Felix Mendelssohn
Far from the troubled, coarse libertine that has become an archetype of the Romantic composer, Felix Mendelssohn was something of an anomaly among his contemporaries. His own situation -- largely one of domestic tranquility and unhindered career fulfillment -- stands in stark contrast to the personal Sturm und Drang familiar to his peers. Mendelssohn was the only musical prodigy of the 19th century whose stature could rival that of Mozart. Still, his parents resisted any entrepreneurial impulses and spared young Felix the strange, grueling lifestyle that was the lot of many child prodigies.
He and his sister Fanny were given piano lessons, and he also studied violin, and both joined the Berlin Singakademie. Carl Friedrich Zelter, director of the Singakademie, became Mendelssohn's first composition instructor. Even in his youth, Mendelssohn moved with natural grace among the circles of influence in society, politics, literature, and art. Although he did spend some time at the University of Berlin, most of his education was received through friendships and travel. Mendelssohn's advocacy was the single most important factor in the revival of Bach's vocal music in the 19th century, most famously realized in the 1829 performance of the St. Matthew Passion at the Berlin Singakadamie. He did some touring as a pianist with Ignaz Moscheles, then took the position of music director in Düsseldorf from 1833 to 1835, which involved conducting both the choral and orchestral societies, preparing music for church services and later, becoming intendant for the new theatre. Tension with the theater owner caused him to resign some of his duties, and he began looking for a new post. In 1835, Mendelssohn became municipal music director in Leipzig, where he would also conduct the Gewandhaus Orchestra. He would raise the level of the still-thriving ensemble to a new standard of excellence. In 1838, he married Cécile Jeanrenaud, enjoying an idyllic marriage and family life that were quite unlike the stormy romantic entanglements that profoundly affected such composers as Berlioz, Chopin, and Liszt. He was in demand as a conductor and spent some time as royal composer and music director in Berlin, but remained committed to musical life in Leipzig. He was even able to establish a new conservatory in the city, which is still a well-respected institution.
Mendelssohn was a true Renaissance man. A talented visual artist, he was a refined connoisseur of literature and philosophy. While his name rarely arises in discussions of the 19th century vanguard, the intrinsic importance of his music is undeniable. A distinct personality emerges at once in its exceptional formal sophistication, its singular melodic sense, and its colorful, masterful deployment of the instrumental forces at hand. A true apotheosis of life, Mendelssohn's music absolutely overflows with energy, ebullience, drama, and invention, as evidenced in his most enduring works: the incidental music to A Midsummer Night's Dream (1826-1842); the Hebrides Overture (1830); the Songs Without Words (1830-1845); the Symphonies No. 3 (1841-1842) and No. 4 (1833); and the Violin Concerto in E minor (1844). While the sunny disposition of so many of Mendelssohn's works has led some to view the composer as possessing great talent but little depth, his religious compositions -- particularly the great oratorios Paulus (1836) and Elijah (1846) -- reflect the complexity and deeply spiritual basis of his personality.
© Rovi Staff /TiVo
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Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy: Wedding March
Budapest Philharmonic Orchestra, Janos Kovacs
Classical - Released by Dream Collection on 1 Apr 2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Mendelssohn: Lieder
Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, Hartmut Höll
Classical - Released by Claves Records on 1 Jan 1991
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Mendelssohn: Piano Sonata No. 2 in G Minor - Variations sérieuses in D Minor & Field: Piano Sonata No. 1 in E-Flat Major - Nocturnes No. 13, No. 14, No. 18
Classical - Released by Cascavelle on 7 Jul 1999
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Mendelssohn: String Octet, Op. 20 - String Symphony No. 10 in B Minor - String Symphony No. 12 in G Minor
Classical - Released by Cascavelle on 19 Jun 2017
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Orpheus Chamber Orchestra – German Romantic Composers
Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, Felix Mendelssohn, Ludwig van Beethoven
Classical - Released by UME - Global Clearing House on 26 Jun 2021
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Felix Mendelssohn - Works for Cello and Piano
Simca Heled, Simone Dinnerstein
Chamber Music - Released by Romeo Records on 1 May 2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Felix Mendelssohn: Concerto For Violin, Op. 64 / Ludwig van Beethoven: Sonata For Violin Nº 5 / Georg Friedrich Haendel: Sonata for Violin Nº 4
Classical - Released by RHI on 6 Jun 2017
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
30 Must-Have Classical Marches
Classical - Released by Cobra Entertainment LLC on 7 Jan 2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Mendelssohn: Complete Songs, Vol. 1
Vocal Music (Secular and Sacred) - Released by Champs Hill Records on 31 Mar 2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
An Evening of Classical: Mendelssohn
Classical - Released by UME - Global Clearing House on 30 Sep 2022
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Mendelssohn: The Complete Part-Songs for Mixed Chorus a Cappella
Classical - Released by Globe on 1 Jan 1992
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Mendelssohn: Complete String Symphonies Vol. 1
Classical - Released by Nimbus Records on 1 Jan 1988
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Mendelssohn, Bach, Clarke, Purcell: Wedding Favorites for Organ
Classical - Released by Marcophon on 3 Jul 2013
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Mendelssohn : Songs Without Words
Classical - Released by Past Classics on 7 Jul 2013
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Mendelssohn: Violin Sonata in F Minor, Op. 4, MWV Q12 - Fritz Brun: Violin Sonata No. 1 in D Minor - Rachmaninoff: Vocalise, Op. 34, No. 14 - Thüring Bräm: Album "Goodbye Seventies"
Chamber Music - Released by VDE-GALLO on 5 Mar 2013
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Mendelssohn: Sonata for Viola and Piano in C Minor (Digitally Remastered)
Paul Hennevogel, Ernst Gröschel
Classical - Released by EMG Classical on 15 Jul 2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Mendelssohn: Complete Works for Piano and Orchestra
Classical - Released by Danacord Records on 11 Jul 2014
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Concerto for Piano and Orchestra Number 1 in G minor Op. 25, Concerto for Violin, Piano and Orchestra in D minor
Concertos - Released by Meridian Records on 2 Jan 2020
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Antal Dorati & Felix Mendelssohn Bartoldy: String Octets
The Soloists of the Camerata Lysy
Classical - Released by Legend Classics on 1 Feb 2008
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Mendelssohn: Variations Serieuses in D Minor, Op. 54 - Villa-Lobos - Daetwyler - Kuliev - Hajiyev - Melikov - Dadashev - Mustafa Zadeh - Mamedov
Classical - Released by VDE-GALLO on 12 Jan 2013
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Classical Fireworks
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Georg Friedrich Händel, Felix Mendelssohn
Lounge - Released by PMI Collins Classics on 4 Nov 2021
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo