# Who do you recommend for Mendelssohn Symphonies?



## realdealblues

Mendelssohn is another composer that I have listened too but haven't really spent time "listening" too.

There's a few Mendelssohn Symphony Cycles out there:
(The big 4 seem to be)
Abbado
Dohnányi
Karajan
Ashkenazy

I currently have the Abbado set and the Karajan set but admittedly haven't spent enough time with either.

Are those two sets as good as it gets?
Or do you prefer another set?
Or are there individual recordings you would use to build one?

Thoughts as always are appreciated


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## bigshot

Abbado for the main symphonies, Markiz for the String Symphonies. But there is a lot of good Mendelssohn. I'd recommend the 40 CD Brilliant Classics A Mendelssohn Portrait, which can be ordered at Amazon.es for around $30 shipped. Lots of great stuff in that box.

http://www.amazon.es/Mendelssohn-Po...=sr_1_1?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1350605525&sr=1-1

Nicol Matt is very good. Munch and Reiner on RCA.


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## neoshredder

Get this for $2.49 on amazon


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## KenOC

neoshredder said:


> Get this for $2.49 on amazon


Hear hear! And get Saint-Saens as well... Both this series and the Rise of the Masters series are as close as you can get to grand theft without risking hard time.


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## Vaneyes

realdealblues said:


> Mendelssohn is another composer that I have listened too but haven't really spent time "listening" too.
> 
> There's a few Mendelssohn Symphony Cycles out there:
> (The big 4 seem to be)
> Abbado
> Dohnányi
> Karajan
> Ashkenazy
> 
> I currently have the Abbado set and the Karajan set but admittedly haven't spent enough time with either.
> 
> Are those two sets as good as it gets?
> Or do you prefer another set?
> Or are there individual recordings you would use to build one?
> 
> Thoughts as always are appreciated


Abbado still leads the way for sets. SFS/Blomstedt or Philharmonia/Muti for 3 & 4, and supplement Abbado for the rest.


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## bigshot

The Grieg Rise of the Masters set is phenominal too.

I forgot about Blomstedt and Muti. I have those too. Marriner as well I think. It's hard to go wrong with Mendelssohn.


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## Xaltotun

Abbado gets a lot of praise, but his 5th failed to impress me the way Karajan's does. Mendelssohn is naturally light and airy, Karajan gives him a bit more weight, which I find balancing.


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## Kevin Pearson

I personally prefer Karajan myself. He adds punch and dynamics that give life to the symphonies. Now I might just have to go listen to them again.

Kevin


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## SixFootScowl

I just ordered the Abbado cycle of symphonies, and Ross Pople conducting the 12 string symphonies. I also have symphony 1 and 5 with Masur. 

There is a NAXOs complete set of symphonies and string symphonies: National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland - RTE Philharmonic Choir, dir. Reinhard Seifried - Nothern Chamber Orchestra, dir. Nicholas Ward


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## bigshot

Since I commented above, I've changed my opinion a bit. Muti, Maag, Blomstedt, Wand, Munch... I like all of those. The Abbados I got in the Symphonies box set are quite dull. After getting more versions, I realized that early on it was Mendelssohn I liked, not Abbado.


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## Konsgaard

From the sets you mention, Karajan in my opinion surpasses the rest, but if digital sound is to be preferred then Ashkenazy's would be me top choice for digital.

(For individual performances regarding the 3rd the Blomstedt/San Francisco is particularly good, although no-one beats Karajan in this symphony for re-creating a truly atmospheric landscape).


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## SixFootScowl

I have the Abbado Mendelssohn symphony set and was toying with getting the Ashkenazy set, but perhaps that is not the best one to get. But really what I am looking for is Symphony #2. I am having a hard time getting into that symphony and wonder if a different performance may be better than the Abbado one. Any suggestions?


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## Itullian

I have the Abbado and like it a lot.

But this is my favorite set and imho the best.


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## Marschallin Blair

By all means the Abbado.

I love the dash and the drive of his LSO performances- and especially how he does the last movement of the _Italian Symphony_. I like the beauty of Karajan/BPO set as well but it doesn't have the drama of the Abbado- so Claudio it is.


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## Marschallin Blair

By all means the Abbado.

