Mendelssohn: Works for cello & piano

“The Watkins brothers play Mendelssohn's life-enhancing Second Cello Sonata with an infectious vitality and lyrical radiance that is unforgettable...The Variations concertantes receives a desert island performance that brims over with infectious bonhomie.” --Classic FM Magazine, February 2012 *****

“The two sonatas lie somewhere between Beethoven and Brahms but still have Mendelssohn's own stamp of fresh individuality...There have been plenty of recommendable recordings of this music...but this finely balanced and recorded Chandos CD now stands high on the list of recommendations.” --Gramophone Magazine, December 2011

“This glittering, calm sub-oeuvre fits compactly on a CD and is beautifully performed by the versatile Watkins brothers...The cellist’s tone in Op 109, as throughout the sequence, combines the most immediate speaking quality (though absent, words seem imminent) with an immaculate shining loveliness” --Sunday Times, 27th November 2011

“The Watkins' extraordinary fraternal partnership resonates with Mendelssohn's own relationship to his cellist brother, Paul. Here, Huw (a composer and pianist) and elder brother (a cellist and conductor) combine to create performances of warmth and intelligence. Their Variations concertantes are irresistably ebullient: there's real fire in the belly of the fourth variation...these are good performances with a true Mendelssohnian spirit.” --BBC Music Magazine, December 2011 ****

“The fluency of Mendelssohn’s ideas, his polished craftsmanship and the music’s generally sunny disposition are matched by playing that has real verve, expressive finesse and an infectious romantic spirit.” --The Telegraph, 2nd December 2011 ****

The Wigmore Hall Recital: Schubert, Brahms, Mendelssohn, J.S. Bach

Over four decades since securing worldwide recognition as one of the finest musicians of her generation, Maria João Pires continues to transfix audiences with the immaculate integrity, eloquence and vitality of her art. With Pires partnered by Antonio Meneses, cellist with the Beaux Arts Trio and artist of great wisdom and imagination, this recital is clearly a red-letter event for chamber music connoisseurs. "[Meneses's] warmly eloquent understatement matched Pires's own, and grave us something close to perfection" --The Telegraph, Jan 2012

"Portuguese pianist Maria João Pires shared her recital with cellist Antonio Meneses, in a performance which brought a real sense of community, of intimately shared music-making." --The Times

Mendelssohn: Violin Concertos

“Ibragimova's playing combines verve, brilliance and imaginative intelligence. Mendelssohn's dynamics are scrupulously observed...But if listeners that they are hearing an approximation of an 1840s performance, they should think again. No one could accuse Ibragimova of vibrating excessively, yet she uses vibrato on the modern way, to aid tone production and projection.” --Gramophone Magazine, Awards Issue 2012

“what was the thinking behind teaming together a soloist who uses vibrato, albeit tastefully, and a string band who don't? Not that I necessarily object to the result...Ibragimova's sensitive playing wins the day, with some superlative quiet moments and at all times a loyal adherence to the composer's markings and a sure sense of the music's phrasing and architecture.” --BBC Music Magazine, November 2012 *****

“Ibragimova’s performance suggests she perceives Mendelssohn as a pure classicalist. She and conductor Jurowski downplays any aspect of the music that might suggest Mendelssohn harbored any Romantic inclinations. The performance uses very little rubato, and Jurowski urges the orchestra ever forward” --MusicWeb International, March 2013

Mendelssohn: Symphonies No. 1 & 4

Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra, Andrew Litton

“From the hushed polyphony of the slow introduction [of the First]...to a truly exultant finale, Litton and his spruce Bergen orchestra banish any hint of turgidity. Tempo and character are acutely judged...Litton's Scottish likewise combines verve, textual clarity and a vivid sense of atmosphere.” --Gramophone Magazine, June 2010

“…one of the most enjoyable discs I've listened to in a long time… Litton, for my money, gets it right every time. He… makes clear distinctions between fast and slow: in the Italian Symphony, the first movement goes like the wind, though with no sense of undue haste, while the third movement still retains the grace and dignity of the minuet from which it derives.

How good, too, to come across a conductor who is not afraid to make his orchestra play pianississimo! ...one of the most delicious moments comes near the start of the second movement of the Italian Symphony where the strings are joined by the two flutes, both vibrato-free. At the other extreme, the C major coda of this movement lifts you out of your seat.” --BBC Music Magazine, February 2010 *****

Mendelssohn: Symphonies Nos. 3 & 5

Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra, Andrew Litton

“Not only does Litton turn...limitations into values (stiffness becomes strength, academicism becomes technical wizadry and a source of delight), he incorporates them into an overall view of the Symphony....It's easy to see why any orchestra would play its heart out for a conductor of such musical intelligence.” --BBC Music Magazine, April 2010 *****

Celebrating the 200th anniversary of Felix Mendelssohn's birth in 1809, Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra and their music director Andrew Litton have recorded a three-disc survey of the composer's symphonies. This final disc in the series opens with the 'Scottish' Symphony (No.3), conceived during the composer's visit to what was at the time regarded as the Romantic retreat par excellence, celebrated in literature as the retreat of solitary heroes amid the rugged Highland scenery.

