Biography
felix mendelssohn lived for a mere thirty-eight years during which time he
composed some of the most beautiful, lyrical and enduring classical
masterpieces of all time including the hebrides overture, a midsummer
night?s dream and the violin concerto in e minor. he married a vivacious
young french girl ten years his junior, in 1837, had five children, over
worked himself and suffered from severe ill health for much of the last ten
years of his life, but left a legacy of some of the most prized gems in the
classical repertoire.mendelssohn had the work in mind for some six years before its first
performance, given by ferdinand david (who also advised mendelssohn on the
solo part) at the gewandhaus on 13 march. the concerto is the perfect foil
between the classical and romantic periods, demonstrating mendelssohn?s
remarkable and unique gift for melody writing and a refreshing approach to
the structure of the concerto form. unusually the soloist enters right at
the start of the work with one of the most haunting themes in the violin
concerto repertoire, later dissolving into a brilliant display of virtuosity
in the context of some of mendelssohn?s most inspired orchestration. the
cadenza is through-composed and the second movement follows seamlessly from
the first over a held sustained bassoon note. the final movement is again a
consummate display of brilliance for the soloist, although the highly
intricate orchestral parts contribute elegantly to what is one of the best
loved of all concertos for any instrument. the violin concerto in d minor is a very early work written when the young
mendelssohn was just thirteen years old! it is, in many respects, an
immature work but one, never the less, that is worthy of attention, showing
great flair and imagination for one so young. the orchestration and
construction hark back to the music of the early classicists, almost
retaining a respectful acknowledgement of the late baroque concerto
composers. an engaging and exceptionally vibrant work that, on this disc, is
followed by the neglected overture 'the fair melusina?
The iClassics Range:
The Black Box iClassics combine world class recordings with worldwide content so you get the very best of both worlds: wonderful performances on CD and a whole new world to explore online via every PC/Mac.
This Black Box 'iClassic' disc plays as a normal audio CD, but when placed in the CD drive of your home computer can take you to directly to a dedicated website where extra content and links to related sites can further enhance your enjoyment and experience of the works featured.
Here on the iClassics sites, you''ll find sleeve notes for the works featured on the CD, composer and artist profiles, details of forthcoming concert appearances around the world, some translations for audiences outside the UK and access to bonus tracks and excerpts of works featured on other iClassics CDs. In addition, we also include hotlinks to recommended sites that we feel you''ll enjoy too.
There is so much more to explore and the Black Box iClassics series is the perfect link. Collect the entire set and enjoy timeless classics from Bach, Beethoven, Mendelssohn, Mozart, Rachmaninov, Tchaikovsky and Telemann, beautifully performed by the London Symphony Orchestra, Barry Wordsworth, Israela Margalit, The Ambache, Yitkin Seow, Leon McCawley, Irish Chamber Orchestra, City of London Sinfonia, Richard Hickox, Mayumi Seiler and The Academy Ensemble - but remember, these iClassics sites will be continually updated, so there will always be something new to look out for.
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