I love the dash and the drive of his LSO performances- and especially how he does the last movement of the _Italian Symphony_. I like the beauty of Karajan/BPO set as well but it doesn't have the drama of the Abbado- so Claudio it is.

Karajan owns the _Hebrides Overture_ though.


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## SixFootScowl

Itullian said:


> I have the Abbado and like it a lot.
> 
> But this is my favorite set and imho the best.


Hey, isnt that the one with Lucia Popp in Symphony #2? I almost bought that last night, maybe I should, or maybe the whole cycle.


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## SixFootScowl

Here it is:


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## Itullian

Florestan said:


> Here it is:


yup..................


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## SixFootScowl

Itullian said:


> yup..................


Sweet! I nailed it for a buck!


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## Woodduck

Marschallin Blair said:


>


As far as sets go, you're doing fine with Abbado. For individual symphonies, you might in a few instances do better.

One of the greatest recordings of Mendelssohn - or of anything - ever made is his first recording of the Symphony #3, the "Scottish," by Peter Maag and the London Symphony.

http://www.amazon.com/Mendelssohn-M...1432177988&sr=1-1&keywords=mendelssohn+3+maag

This was recognized as magical when first released on LP and now deserves its status as "legendary." Maag later rerecorded it but his first effort is considered superior. Maag is noted for his Mendelssohn and many of his recordings are worthwhile. I have #4, the "Italian," in a performaence with the Bern Symphony I find refreshing, bringing out the music's grace and warmth, with tempos a bit more relaxed than usual.

An interesting curiosity is John Eliot Gardiner's recording of the revised version of the "Italian," a work I'd guess most don't even know exists. It's on a DG recording with the original #4 we all know, and the #5, in fine performances. It allows us to see how the insecure Mendelssohn went back and screwed up his perfect work.


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## Marschallin Blair

Woodduck said:


> As far as sets go, you're doing fine with Abbado. For individual symphonies, you might in a few instances do better.
> 
> One of the greatest recordings of Mendelssohn - or of anything - ever made is his first recording of the Symphony #3, the "Scottish," by Peter Maag and the London Symphony.
> 
> http://www.amazon.com/Mendelssohn-M...1432177988&sr=1-1&keywords=mendelssohn+3+maag
> 
> This was recognized as magical when first released on LP and now deserves its status as "legendary." Maag later rerecorded it but his first effort is considered superior. Maag is noted for his Mendelssohn and many of his recordings are worthwhile. I have #4, the "Italian," in a performaence with the Bern Symphony I find refreshing, bringing out the music's grace and warmth, with tempos a bit more relaxed than usual.
> 
> An interesting curiosity is John Eliot Gardiner's recording of the revised version of the "Italian," a work I'd guess most don't even know exists. It's on a DG recording with the original #4 we all know, and the #5, in fine performances. It allows us to see how the insecure Mendelssohn went back and screwed up his perfect work.


Thanks for that. I'll will of course check them out.

The last movement of the _Italian _has to ride with a full tilt charge though- for me at any rate. Abbado does this. I haven't heard the Maag (which you say is a bit relaxed) or the Gardiner- but I suspect they won't have as red blooded an orientation for that gorgeously assertive last movement.


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## rubysky

It's not considered to be a cycle yet, I have been quite satisfy with the performance of Gardiner and the LSO lately.


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## elgar's ghost

Sorry to be a party-pooper here but I think Mendelssohn's overtures, chamber and choral works are on the whole more rewarding than his symphonies. I have the symphonies by Abbado in an older boxed set but I don't visit it often as for me the composer's abundant gifts lay elsewhere.


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## SixFootScowl

elgars ghost said:


> Sorry to be a party-pooper here but I think Mendelssohn's overtures, chamber and choral works are on the whole more rewarding than his symphonies. I have the symphonies by Abbado in an older boxed set but I don't visit it often as for me the composer's abundant gifts lay elsewhere.


I have seen comments (maybe here or elsewhere) that Mendelssohn's symphonies came alive for the person after he tried a different set than Abbado. Each of us will find our sweet spot not necessarily in the same set, even though Abbado is very highly rated.


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## DavidA

Florestan said:


> I have seen comments (maybe here or elsewhere) that Mendelssohn's symphonies came alive for the person after he tried a different set than Abbado. Each of us will find our sweet spot not necessarily in the same set, even though Abbado is very highly rated.


