Mendelssohn: 5 Symphonies; 7 Overtures [Box set]

Track Listings

1. Simphony No. 1 In C Minor- Allegro Molto

2. Andante

3. Menuetto- Allegro Molto

4. Allegro Con Fuoco

5. Shcerzo In G Minor From The Octet Op. 20

6. Overture To Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream

7. Overture The Hebrides

8. Meeresstille Und Gluckliche Fahrt

9. No.2 In B Flat Major, Op.52 Hymn Of Praise - I.Sinfonia - Maestoso C

10. Allegretto Un Poco Agitato

11. Adagio Religioso

12. Ii. Allergo Moderato Maestoso - Allegro Di Molto

13. Molto Piu Moderato Ma Con Fuoco

14. Iii. Recitativo

15. Allegro Moderato

16. Iv. Chor. A Tempo Moderato

17. V. Andante

18. Vi. Allegro Un Poco Agitato - Allergo Assai Agitato - Tempo I Moder

19. Vii. Allergo Maestoso E Molto Vivace

20. Viii. Choral. Andante Con Moto - Un Poco Piu Animato

See all 22 tracks on this disc

Tracks:

Symphony No.1 In C Minor, Op.11
Octet In E Flat, Op.20
Overture "A Midsummer Night's Dream", Op.21
The Hebrides, Op.26 (Fingal's Cave)
Meeresstille Und Glkliche Fahrt, Op.27
Symphony No.2 In B Flat, Op.52 - "Hymn Of Praise"
Symphony No.3 In A Minor, Op.56 - "Scottish"
Overture "The Fair Melusine", Op.32
"Trumpet Overture", Op.101 - Allegro Vivace
Ruy Blas, Op.95 - Overture To Victor Hugo's Play
Symphony No.4 In A, Op.90 - "Italian"
Symphony No.5 In D Minor, Op.107 - "Reformation"
Overture For Wind Instruments, Op.24 (F Harmoniemusik)

Customer Reviews:

Real class.......2007-06-24

Abbado has created an excellent anthology of Mendelssohn's symphonic output - rich, lush and balanced. A+

Great set.......2007-05-18

By my calculations, this is the single best set of Mendelssohn symphonies out there today. Though better versions of the "Reformation," "Scottish," and "Italian" Symphonies exist in other disks, I still like the interpretations offered by Abbado and the LSO.

For the "Reformation", and "Italian" Symphonies, I'd recommend John Eliot Gardiner and the Vienna Philharmonic's DG set.

For the Scottish Symphony I'd go with Karajan's recording with the BPO (that CD also comes with the best "Hebrides Overture" recording available, and a pretty good "Italian Symphony" interpretation, too).

All of the overtures in this set are performed very well, both in technical execution and musical interpretation. The Hebrides (a work far ahead of its time), in particular, is a fine recording. So is "Overture 'A Midsummer Night's Dream'." I really have grown fond of the "Ruy Blas" overture as well.

Another reviewer complained that the interpretations in this set are "too Classical." I think they are correct in saying the set is Classically performed, but I think that works with Mendelssohn, as he was "the Romantic Mozart."

Overall this is a great set, and a good way to become familiar with the music of Felix Mendelssohn, or build your Mendelssohn library.

MENDELSSOHN: 5 Symphonies/7 Overtures (LSO/Claudio Abbado) DG 471 467-2.......2006-07-13

Unlike many all-digital compilations offered by one orchestra and conductor, this collection of Mendelssohn favorites is outstanding in performance and interpretation throughout. Maestro Abbado shows a genuine affection for the composer and his genius by the sequence of selections on each disc, and I find no weak performances anywhere in this remarkable recording.

Charlie Hastings
Falls Church, VA

Great Concept but Not So Great Execution!.......2006-06-14

First, the good: Great box design for packaging, great booklet in various languages describing the history of all the performed works, great value for money, excellent representation of the great Mendelssohn's best works.

Now, the bad: the problem with compilations like this is that the material tends to have been recorded at different times and places and frequently by different personnel on various recording equipment of varying quality. What this means is that some tracks within each disc sound much better then others and even whole discs come in varying sound qualities.

Fortunately, the best disc, disc one starts out very well with the great first symphony and ends with the composer's best Overtures and the quality of the sound recording is very good. Then we get to disc 2 and the sound quality can only be described as abysmal. The difference in the sound is like night and day when compared with the first disc. The third disc sounds much better but is still not as good as the first disc while the last disc comes somewhere in between the second and third.

There's no doubting the quality of the performances though by Claudio Abbado and the LSO and of course the choice of material but too bad about the inconsistency of the sound quality from track to track and from disc to disc.

Still, the 3 stars are for the good points listed above and for the great disc 1.

More of Mendelssohn to Love.......2005-11-08

I had heard all the music on here before interpreted by other conductors and other symphonies but Claudio Abbado proved to be the most efficient for me. Thanks to the world's leading classical music label- Deutsche Grammophone -we are able to hear a complete set of Mendelssohn's symphonies and overtures with the acclaimed London Symphony in a beautiful and surprisingly afforadable album. For music that is this good, I was surprised that it wasn't a little more expensive. But good, right ? Just more of Mendelssohn to love. On this album: his symphonies 1-5, Scherzo in G Minor from the Octet for Strings, the Overture to A Midsumer Night's Dream incidental music and Hebrides Overture. These are the most famous Mendelssohn creations. His Fourth Symphony is the "Italian" symphony, with lyrical, bouncy rhythms and classical harmony. The Midsummer Night's Dream overture encompasses romanticism at its peak, with sprightly strings representing the mischievous fairies that figure prominently in the Shakespeare comedy. The Hebrides Overture is evocative of wintery landscapes and sea breezes, a fine example of a tone poem and musical painting at its best. Its haunting melody is instantly recongizable. Abbado is clearly suited for this kind of music and it's refreshing to see him stray from the usual Italian repertoire he is most famous for. Still, inescapably, his Italian soul stands out but this gives this music more color, more volume and lyricism than what can often succumb to stale, cold English interpretations like Andre Previn's conducting. No offense to Mr. Previn, who has produced some brilliant music.

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1. Simphony No. 1 In C Minor- Allegro Molto
2. Andante
3. Menuetto- Allegro Molto
4. Allegro Con Fuoco
5. Shcerzo In G Minor From The Octet Op. 20
6. Overture To Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream
7. Overture The Hebrides
8. Meeresstille Und Gluckliche Fahrt
9. No.2 In B Flat Major, Op.52 Hymn Of Praise - I.Sinfonia - Maestoso C
10. Allegretto Un Poco Agitato
11. Adagio Religioso
12. Ii. Allergo Moderato Maestoso - Allegro Di Molto
13. Molto Piu Moderato Ma Con Fuoco
14. Iii. Recitativo
15. Allegro Moderato
16. Iv. Chor. A Tempo Moderato
17. V. Andante
18. Vi. Allegro Un Poco Agitato - Allergo Assai Agitato - Tempo I Moder
19. Vii. Allergo Maestoso E Molto Vivace
20. Viii. Choral. Andante Con Moto - Un Poco Piu Animato