# How Would You Rate Mendelssohn's Music?



## Bellinilover (Jul 24, 2013)

Please understand that I have no ulterior motive in posing this question. I'm pretty new to non-operatic "classical" music and am not trying either to build Mendelssohn up or tear him down. I have heard a couple of his _Songs without Words_ and like them very much indeed, but beyond that I have no experience with Mendelssohn. I'd just like to know what the range of opinions on his talent is. From things I've heard some people say (not on Talkclassical) I get a vague impression that his music is considered enjoyable but not profound; however, I would very much like to know what people on this Forum think. Thanks very much.


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## Sloe (May 9, 2014)

I think it is enjoyable. It is not the Music I mostly listen to but he is one of those composers that are impossible to avoid.


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## KenOC (Mar 7, 2011)

IMO Mendelssohn's music is never less than good, and he wrote a fair number of true masterpieces, far more than might have been expected in his short life of 38 years.


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## Woodduck (Mar 17, 2014)

I used to have that common perception of Mendelssohn: brilliant, fluent, good-natured, neatly dressed and combed, and somehow lacking in depth. I'm not sure that isn't true - but somehow I don't care. His music is just darned good, even brilliant, and even deeply felt at times. Listen to his second string quartet, the op. 13 in a-minor, with its heartfelt reminiscences of Beethoven, and think of him having absorbed Beethoven's late quartets at the age of seventeen:






How much better does chamber music get?


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## SixFootScowl (Oct 17, 2011)

For symphonic music I listen mostly to Beethoven's nine, but occasionally listen to Mendelssohn's symphonies. Haven't found any other composer whose symphonies have compelled me to pick up a cycle.


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## brotagonist (Jul 11, 2013)

Bellinilover said:


> I get a vague impression that his music is considered enjoyable but not profound...


That sums up my opinion. I have a set of the Symphonies, which are fine enough, and a set of the Songs Without Words, which I barely know, but they, too, seem fine enough, but neither have been so overwhelming to me that I felt the need to get any more right now. One day, I might hit on a Mendelssohn work that illuminates his oeuvre for me, but for now, I'm content to think that it's okay :tiphat:


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## Weston (Jul 11, 2008)

He was undoubtedly a prodigy and highly skilled composer. However I find some of his music too frenetic for my tastes - and for my nerves. Maybe if I were younger I could better relate to it. 

Still the Hebrides Overture is an astonishing timeless masterpiece and the Midsummer Night's Dream incidental music is essential.


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## Dustin (Mar 30, 2012)

brotagonist said:


> That sums up my opinion. I have a set of the Symphonies, which are fine enough, and a set of the Songs Without Words, which I barely know, but they, too, seem fine enough, but neither have been so overwhelming to me that I felt the need to get any more right now. One day, I might hit on a Mendelssohn work that illuminates his oeuvre for me, but for now, I'm content to think that it's okay :tiphat:


The piano trios are the antidote to your woes. Nothing light about them, they'll grab you by the throat.


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## KenOC (Mar 7, 2011)

...and his Octet.


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## GreenMamba (Oct 14, 2012)

Songs Without Words are parlor pieces, which probably contributes to a feeling if "enjoyable but not profound." I think he's overall a terrific composer. He dies at an age when others were just getting started.


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## Steatopygous (Jul 5, 2015)

His violin concerto is near the top of the pantheon; it's not just light. I love lots of his music. But perhaps his greatest contribution was restoring Bach to public awareness.


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## brotagonist (Jul 11, 2013)

Thanks, Dustin and KenOC. I am very partial to Piano Trios and larger chamber ensembles, too!


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## Bellinilover (Jul 24, 2013)

Steatopygous said:


> His violin concerto is near the top of the pantheon; it's not just light. I love lots of his music. But perhaps his greatest contribution was restoring Bach to public awareness.


Oh wow, how could that have slipped my mind?! Yes, I do know the first movement of the Violin Concerto. And I also knew that Mendelssohn "rediscovered" Bach. It is hard for me to imagine a time when Bach was basically a forgotten composer!