I have Abbado in symphony 2 which I found a let down until I heard Karajan's performance. Don't know whether this applies across the board!


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## SixFootScowl

DavidA said:


> I have Abbado in symphony 2 which I found a let down until I heard Karajan's performance. Don't know whether this applies across the board!


I think it is much harder to pull off a choral work, and that is why I orderd Flor's #2. My hope is to find a #2 that really works for me. It took several dozen Beethoven Ninths to find the really good one (Fricsay 1958).


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## hpowders

Abbado and Masur.


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## SixFootScowl

Wow, I am listening to Mendelssohn Symphony #2 on this set with Krisztina Laki, Mitsuko Shirai, and Peter Seiffert (Berlin Phil with Sawallisch) and it is very good! I haven't compared it to my Abbado and Flor Symphony 2s but I think this one may go to the top of my list of Mendelssohn #2 symphonies. I was having a hard time appreciating that symphony but now it sounds WONDERFUL.









CD Back Cover showing works on the 6CD set. A great value for $14.


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## Vautrin

While Munch doesn't have a complete cycle, his Mendelssohn interpretations have a fun, lively Romanticism about them that avoids the heavy bravado of, let's say, the Karajan cycle, while not getting too light and cutesy, nor self-conscious and over-intellectualized.

The Szell recording of the 4th is elite, an impossible combination of charm and precision, among the top of my favorite classical recordings period. If I was cobbling a Mendelssohn set out of smaller parts, I'd start there.


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## billeames

I like a lot of them but Gardner surprisingly good. Sawallisch and Dohnanyi good too. Yes to Abbado but he is so popular. Its really hard to nail this down. Karajan has his strengths also. (no 2).


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## SixFootScowl

I don't think anybody has recommended either of the Masur sets yet:

1971/72:









late 80s/early 90s:









Oddly, the first movement of the first symphony in the 1971/2 set is much shorter (6:58) than in the later set (9:44). Other sets, such as Abbado, all seem to have the longer first movement.


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## Pugg

Florestan said:


> I don't think anybody has recommended either of the Masur sets yet:
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> Oddly, the first movement of the first symphony in the 1971/2 set is much shorter (6:58) than in the later set (9:44). Other sets, such as Abbado, all seem to have the longer first movement.


Sometimes conductors reading a score different after a long period.
A.K.A. Haitink / Mahler .
\


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## realdealblues

Florestan said:


> I don't think anybody has recommended either of the Masur sets yet:
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> 1971/72:
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> late 80s/early 90s:
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> Oddly, the first movement of the first symphony in the 1971/2 set is much shorter (6:58) than in the later set (9:44). Other sets, such as Abbado, all seem to have the longer first movement.


I have both of those sets and if memory serves me he didn't take the repeat in the earlier recording but did in the later recording.


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## Templeton

Not a set but I am currently loving James Levine's recordings of the Scottish and Italian with the Berlin Philharmonic. Really passionate and a crystal clear recording. Not sure how they rate amongst the experts but I love them.


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## DavidA

Karajan's set is really good. Dramatic and well played.


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## SixFootScowl

realdealblues said:


> I have both of those sets and if memory serves me he didn't take the repeat in the earlier recording but did in the later recording.


Thanks. I have symphonies 1 and 5 of the later set and just got the early cycle. It seems to me that the tempos are fairly fast in the early set too.


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## SixFootScowl

New set of the later Masur Mendelssohn symphonies is coming out and includes also the string symphonies--a truly complete cycle.
















https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01GSUHVMA?


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## Brahmsian Colors

My first choice for the "Scottish" (No.3) has long been Maag/London Symphony on Decca/London. Bernstein/New York Philharmonic also very fine. For the "Italian" (No.4), though it chronologically preceded the "Scottish", my recommendations are Szell/Cleveland and Munch/Boston. Though in mono sound, Van Beinum/Amsterdam Concertgebouw is superb.


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## Pugg

​
Pablo Heras-Casado is fast becoming an expert.


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## CDs

realdealblues said:


> Mendelssohn is another composer that I have listened too but haven't really spent time "listening" too.
> 
> There's a few Mendelssohn Symphony Cycles out there:
> (The big 4 seem to be)
> Abbado
> Dohnányi
> Karajan
> Ashkenazy
> 
> I currently have the Abbado set and the Karajan set but admittedly haven't spent enough time with either.
> 
> Are those two sets as good as it gets?
> Or do you prefer another set?
> Or are there individual recordings you would use to build one?
> 
> Thoughts as always are appreciated


Did you ever get into Mendelssohn?