From Edinburgh Mendelssohn wrote to his parents: 'At dusk we went today to the palace where Mary Stuart lived and loved. Everything there lies rotten and in ruins; the clear daylight shines right in. I think that today I found the beginning of my Scottish Symphony.' It would take him many years to complete what was begun that day in 1829, however, for the symphony was not ready until 1842 - actually more than 12 years after the 'Reformation' Symphony, even though this carries a higher opus number. The reason for this confusing state of affairs is that Mendelssohn was less than happy with the work he wrote for the 1830 celebrations of the Lutheran Reformation, and therefore refused to let it be published in his lifetime.

Both works contain references to their stated subjects - the Scottish-sounding 'folk tune' in the finale of the Third Symphony, the use of Luther's chorale 'Ein' feste Burg' in that of the Fifth - but they also share the musical lightness of touch and the inventiveness that have made Mendelssohn a favourite with concert audiences for close to two centuries. These qualities are mirrored in the performances of Litton and the Bergen PO, whose recording of Symphony No.2, 'Lobgesang', earlier this year was described in a review in Financial Times as 'suitably glowing', with its emphasis 'on mercurial invention and spontaneity'.

Mendelssohn: The Piano Concertos & Rondo Brilliant

“The outer movements of the concertos fizz and sparkle as they should yet Helmchen finds time to sculpt phrase-endings without any loss of momentum, heightening the drama in the process. The piano is centre stage in the sound picture - and how Helmchen can make it sing!...his burnished, singing tone bring[s] an unusual depth to this life-enhancing music.” --Gramophone Magazine, January 2011

“the Rondo brillant was never meant to be anything more than what it says...and Martin Helmchen has just the youthful energy and dazzling technique to make the most of it. Everything is kept light and good-humoured, and this is really also the right manner for the concertos” --International Record Review, December 2010

Mendelssohn, Panufnik, Takemitsu, Bach

"Alexander Sitkovetsky's sleek, silky tones are equally well suited to the elegantly formal veneer of Mendelssohn's music as to the darker emotional intensity of Panufnik's." --Gramophone

In case you were wondering - I was - what could possibly tie these four seemingly disparate works together, the answer is Yehudi Menuhin. It was Menuhin (the bookletnote informs us) who commissioned the Panufnik and Takemitsu pieces, gave the first modern performance of the early Mendelssohn concerto,

and made a famous recording of the Bach Double Concerto with his teacher Enescu (this last a tenuous connection, perhaps). Listeners will have to decide for themselves how well the programme works in actuality.

I was not entirely convinced, though I was bowled over by Alexander Sitkovetsky's performances, and it's a treat to hear him play in a variety of styles. Indeed, his sleek, silky tones are equally well suited to the elegantly formal veneer of Mendelssohn's music as to the darker emotional intensity of Panufnik's. The latter work is especially welcome as it has been neglected on disc, which is odd considering how attractive and affecting the score is - it overflows with aching lyricism and melancholy tunefulness. Sitkovetsky seems to sing his part, shaping its sometimes angular phrases with sensitivity and grace. He is equally impressive in Takemitsu's more intimate sound world, paring down his toile to a fine, glistening strand, while also exploring the music's fragile sensuality.

In the Bach Double Concerto, Sitkovetsky is joined by his uncle Dmitry, and it's fascinating to hear how well matched they are - Alexander (playing the prime part, I assume) having a more refined and slightly brighter sound. Theirs is a stylish performance, too, featuring long lines, flowing tempi and nimble orchestral playing. In fact, despite the awkward name, the New European Strings Chamber Orchestra are a tight-knit band with a handsomely warm sound. Recorded in the Henry Wood Hall, London, in 2002, when Alexander was not yet 20, this disc offers further evidence of a career that could (and should) be spectacular. -- Andrew Farach-Colton, Gramophone [8/2004]

Mendelssohn: A Midsummer Night's Dream

"On this CD, Previn's performance—which I rate the best of all counts—sounds wonderfully fresh. The strings in the Overture are deliciously clean and transparent and throughout the recording is clear and natural without losing its bloom, the overall enhancement and tangibility almost startling when compared with the LP. Moreover Previn not only includes the Melodramas—flimsy little bits of orchestration, that are nevertheless quite charming—but makes them seem structurally essential, in most cases. 