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## Woodduck (Mar 17, 2014)

Steatopygous said:


> His violin concerto is near the top of the pantheon; it's not just light. I love lots of his music. But perhaps his greatest contribution was restoring Bach to public awareness.


But how much was Bach actually played after the "restoration"?


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## Arie (Jun 19, 2015)

I'm a big fan of Mendelssohn's symphonies 3 and 4. His earlier 2 and his 5th symphonies, however, fail to catch my fancy. He himself withdrew his 4th from being performed because, it is said, he didn't like it in retrospection, but that work, I think, is one of the most dynamic and iconic pieces ever written. The 2nd melody in the 1st movement is absolutely mind-boggling and I'd suggest you, if you are interested, to have a try of his 4th ('Italian') symphony.


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## ArtMusic (Jan 5, 2013)

A true genius and maybe more consistent as a child prodigy than Mozart.


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## Woodduck (Mar 17, 2014)

Arie said:


> I'm a big fan of Mendelssohn's symphonies 3 and 4. His earlier 2 and his 5th symphonies, however, fail to catch my fancy. He himself withdrew his 4th from being performed because, it is said, he didn't like it in retrospection, but that work, I think, is one of the most dynamic and iconic pieces ever written. The 2nd melody in the 1st movement is absolutely mind-boggling and I'd suggest you, if you are interested, to have a try of his 4th ('Italian') symphony.


I suspect that most people are unaware that Mendelssohn's dissatisfaction with the "Italian" caused him to compose a revised version, and that this can be found paired with the original on a DG recording under John Eliot Gardiner. When I heard it I was impressed with the fact that the work needed no revision. Impossible to imagine what M. thought was wrong with it.


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## KenOC (Mar 7, 2011)

The history of music has several examples of composers who could never be reconciled with their own best works. The Italian is an example. Another is Bizet's Symphony in C, which he hid away and was only rediscovered many decades later.

Also I'll quote Beethoven on hearing, while walking down the street with a friend, his C-minor Variations being played: "Did you write that? O Beethoven, what an *** you were!"


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## KenOC (Mar 7, 2011)

Woodduck said:


> But how much was Bach actually played after the "restoration"?


Good question. I'd guess that at the least Bach's choral music was never totally in the shadows again. Another Bach piece Mendelssohn resurrected was the Toccata and Fugue in D minor, which he included in his own organ recitals. It was quite a hit and certainly stayed "in the repertoire" as they say.

Let's not forget that Felix also brought some Beethoven back to life 30-40 years after the fact. Specifically the Violin Concerto and the 4th Piano Concerto, both of which seem to have sunk from sight after their initial performances.


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## Krummhorn (Feb 18, 2007)

I have enjoyed playing organ compositions of Mendelssohn over the years. In concert I have performed the Sonata I (for organ) many times; it's one of my favorites.


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## Art Rock (Nov 28, 2009)

Consistent high quality with some absolute highlights (symphony 3, violin concerto). Easily a top10 composer for me.


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## GioCar (Oct 30, 2013)

One of the luckiest genius on earth.

A child prodigy, smart, educated, wealthy, handsome, married to an intelligent and beautiful wife...

Ok, he died young... you can't always get what you want


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## MoonlightSonata (Mar 29, 2014)

I love his piano music, Octet, Violin Concerto, and organ works. I'm playing a movement from one of the organ sonatas for an exam this year, which is nice.


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## TurnaboutVox (Sep 22, 2013)

I'm with Woodduck on this one - there's more to Mendelssohn's chamber music than meets the eye and I'm not so sure about his reputation for superficial attractiveness (though his music's certainly attractive and felicitous). Having spent some time with his works for string quartet, particularly, I'd say these bear close and repeated listening.


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## haydnfan (Apr 13, 2011)

Mendelssohn's string quartets and quintets are some of the greatest chamber works of the Romantic era.


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## elgar's ghost (Aug 8, 2010)

Although Mendelssohn excelled in numerous areas it's his chamber music which I admire the most - the octet, the second string quintet, the final string quartet and the two piano trios represent a pinnacle for me and no doubt his early death robbed the world of numerous others. Had he lived longer maybe a successful opera would have been the icing on the cake but I don't know if this would have been a priority bearing in mind how many demands were being made on his time as a conductor and administrator.