I only have the Abbado cycle but I'm looking at getting the Karajan set.


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## realdealblues

CDs said:


> Did you ever get into Mendelssohn?
> 
> I only have the Abbado cycle but I'm looking at getting the Karajan set.


Yes, I did get into Mendelssohn after that post. I'd always heard Symphonies 3-5, but I wasn't familiar with 1 or 2 and I hadn't done a ton of comparative listening back then with Mendelssohn. Since then I went through complete cycles from:

Abbado
Askenazy
Dohnanyi
Flor
Karajan
Masur (I & II)
Sawallisch

Of those sets Dohnanyi is my favorite as a complete cycle, although he doesn't take the repeats. I like the Abbado set a lot too and it's the one I would recommend most for someone looking for all of them with the repeats. Karajan didn't really sway me personally with his Mendelssohn. I like lots of others for Symphonies 3-5, Bernstein Maag, etc. but for a complete cycle Dohnanyi is my pick. It's fully of excitement and energy and has some marvelous playing by the Vienna Philharmonic.


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## bigshot

Abbado plays the Mendelssohn symphonies like he's reading the phone book.


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## Animal the Drummer

DavidA said:


> Karajan's set is really good. Dramatic and well played.


Karajan's "Scottish" is the best I've ever heard. It rescued the work for me after my first reaction to it had been to find it rather boring.

His "Italian" on the other hand I'm less sure about. I find the outer movements too fast and even the Berlin Phil's discipline suffers at times.


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## SixFootScowl

Here is a new one that will be released next month (June 16):









Can listen to lengthy clips here:
https://dg.lnk.to/nezet-seguin_mendelssohn


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## RobertKC

This is my first collection of Mendelssohn symphonies (plus other Mendelssohn works):










Includes four hybrid SACDs (SACD 5.1 surround-sound, SACD stereo (2.0), plus CD layer), plus a single Pure Audio Blu-ray disc (5.1 DTS-HD MA 24bit/96kHz, plus 2.0 DTS-HD MA 24bit/96kHz).

I've just started listening, and the audio quality thus far is excellent. I'm looking forward to listening to the entire box set (via my surround-sound system that employs tube amps) when winter sets in and I'm stuck indoors.


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## CDs

^ I just bought this set too. Very good price! I'm enjoying the set as well.


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## Merl

RobertKC said:


> This is my first collection of Mendelssohn symphonies (plus other Mendelssohn works):
> 
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> Includes four hybrid SACDs (SACD 5.1 surround-sound, SACD stereo (2.0), plus CD layer), plus a single Pure Audio Blu-ray disc (5.1 DTS-HD MA 24bit/96kHz, plus 2.0 DTS-HD MA 24bit/96kHz).
> 
> I've just started listening, and the audio quality thus far is excellent. I'm looking forward to listening to the entire box set (via my surround-sound system that employs tube amps) when winter sets in and I'm stuck indoors.


Another thumbs up for this one. Superb recordings (especially the 3rd).


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## Josquin13

My path to Mendelssohn's symphonies has been different. In the days of the LP, I listened to Mendelssohn's orchestral works often, & enjoyed them. Then, when CDs came along I replaced my Mendelssohn LPs with CD box sets by Abbado, Dohnanyi, & others, and gradually, over time, I found that I no longer enjoyed listening to Mendelssohn's Symphonies. Abbado & the LSO were good, and the digital sound was excellent, but I gradually lost interest. I can also remember that I played Dohnanyi's set only once before deciding that Mendelssohn's symphonies had become boring to me. (Looking back, vaguely, it may have been the VPO's lacklustre playing? or perhaps drab conducting? and not Mendelssohn's music...)

