a private orchestra for the elites and intellectuals of Berlin. Mendelssohn wrote his first twelve symphonies in his early teens (more specifically, from ages twelve to fourteen; these works were then lost for over a century, but are now played with regularity), growing with confidence until he wrote his first symphony for full orchestra (and first acknowledged), his opus 11 in C minor the year after; and at seventeen he wrote an overture to Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream, which is probably the earliest well known work by him (he later wrote more incidental music for the play). In 1827 he saw the first production of one of his operas, Die Hochzeit des Camacho, having written several others before then.

Mendelssohn brought the music of Johann Sebastian Bach to the public's notice, from its position of relative obscurity at that time. In particular, a performance of Bach's St. Matthew Passion in 1829 under Mendelssohn's direction was a great success. This was the first performance of the work since Bach's death and earned Mendelssohn an international reputation at age twenty.

Mendelssohn knew Hector Berlioz from their stay at the French arts academy in Rome, Italy. They also met later in life in Germany. These meetings are described in Berlioz's memoirs. Mendelssohn's personal life was fairly conventional compared to many composers of note. He was happily married and had four children. He performed as a pianist, organist and conductor in Germany as well as in England where his music was especially popular.

In 1835, he was appointed as conductor of the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra. In 1846, the oratorio Elijiah premiered in Birmingham. At age thirty-eight, he founded the Leipzig Conservatory.

Mendelssohn suffered from bad health in the final years of his life, and it is said he was greatly depressed by the death of his sister Fanny in May 1847. Felix Mendelssohn died later that same year after a series of strokes, on November 4, 1847, in Leipzig."

But that little bio doesn't even begin to describe how much of an optimist he was, and how many difficulties he overcame to receive his appointment as conductor of the Leipzig Orchestra. If any composer is worth reading more into, his biographies and journals are very engrossing.


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## Lukecash12 (Sep 21, 2009)

And, of course, my play list of Mendelssohn: http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=A875E08C2CB5B823


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## nefigah (Aug 23, 2008)

Lots of his organ music is excellent


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## Krummhorn (Feb 18, 2007)

nefigah said:


> Lots of his organ music is excellent


So true  My favorite, for organ, is Sonata I. I've played it many times in concerts - always a crowd pleaser.


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## Saul_Dzorelashvili (Jan 26, 2010)

Yes, he was the greatest prodigy the world has ever now.

His 16 Octet and his 17 Midsummer Overture testifies to this a fact. Mozart had nothing similar to offer at that age.

Cheers!!!

P.S his Elijah is AMAZING!


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## Lukecash12 (Sep 21, 2009)

Saul_Dzorelashvili said:


> Yes, he was the greatest prodigy the world has ever now.
> 
> His 16 Octet and his 17 Midsummer Overture testifies to this a fact. Mozart had nothing similar to offer at that age.
> 
> ...


Amen to that! Talk about prolific to have written so many symphonies before he turned twenty. It's funny that so many composers from his time and afterward treasured his compositions almost as much as Bach, yet he isn't seen as much of a great today. If Brahms supposedly perfected everything from his period, then I guess Mendelssohn was the Brahms of his time.


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## Agatha (Nov 3, 2009)

My favorite - String Quartet No. 6 and 2.


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## Kyle (Jan 31, 2010)

Hello to all. If you don't mind, I have a question to ask about Mendelssohn's music. My friend has what appears to be one of Mendelssohn's piece "Venetian Gondola Song" from the Classic and Romantic Series. It looks like a practice book with music sheet for students dated back to 1913. The book is in great condition for how old it is. Is the book worth anything? Any information would be appreciated. Thank you.

Kyle


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## Lukecash12 (Sep 21, 2009)

Kyle said:


> Hello to all. If you don't mind, I have a question to ask about Mendelssohn's music. My friend has what appears to be one of Mendelssohn's piece "Venetian Gondola Song" from the Classic and Romantic Series. It looks like a practice book with music sheet for students dated back to 1913. The book is in great condition for how old it is. Is the book worth anything? Any information would be appreciated. Thank you.
> 
> Kyle


Well, we'd like to guess it's worth quite a bit, but you'd really want to check with an expert. I own a professor's studies on Chopin's famous set of preludes (a very insightful one, too  ) and my papa bought it for just a few cents in the fifties.


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## Chi_townPhilly (Apr 21, 2007)

Saul_Dzorelashvili said:


> Any great Mendelssohn fans here?
> 
> He is my favorite composer!


Hi there, *Saul*, and thanks for making your way to Talk Classical.

As a Mendelssohn enthusiast, would you be willing to "pinch-hit" 
and give us some Mendelssohn CD recommendations in this thread?


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## jurianbai (Nov 23, 2008)

Agatha said:


> My favorite - String Quartet No. 6 and 2.


and also his post humous early string quartet in Eb.

Violin concerto in Em , Symphony no.4 'italian', no.5 ' reformation', song without words, the Elijah Oratorio, and many his piano and chamber works. Great composer.


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## agoukass (Dec 1, 2008)

I listened to a great deal of Mendelssohn years ago. I've got most of his orchestral, symphonic, and some of his chamber music in my collection. 

His String Quartet, Op. 44 No. 3 is one of my all time favorite works of chamber music as are the Songs without Words, Calm Sea and Prosperous Voyage Overture, and the Incidental Music to A Midsummer Night's Dream.


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## Danny (Feb 16, 2010)

The Italian Symphony is one of those pieces that just brings a smile to my face. I used to love the violin concerto though I seem to rarely play it these days. I don't particularly like the Naxos version I have at the moment (Takako Nishizaki, Slovak Philarmonic, Kenneth Jean) I need a better reccomendation.


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## Aramis (Mar 1, 2009)

Danny said:


> I need a better reccomendation.


Karajan/Mutter


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## Danny (Feb 16, 2010)

Aramis said:


> Karajan/Mutter


Wow with such a quick response I feel should revisit this piece then. I see Karajan/Mutter seem to have visited/recorded the piece at least twice though? Or is one disc simply a reissue

















[edit] they're both the 1981 version it appears, It would be nice to compare the Brahms though with the young Hahn version I have though.


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## Sonata (Aug 7, 2010)

Saul: It's nice to hear that. I cannot say that I've experienced enough breadth of music from multiple composers to have a clear favorite, but Mendelssohn's music is some of the most enjoyable to me in my classical collection so far.


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