The singing of his soloists and choir is delightful and altogether this can be welcomed as leading the field on CD by a clear margin.Congratulations to Christopher Bishop and Christopher Parker for the excellent balance of the original recording, to whoever made the CD transfer, and most of all to Previn and his artists for some engaging fairy magic." --Ivan March, GRAMOPHONE

Mendelssohn: Symphonies 3 & 4, Etc

Karajan’s Scottish Symphony is so plausible that criticism may seem pedantic. It is a performance with many beautiful things, but lacking a distinct character: a computer, albeit a very sophisticated and tasteful one, might have generated it. The Italian Symphony supplies the missing ingredient: the human factor. Bows reassuringly slap on strings in a rattling opening movement. An unusually slow third movement deftly alters the balance of the Symphony in a performance which ranks with the best. --Christopher Wood, BBC Music Magazine

  





MP3 320 · 169 MB

Mendelssohn · Mozart · Schubert · MacMillan

“Sparkling, poetic playing that confirms Benedetti's formidable talent. From Ayrshire, written for her by MacMillan… prompts Benedetti to some passionate playing, inspired by melodic lines geared to show off her special qualities.” --Gramophone Magazine, June 2006

Nicola Benedetti is nothing if not brave. Her debut album focussed on Szymanowski, an ideal first choice for this gifted young player. For the follow-up she’s gone to the other extreme with Mendelssohn’s evergreen E minor Concerto, a work recorded by just about every virtuoso who has ever ventured into the recording studio. It’s a work that requires a very specific kind of sound: lithe, transparent, pure, elegant, fine-spun – all qualities that Benedetti possesses in abundance, and which she shares with the likes of Christian Ferras and Nathan Milstein. Most importantly she plays with the kind of rapt concentration and easy command that has one forgetting the business of comparisons altogether, allowing one to enjoy the freshness of Mendelssohn’s inspiration anew.

The jewel-like slow movement is a particular success: conductor James MacMillan relishes the magical transition into that famous, gently flowing melody, and Benedetti creates a true sotto voce for the reprise – a wonderful moment. Milstein still has the edge, but no one getting to know this glorious score via Benedetti’s account would feel anything less than enchanted.

The Schubert and Mozart miniatures are also beautifully played, but it’s MacMillan’s From Ayrshire that makes the greatest impression here, with its hazy atmospherics, and soaring violin line, sounding for all the world like a latter-day The Lark Ascending in its opening pages. Here Benedetti is at her inspired best, playing the exciting final section with a bracing, invigorating freedom. -- Julian Haylock, BBC Music Magazine

MP3 320 · 123 MB

Mendelssohn, Beethoven: Violin Concertos

"Bell's readings of both works are strong and distinctive." --Gramophone

"There are performances of great concertos that leave you admiring the soloist, and others that leave you admiring the composer. The ideal should be a mixture of both, which makes Joshua Bell’s Beethoven close to ideal and his Mendelssohn even closer." --BBC Music Magazine

Joshua Bell's fresh approach to these violin warhorses makes for an unexpectedly inviting listening experience. In the Mendelssohn he marries his bright tone to forthright phrasing in a manner that communicates the music's emotion without sliding into the gooey sweetness heard in some interpretations. There's little if anything hackneyed about Bell's reading, indicating he's thought about the work anew, right through to the stylistically appropriate cadenza he composed himself (Bell cites research that suggests Mendelssohn's friend Ferdinand David may have actually composed the original cadenza). Roger Norrington's crisp, period-informed style, with its pointed accents and propulsive energy easily fits in with Bell's conception.

Bell's Beethoven is of a similar stripe. There's a youthful whimsy to his reading, although it's tempered by an awareness of the work's graceful majesty. Again, Bell supplies a cadenza of his own devising, which cleverly makes references to the Moonlight Sonata before carrying on in the discursive manner of Beethoven's late string quartets. Norrington accompanies in the aggressive Beethoven style familiar from his symphony recordings. Sony's recording slightly favors the soloist, but not to an unnatural degree as orchestral detail can be heard clearly, even in the soft passages. The CD booklet notes are evidently aimed at the newcomer to these works, and Bell's performances do make for fine introductions. But seasoned listeners can enjoy them as well for their unique insights--a rare occurrence in today's glutted CD catalog. --Victor Carr Jr, ClassicsToday.com

MP3 320 · 151 MB

Concertos pour Violon

Better known in Europe than in North America, Jean-Jacques Kantorow is a noted violinist who has made a transition to conducting, administration, and teaching.

Concertos for Violin features some of the most virtuosic violin concertos in the repertory by Felix Mendelssohn, Giuseppe Tartini, Jean-Marie Leclair and Pietro Antonio Locatelli

MP3 320 · 137 MB

Mendelssohn: Piano Trios Nos 1 and 2

“Some may find the Borodin Trio's approach to first movements a touch wayward, but most will warm to the full-blooded Romanticism of their way with Mendelssohn. The scherzos in particular have a magical lightness; recording is warmly supportive.” --BBC Music Magazine ****

‘…the Borodins have the field to themselves on CD… the three instruments merge in exceptionally ripe, full-bodied sonority… their sound-world is in fact almost Brahmsian. Always the players emphasise the romantic heart beneath Mendelssohn’s classical façade.’ --Gramophone

Often referred to as one of the greatest of child prodigies, Mendelssohn in his maturity wrote two well-known piano trios that stand as peaks among his chamber music compositions.

This recording of deeply committed performances by the legendary Borodin Trio represents excellent value for money on the market.

‘Claiming many a success for Chandos, the redoubtable Borodin Trio, among the finest now heard on disc, apply themselves to the elegant, beautifully crafted Mendelssohn works – tuneful, light in character, satisfying…’ --Which Compact Disc

MP3 320 · 139 MB