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## Musicophile (May 29, 2015)

The Songs without words are just fantastic.


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## Bulldog (Nov 21, 2013)

I most enjoy the piano trios and string chamber music. However, Mendelssohn doesn't 'ring my bell' as much as my favored composers. I'd put him in my top thirty, maybe at no. 29.


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## Sonata (Aug 7, 2010)

I am a great fan of Mendelssohn. He was one of my favorite composers for the first few years of listening. He's top ten for sure, maybe even a bit higher. (but I've been listening to so much opera lately and new works, so I haven't been able to truly do him justice.

I love his concertos, string quintets and string symphonies are very good. Haven't listened to his symphonies in awhile but I may have to remedy that soon! His choral music is also unjustly ignored in my opinion


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## bharbeke (Mar 4, 2013)

I like Mendelssohn a lot, and I sometimes forget how much great music he wrote. There are a lot of his works that I have yet to hear, and I am looking forward to exploring him more.

Top-notch works of his:

Piano Concertos No. 1 and 2
Symphonies 3-5
Allegro Brillante, Op. 92
Fantasia in F-sharp minor for piano Op. 28
String Octet in E-flat Op. 20
Songs Without Words, Op. 19

He has very few outright disappointing compositions, and some of those could be due to my genre tastes and the specific performances I chose.


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## mmsbls (Mar 6, 2011)

I agree with those who view him as a top level composer. I feel he wrote several truly outstanding works with much of his output being superior.

His Violin Concerto, Octet, Symphonies 3 and 4, Midsummer Night's Dream, Piano Trio No. 1 and Hebrides Overture are truly spectacular. His piano concertos, much of his chamber music (quartets, quintets, piano sextet, and piano trio 2), Elijah, as well as other works are beautiful.


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## Bellinilover (Jul 24, 2013)

I thought you all would appreciate this video of the Mendelssohn House in Leipzig. It's accompanied by a _Song without Words _that I think is absolutely lovely:






And here's the other _Song without Words_ I'm familiar with:






It was September and October when I first heard these pieces, so for me they always have a sort "autumnal" quality.


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## trazom (Apr 13, 2009)

I think of him as a fine technician, but find relatively few of his works memorable or moving. Most of what I enjoy is the orchestral works: two or three of the symphonies, the violin concerto, the g minor piano concerto(and not the D minor or the double concertos), and the concert overtures; the rest strike me as busy but never really going anywhere. The Songs without Words and much of his solo piano music I probably like least.


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## HaydnBearstheClock (Jul 6, 2013)

Florestan said:


> For symphonic music I listen mostly to Beethoven's nine, but occasionally listen to Mendelssohn's symphonies. Haven't found any other composer whose symphonies have compelled me to pick up a cycle.


Dvorak, Haydn, Brahms, Tchaikovsky, Mozart, Schumann, Bruckner, plenty of other excellent symphonists.


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## HaydnBearstheClock (Jul 6, 2013)

I'd say Mendelssohn was definitely a great composer, one of the best. I really like his quartets, and his symphonies are solid to excellent, my favourite being the Scottish. Also, his oratorios are on par with Handel and Haydn's, imo. I don't 'warm' to his music quite in the same way as say, with Haydn, perhaps he might be a tad melancholic at times - but overall, his melodic, orchestrational and technical talent can't be denied. He was a master of the craft. The rest depends, as a lot of things do, on the subjective inclinations of the listener.


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## Triplets (Sep 4, 2014)

He definitely wrote same masterpieces. I would rank The Scottish and Italian Symphonies; The Violin Concerto; The MSND Music; his Piano Trios and Octet.
I'd place some of his best other works just under the "masterpiece" level such as the Op 13 and 44 String Quartets, The Songs.
I've never warmed to his Oratorios, but they undeniably have a lot of great music contained within them. As somone said up thread, not bad for 38 years


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## Woodduck (Mar 17, 2014)

Considering how much I like Mendelssohn on the whole, it's a mystery to me why I never cared for Mendelssohn's perfectly lovely and charming violin concerto. Maybe someone can tell me! I wonder if people don't tend to play it too fast to bring out the emotions; I do rather like the way Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg slows down the andante.