Then a friend of mine loaned me a Japanese CD of Wilhelm Furtwängler conducting Mendelssohn, and I found it far from boring. It was a recording of Mendelssohn's Midsummer Night's Dream Overture, with the Berlin Philharmonic, and to this day it remains one of the most astonishing, 'other worldly' orchestral performances I've ever heard. So this is how fantastic Mendelssohn's music can sound, I thought:






With my interest renewed, I then decided to return to some of my old favorite LP recordings (via new CD purchases) and sure enough, I began to enjoy listening to Mendelssohn's Symphonies again. Of course, it may be that these were simply the recordings that I had originally imprinted on in my youth. But I don't think that's entirely a sufficient explanation. Here's what I re-bought on CD, and what renewed my enthusiasm for Mendelssohn's orchestral music:

1. Symphonies 4, 5--Raymond Leppard conducting the English Chamber Orchestra, on Erato: https://www.amazon.com/Symphonies-4...38794927&sr=1-19&keywords=Leppard+mendelssohn











Bear in mind that the ECO is a smaller chamber ensemble, so don't expect a full orchestral sound, but these are very fine performances of the two symphonies, especially of the 5th, which is a favorite of mine.

2. Symphonies 1, 2, 3, 4, 5--Wolfgang Sawallisch conducting the New Philharmonia Orchestra, on Philips:






For me, Sawallisch's cycle has more musical depth & interest than Abbado's. Although admittedly these are older analogue recordings.

3. In addition, I had liked Herbert von Karajan's Mendelssohn Symphonies 1-5 on LP too, but when I returned to them on CD I found that the string heavy Berlin orchestral sound was too thick for my tastes now, and lacked a certain orchestral transparency, and as a result, I decided that their playing wasn't lithe or nimble enough for Mendelssohn's music (in contrast to the orchestra under Furtwängler).

4. Kurt Masur's Mendelssohn from Leipzig also interested me on LP (& CD). His Mendelssohn oratorios were excellent, for instance, especially the Paulus oratorio on Philips (which the Gewandhaus orchestra had premiered under Mendelssohn's baton in 1836, and at the time was considered the composer's finest work to date): https://www.amazon.de/Mendelssohn-R...4536&sr=8-1&keywords=mendelssohn+masur+paulus . In addition, I liked Masur's 1975 Leipzig performance of Mendelssohn's "Die erste Walpurgisnacht", Op. 60 on LP, too--a composition that like the overture "Calm Sea and Prosperous Voyage" was inspired by Mendelssohn's friend, the poet Johann Wolfgang von Goethe:

https://www.amazon.com/Mendelssohn-...=masur+mendelssohn+die+erste+walpurgisnach t
https://www.amazon.de/Die-Erste-Wal...871084&sr=8-7&keywords=mendelssohn+kurt+masur

I should also point out that during the early decades of Masur's tenure in Leipzig (during the 1970s & 80s), I believe the Gewandhaus Orchestra still played in a tradition that Mendelssohn would have recognized, having originated and developed the orchestra's sound during his years in Leipzig between 1835 and 1847 (apart from a brief stint in Berlin). At that time, Mendelssohn also founded the Leipzig Conservatory, with the objective to create an enduring school devoted to teaching a "conservative" musical education of the highest standards. I remember reading back in the 1980s that the Gewandhaus members still prided themselves on carrying on a much older musical tradition through their teaching at the Conservatory, one that had been carefully passed down generation by generation, since the days of Mendelssohn and Beethoven's associations with the orchestra. In fact, the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra is actually three orchestras in one (or at least used to be): which allows for its principal players to devote more of their time & energies towards teaching at the Conservatory than is generally possible for most other orchestras in the world. So, if an older orchestral tradition still exists and remains intact anywhere, it's most likely in Leipzig.

I've heard the Gewandhaus Orchestra live twice in my life (both times in the 1980s), and can attest first hand to their unique, highly refined orchestral sound (especially the individuality of their woodwinds), which was like no other orchestra I've heard before or since. Therefore, I expect that for those with a strong interest in Mendelssohn, it is of value to hear the Leipzigers play his music--since their unique sound almost certainly has some connection back to Mendelssohn himself. With that in mind, their recording of "Die erste Walpurgisnacht" shows the orchestra at their very best in Mendelssohn I think, and also shows Masur's conducting in a good light too, as does their recording of the Paulus oratorio: though unfortunately, I can only find three clips on YT:














I would additionally recommend hearing the orchestra's 1st Mendelssohn Symphony cycle too, under Masur, of both the late symphonies 1-5, and the youthful 12 string symphonies, if they are of interest (although both sets could probably use a remastering). The later digital Masur Leipzig cycle may be just as good, or possibly better, but I don't know it.