On the other hand I like the violin sonatas, which are much less played, very much, as I do the music for cello and piano, of which I love the passionate recording by Paul and Huw Watkins.


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## Bulldog (Nov 21, 2013)

trazom said:


> The Songs without Words and much of his solo piano music I probably like least.


I totally agree, and that's rather disappointing because my favorite genre is solo keyboard.


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## Manxfeeder (Oct 19, 2010)

Well, everyone has said everything I would have said, but I'll make another shout-out to the string symphonies. And personally, I like his Psalm settings. 

He was also a pretty good artist. 

He's also remarkable in that when Jenny Lind clicked with him, he didn't dump his wife for her.


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## Skilmarilion (Apr 6, 2013)

To answer the OP: Very, very highly. The violin concerto was always a 'first love' for me. I wonder whether I'd be here, without it.

I reckon the violin concerto, 3rd symphony, 2nd piano trio, Hebrides, Songs without Words and 6th string quartet are bonafide masterworks. His piano concertos are very good too -- it seems like they could get more attention.

I think the strength of his music in those final years, along with his gradual move towards a more 'inward' aesthetic, really does make his early death all the more unfortunate. He wasn't prolific like a Schubert or Mozart, either.

But in any case, it should never be a case of "what could have been", with Felix. Because what he did achieve, in its own right, was so profound. Don't expect my avatar to be changing any time soon. :tiphat:


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## Itullian (Aug 27, 2011)

I like many of his works, but haven't had the urge to listen to any in years.

Schumann, Brahms and Bruckner are my listens.


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## bigshot (Nov 22, 2011)

Mendelssohn and Schubert are two of my absolute favorites


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## Bulldog (Nov 21, 2013)

Itullian said:


> I like many of his works, but haven't had the urge to listen to any in years.


That's a great statement, and I identify with it. I really like his string quartets, but when I want to listen to string quartets, I always pick some Haydn, Beethoven, Brahms, Dvorak or Schubert. I tell myself to pay more attention to Felix, but I never get around to it.


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## Chipomarc (Jul 18, 2015)

Wasn't Mendelssohn one of those egghead types that spent hours and hours on music forums debating 'Was serialism a move forward or backward'?


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## Chronochromie (May 17, 2014)

Itullian said:


> I like many of his works, but haven't had the urge to listen to any in years.


This. I like him, but there are a lot of composers I find much more interesting so I end up only rarely listening to him.


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## Bellinilover (Jul 24, 2013)

Skilmarilion said:


> To answer the OP: Very, very highly. The violin concerto was always a 'first love' for me. I wonder whether I'd be here, without it.
> 
> I reckon the violin concerto, 3rd symphony, 2nd piano trio, Hebrides, Songs without Words and 6th string quartet are bonafide masterworks. His piano concertos are very good too -- it seems like they could get more attention.
> 
> ...


It's basically the same story with me and Vincenzo Bellini, who died at 34. I'm perfectly content that the glorious (in my opinion) I PURITANI was his final opera; on the other hand, lots of people with more musical knowledge than I have seem to lament the fact that he didn't live to achieve "even greater" things!


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## Balthazar (Aug 30, 2014)

Mendelssohn is top drawer! His piano trios, _Songs without Words_, and violin concerto are all gems.


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## MoonlightSonata (Mar 29, 2014)

By the sound of it, I _really_ need to listen to the piano trios.


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## Chipomarc (Jul 18, 2015)

Got his piano and violin concertos clued up and will force myself to like him even if it takes all night


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## Musicophile (May 29, 2015)

Musicophile said:


> The Songs without words are just fantastic.


This thread triggered me to write about my two favorite versions of the Lieder ohne Worte on my blog:

http://musicophilesblog.com/2015/08...beautiful-versions-by-perianes-and-brautigam/


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## HaydnBearstheClock (Jul 6, 2013)

Bulldog said:


> That's a great statement, and I identify with it. I really like his string quartets, but when I want to listen to string quartets, I always pick some Haydn, Beethoven, Brahms, Dvorak or Schubert. I tell myself to pay more attention to Felix, but I never get around to it.