With that said, you have to bear in mind that this is a different orchestral tradition than what you hear from western orchestras (at least before the more recent tenures of several non-Leipzig trained conductors--Blomstedt, Chailly, & Nelsons, who may have changed or modified the orchestra's sound). The Leipzig orchestra of the 1970s & 80s, at least, had a more delicately refined, conservative, and classical approach to Mendelssohn's music than you will hear from most other orchestras. If you want more radical orchestral playing, I'd suggest that you look elsewhere. Although I don't expect that's what you would have heard under Mendelssohn's baton in the 1840s, as he was the most conservative and traditionally minded of the top tier romantic composers (along with perhaps Weber, & then later Brahms). He's the romantic composer that least broke any of the classical rules.

https://www.amazon.com/Felix-Mendel...=1538849999&sr=1-9&keywords=masur+mendelssohn

From Masur's 1st Eurodisc analogue cycle:










From Masur's later Teldec digital cycle:










Two of the early String Symphonies played by the Gewandhaus Orchestra:










Finally, for performances of Mendelssohn's symphonies on period instruments, the best I've heard to date have come from conductor Frans Brüggen and the Orchestra of the 18th Century (who don't sound all that dissimilar to the Gewandhaus orchestra, in their more 'classically' restrained, transparent approach to Mendelssohn: which not surprisingly, only adds further verification to my previous thoughts about the Leipzig tradition going back to the 19th century):


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## bigshot

I don't like it when "bread and butter" conductors play Mendelssohn as if it is the same as general German repertoire. Abbado bores me silly. He hits all the marks and doesn't make any mistakes, but there's no fun in it. It's better when it has a dance to the rhythm and a lighter lyrical approach, more like Mozart than Beethoven. Sometimes that has to do with the orchestra too. Viennese charm goes a long way in this music.


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## SixFootScowl

POST 42


bigshot said:


> Abbado plays the Mendelssohn symphonies like he's reading the phone book.


POST 49


bigshot said:


> I don't like it when "bread and butter" conductors play Mendelssohn as if it is the same as general German repertoire. Abbado bores me silly. He hits all the marks and doesn't make any mistakes, but there's no fun in it. It's better when it has a dance to the rhythm and a lighter lyrical approach, more like Mozart than Beethoven. Sometimes that has to do with the orchestra too. Viennese charm goes a long way in this music.


Well i guess you tired of Abbado since 2012. I tired of Abbado after a couple of listens.

POST 2 from 2012:


bigshot said:


> Abbado for the main symphonies, ...


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## bigshot

I sure learned my lesson! It took a few years to figure it out. I got a box set of Abbado and started listening to it all the way through and I realized his style was that he didn't have a style. He just played what was on the paper in front of him. At first I was just listening to the music. Once I started getting more familiar with the works and heard more versions, I started listening to the interpretations and wised up.


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## Merl

Ive just picked up Fey's Mendelssohn cycle and i love it. Its fast, very lean and recorded beautifully. A really interesting cycle. What a shame Fey never finished his Beethoven cycle. What he did record was superb.


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## starthrower

Fritz Kobus said:


> Here is a new one that will be released next month (June 16):
> 
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> Can listen to lengthy clips here:
> https://dg.lnk.to/nezet-seguin_mendelssohn


I've got this one on the way from the library. But I'm going to buy Walter Weller's set on Chandos. It's marketed under their bargain Classics series and it sounds good to me.


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## SixFootScowl

starthrower said:


> I've got this one on the way from the library. But I'm going to buy Walter Weller's set on Chandos. It's marketed under their bargain Classics series and it sounds good to me.


Weller does sound good. I see it can be had at very reasonable prices used.


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## Merl

starthrower said:


> I've got this one on the way from the library. But I'm going to buy Walter Weller's set on Chandos. It's marketed under their bargain Classics series and it sounds good to me.


Another really good recommendation. Weller's Mendelssohn is as good as his Prokofiev.


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## APL

Abbado
Dohnanyi
Masure


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## starthrower

Fritz Kobus said:


> Weller does sound good. I see it can be had at very reasonable prices used.


10 dollars brand new at Presto. Amazon vendors are trying to rip off people on items not stocked by Amazon proper. For example they want 73 dollars for the DG Alban Berg set, but Presto sells it for 28 dollars. Amazon does stock the Weller set for 25, but it's an inflated price. It's a bargain series set.


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## SixFootScowl

starthrower said:


> 10 dollars brand new at Presto. Amazon vendors are trying to rip off people on items not stocked by Amazon proper. For example they want 73 dollars for the DG Alban Berg set, but Presto sells it for 28 dollars. Amazon does stock the Weller set for 25, but it's an inflated price. It's a bargain series set.


I can get Weller's Mendelssohn symphonies for $7 shipped on Ebay, $8 on Amazon. Used of course. But $10 new is a great deal. I would get Weller but already have Masur, this one:










I think Masur, like Weller, is faster tempos. Not sure which is the better cycle. Maybe a toss up. Better ears than mine will have to judge it.

A newer release has the symphonies and the string symphonies, but I am not sure if this is the same cycle, seems the singers (symphony 2) vary between the two:









P.S. Have the Abbado set, but would rather not. Tempos are not as brisk.


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## Merl

Fritz Kobus said:


> I can get Weller's Mendelssohn symphonies for $7 shipped on Ebay, $8 on Amazon. Used of course. But $10 new is a great deal. I would get Weller but already have Masur, this one:
> 
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> I think Masur, like Weller, is faster tempos. Not sure which is the better cycle. Maybe a toss up. Better ears than mine will have to judge it.
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> A newer release has the symphonies and the string symphonies, but I am not sure if this is the same cycle, seems the singers (symphony 2) vary between the two:
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> P.S. Have the Abbado set, but would rather not. Tempos are not as brisk.


Masur's 70s cycle (which reappeared on Brilliant Classics) is decent isnt as good as this 90s one. Ashkenazy's set is quite brisk, btw.


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## starthrower

I changed my mind on Weller. I'm going with Dohnanyi. The Masur set is a ridiculous bargain at 12 dollars but I don't need 13 string symphonies. I'd rather get a set of string quartets and the octet. I found a 2 disc set on Eloquence that has the octet and the last four string symphonies. And the Cherubini string quartet set is a good deal. The Emerson set sounds fine to my ears as well.


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## philoctetes

Does anybody like Heras-Casado? His live concerts with the SFS have been excellent, but I haven't heard his Mendelssohn.

Mendelssohn drives me nuts. Not sure if it's me or him. Is he superficial or just sunny as a day in May? Those fairy sections are fun but the stuff in between is like Vivaldi on a tour of Germany... with help from a time machine... not that it's a bad thing, but too many tuttis spoil the party for me...

For composers like that, I find chamber music is the best route, and I play the quintet and octet more than anything else. For me, the full Midsummer is preferable to the excerpts as well.


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## starthrower

Mendelssohn is hit and miss. He composed a lot of stuff as a young boy because he was a musical genius. But how much depth are you going to find in the music of a 12 year old?

Right now I'm just filling some gaps in my music collection because I'm interested in listening to the entire history of western music. And lately I haven't been in the mood for much contemporary music.


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## philoctetes

"how much depth are you going to find in the music of a 12 year old?"

Thinking back to when I was 12, I should feel humiliated. Even more so by Woilfie. Shoot me now.

When I get tired of contemporary, that's when I'm most grateful for jazz.


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## starthrower

I have a huge jazz collection, but I'm tired of jazz. The problem with Mendelssohn symphonies and all the other early romantic stuff is the overwhelming influence of the classical masters of the late 18th century. But I can still enjoy the music to a certain extent. Or listen to Berlioz who was a different bird.

I've been listening to Mozart's piano sonatas. There's some formulaic devices in the music, but there's plenty of beauty and inventiveness as well.


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## philoctetes

Schubert's become my go-to classicist, if on the romantic side but that's why. Fewer trills and while his symphonies are full of tuttis, they do much more than stitch the piece together.

Who do you listen to for Mozart? Just curious because so much depends on subtle dynamics with Wolfie. Fischer still isn't bad after all these years.


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## starthrower

I just bought Ingrid Haebler's Denon set. And I have Geza Anda's concerto cycle.


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## philoctetes

Haebler is an excellent Mozartian and I'd like to have that set. Never settled on a Mozart PC cycle yet.. I have a soft spot for Engel though I don't own it.


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