The Cherubini-Quartet record of Mendelssohn quartets is excellent, it might convince you to listen to Mendelssohn's quartets more often .


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## Steatopygous (Jul 5, 2015)

Since this thread was posted, I have listened to the piano trios twice. I am greatly indebted to the thread originator and the first to cite the trios, which I would have to look back to earlier pages to see. But you know who you are. 
I did know them, but hadn't played them for years. Thanks.


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## gardibolt (May 22, 2015)

It's marvelous. Every time I listen to them I'm hearing something new.


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## Bellinilover (Jul 24, 2013)

I just began listening to ELIJAH today in a 1990's recording with Bryn Terfel, Renee Fleming, and others. I'm halfway through Part I, and so far I really like it.


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## SixFootScowl (Oct 17, 2011)

Bellinilover said:


> I just began listening to ELIJAH today in a 1990's recording with Bryn Terfel, Renee Fleming, and others. I'm halfway through Part I, and so far I really like it.


It is a wonderful oratorio, and I have not listened to it in a while. I shall soon correct that.

Looks like we have the same one. I have this one:









Saw it live once and it was fantastic!


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## Bellinilover (Jul 24, 2013)

Florestan said:


> It is a wonderful oratorio, and I have not listened to it in a while. I shall soon correct that.
> 
> Looks like we have the same one. I have this one:
> 
> ...


When you saw it, was it staged or semi-staged, or was it strictly a "concert performance"?


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## SixFootScowl (Oct 17, 2011)

Bellinilover said:


> When you saw it, was it staged or semi-staged, or was it strictly a "concert performance"?


Strictly a concert performance. Just this last Feb.


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## Steatopygous (Jul 5, 2015)

Bellinilover said:


> I just began listening to ELIJAH today in a 1990's recording with Bryn Terfel, Renee Fleming, and others. I'm halfway through Part I, and so far I really like it.


I too have that verson, plus the Sawallisch Leipzig rendition with Elly Ameling sop, Renate Krahmer sop, Annelies Burmeister cont, Gisela Schroter cont, Peter Schreier ten, Hans-Joachim Rotzsch ten, Theo Adam bass, Hermann-Christian Polster bass


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## Dustin (Mar 30, 2012)

I just listened to a few of the early string symphonies again right now and I'm blown away every time I hear them. The later ones such as 11, 12, and 13 are particularly impressive. Quite frankly, I enjoyed them much more than a couple of the Haydn symphonies (No. 41, 42) I listened to yesterday for the first time. They are just so melodic, energetic and intense.


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## gardibolt (May 22, 2015)

I have that Terfel/Fleming one too. Very good production. I was in the choir for a performance of it once, hm 20 years ago. Being the worshippers of Baal was a lot of fun. Just a terrific and underrated oratorio.


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## DavidA (Dec 14, 2012)

Florestan said:


> It is a wonderful oratorio, and I have not listened to it in a while. I shall soon correct that.
> 
> Looks like we have the same one. I have this one:
> 
> ...


always think Bryn looks like something out of Monty Python on this photograph. Just why Decca published it is beyond me.

I have the frubeck recording with D F-D which is really good. Also the one from MacCreesh which suffers from congested sound because of the vast choral forces involved. Pity.


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## KRoad (Jun 1, 2012)

Currently listening to his string quartets - superb.


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## Guest (Aug 19, 2015)

The Violin Concerto
The String Octet
The "Italian" Symphony

...and lots more but those three are masterpieces that I often listen to.


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## jmaloney (Sep 4, 2015)

One of the 20 greatest composers but not one of the top 10. Below Schumann & Chopin. About level*with Tchaikovsky & Dvorak.


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## Gustav Mahler (Dec 3, 2014)

Too enjoyable, It lacks depth sometimes and can be rather too sweet as Wagner described it (Though not objectively, He was driven also by his anti-Semitism.)
Anyway, I can relate to that.
He has wonderful melodies, But the emotional depth isn't so great IMO. Of course one can react quite emotionally to his music (Especially his violin concerto) But it is too superficial in my opinion.
It is very beautiful.
TOO beautiful to be TRUE and GENUINE.


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## Epilogue (Sep 20, 2015)

A daemonic genius who beat down his daemons so effectively that he's convinced the better part of two centuries' worth of gullible listeners that they don't exist.

Of course, the genuinely sweet, comfortable aspect of his music is not to be discounted. In spite of relentless critical abuse, the works where that aspect predominates have never had trouble staying in the repertory (even parts of the especially despised oratorios - which in their entirety did somewhat disappear from the concert hall, though maybe they're coming back now - have always been a prominent part of the choir repertory).

But if I were a conductor, I'd be tempted to begin a concert by reading some typical condescending remarks about Mendelssohn the shallow sissy - and then continue with a performance of the _Hebrides_ overture. (Of course Wagner tried to damn that one with faint praise - subtext, "Please please please don't think about that piece when you hear my forest murmurs.")

Personal favorite: The Scottish symphony


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## KenOC (Mar 7, 2011)

We need to remember that Mendelssohn had a LOT going on, all the time, not just composing. He did more in his short life than most of us do through retirement. Read his bio (Wiki will do) and think what a constant strain he must have been under. It's a miracle that he wrote as much fine music as he did.


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## Epilogue (Sep 20, 2015)

jmaloney said:


> One of the 20 greatest composers but not one of the top 10. Below Schumann & Chopin.


Agreed.



jmaloney said:


> About level*with Tchaikovsky & Dvorak.


Agree with regard to Tchaikovsky, would say comfortably ahead of Dvorak.



Gustav Mahler said:


> TOO beautiful to be TRUE and GENUINE.


Excuse me while I vomit.

(Also, let's note that Mozart is both the most beautiful and the most "true and genuine" music ever.)


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## ComposerOfAvantGarde (Dec 2, 2011)

Mendelssohn is one composer who is utterly consistent in his overall musical output. Being a wonderful contrapuntalist himself and also almost single-handedly reviving Bach _and_ through his work as a conductor at the Leipzig Gewandhaus probably makes him one of the most significant people in all of western classical music history.


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## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

I rate him very high in chamber works-the two piano trios are incredible; the string quartets are very fine. Not so high in his symphonies and of course the violin concerto is special.


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## gardibolt (May 22, 2015)

Plus he was quite a painter; the water color painted by him reproduced in Gardiner's Bach book looks like it's a photograph.


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## Xaltotun (Sep 3, 2010)

I love Mendelssohn but I really cannot see him having the depth of Schubert or Schumann, let alone Brahms, Wagner or Beethoven. Technically, he's extremely impressive, of course. My favourite is _Paulus,_ a really moving work that feels like his heart (his daemons??) was truly in it. I also like _Elias_ but I don't have a similar personal connection to it. I like all his symphonies, piano trios, overtures. Don't like the violin concerto, though. Need to get to know the string quartets, it seems.

But listen to _Paulus,_ folks. Just the overture is pure gold, and then the jewels start raining in.


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## Bellinilover (Jul 24, 2013)

Gustav Mahler said:


> Too enjoyable, It lacks depth sometimes and can be rather too sweet as Wagner described it (Though not objectively, He was driven also by his anti-Semitism.)
> Anyway, I can relate to that.
> He has wonderful melodies, But the emotional depth isn't so great IMO. Of course one can react quite emotionally to his music (Especially his violin concerto) But it is too superficial in my opinion.
> It is very beautiful.
> TOO beautiful to be TRUE and GENUINE.


I'm a little baffled by the last sentence of your post, though it is a type of opinion I've heard before, about other artists/works. There seems to be this notion (I don't know where it comes from -- post-Romanticism, maybe?) that if something is "beautiful" in the conventional sense it can't also be profound or sincere -- as though truth exists only in ugliness, or something like that. It's a point of view I have a very hard time sympathizing with, to be honest.


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## HolstThePhone (Oct 11, 2015)

Most of Mendelssohn's works are quite easy listening - as a starting point I'd recommend his Songs Without Words and 4th 'Italian' symphony.

If you're looking for more raw emotion, his 6th string quartet is incredibly powerful and (I believe, though may be wrong) was written shortly after his sister died. This performance is excellent:


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