Mendelssohn Symphonies 3 & 4

[Axiom05]

New release discount at eClassical. Any thoughts or opinions? I am considering downloading but really know nothing about this period instrument recording. I have several recording by the Freiburger Barockorchester which are all good. Cheers!

 

[jhwalker]

New release discount at eClassical. Any thoughts or opinions? I am considering downloading but really know nothing about this period instrument recording. I have several recording by the Freiburger Barockorchester which are all good. Cheers!

 

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Listening to it now - sounds wonderful, and the performance / interpretation fits my conception, as well.

 

I haven't yet heard anything from Heras-Casado I haven't enjoyed thoroughly

[Musicophile]

New release discount at eClassical. Any thoughts or opinions? I am considering downloading but really know nothing about this period instrument recording. I have several recording by the Freiburger Barockorchester which are all good. Cheers!

 

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Thanks for flagging. I usually tend to like the Freiburger a lot, and a new recording of these beautiful works is something for my collection. I will check it out.

[thrand1]

Wow, you all are too fast, I just came here to post on this!

 

I am considering going to a performance featuring Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto plus Mendelssohn's 4th (and, of course, some Midsummer Night's Dream thrown in, because what would a Mendelssohn concert be without some of that? ) by the Cincinnati Symphony in a few months. I've been looking around for good performances of the 4th and I see Klemperer listed as a favorite by several, but can't find anywhere to download it, so was considering picking this one up, especially at the discounted rate.

[Axiom05]

Anybody try this one yet? Opinions/thoughts?

[Musicophile]

Anybody try this one yet? Opinions/thoughts?

I've tried the samples on eclassical, and am not sure I'm fully convinced. The interpretation is certainly good, but I somehow have a slightly different idea on how these pieces should be performed. I can't really put my finger on it, because there is enough energy and drive.

 

Maybe it is a slightly "wooden" sound that I noticed before with recent recordings of the Freiburger Barock, who, as their name indicates, obviously have their roots in Baroque music (example in case, the recent recording of Schumann's piano concerto with Melnikov, which I like, but still not adhere 100%). I should probably make up my mind before it disappears from the special offers.

 

 

That said, I have yet to find my favorite version. So far I'm still going back regularly to my very first version, by Christoph von Dohnanyi with the Vienna Philharmonic.

[jhwalker]

I've tried the samples on eclassical, and am not sure I'm fully convinced. The interpretation is certainly good, but I somehow have a slightly different idea on how these pieces should be performed. I can't really put my finger on it, because there is enough energy and drive.

 

Maybe it is a slightly "wooden" sound that I noticed before with recent recordings of the Freiburger Barock, who, as their name indicates, obviously have their roots in Baroque music (example in case, the recent recording of Schumann's piano concerto with Melnikov, which I like, but still not adhere 100%). I should probably make up my mind before it disappears from the special offers.

 

 

That said, I have yet to find my favorite version. So far I'm still going back regularly to my very first version, by Christoph von Dohnanyi with the Vienna Philharmonic.

 

It definitely has that HIP "roughness" to it, doesn't it? I kind of like it, but probably should listen on modern instruments, as well.

[Axiom05]

I've tried the samples on eclassical, and am not sure I'm fully convinced. The interpretation is certainly good, but I somehow have a slightly different idea on how these pieces should be performed. I can't really put my finger on it, because there is enough energy and drive.

 

Maybe it is a slightly "wooden" sound that I noticed before with recent recordings of the Freiburger Barock, who, as their name indicates, obviously have their roots in Baroque music (example in case, the recent recording of Schumann's piano concerto with Melnikov, which I like, but still not adhere 100%). I should probably make up my mind before it disappears from the special offers.

 

 

That said, I have yet to find my favorite version. So far I'm still going back regularly to my very first version, by Christoph von Dohnanyi with the Vienna Philharmonic.

 

Thanks for your comments. You have pretty much summed-up exactly what I have been thinking. I listened to the samples, listened to the Schumann recording and listened to my Abbado/LSO recordings of the Mendelssohn symphonies. I think I prefer my Mendelssohn a bit more "lush" sounding. I decided to pass on this one and save the money for something else. As always, your comments are much appreciated.

[Musicophile]

Thanks for your comments. You have pretty much summed-up exactly what I have been thinking. I listened to the samples, listened to the Schumann recording and listened to my Abbado/LSO recordings of the Mendelssohn symphonies. I think I prefer my Mendelssohn a bit more "lush" sounding. I decided to pass on this one and save the money for something else. As always, your comments are much appreciated.

I do have the Abbado cycle, and agree, it's really good.

[Boris75]

I bought this CD. What's nice is that the box includes a sheet with a code allowing to download a high-res version. I found the 3rd symphony extremely good. I very much enjoyed the kind of harshness that period instruments bring to this music. The vivacity with which they play this music makes it sound a bit like Schumann's, which I mean as a strong compliment. I am less convinced by the fourth symphony, where I find their interpretation a bit dull. Overall, I strongly recommend the 3rd and am quite lukewarm on the 4th: so my advice would be to go to eClassical and buy only the 3rd. However, this is for those who already have a more conventional version of Mendelssohn's 3rd symphony. I would not start from this recording but rather from Klemperer's reference recording.

 

Sound quality of the high-res is very, very good. I didn't listen to the redbook version.

[Musicophile]

I bought this CD. What's nice is that the box includes a sheet with a code allowing to download a high-res version. I found the 3rd symphony extremely good. I very much enjoyed the kind of harshness that period instruments bring to this music. The vivacity with which they play this music makes it sound a bit like Schumann's, which I mean as a strong compliment. I am less convinced by the fourth symphony, where I find their interpretation a bit dull. Overall, I strongly recommend the 3rd and am quite lukewarm on the 4th: so my advice would be to go to eClassical and buy only the 3rd. However, this is for those who already have a more conventional version of Mendelssohn's 3rd symphony. I would not start from this recording but rather from Klemperer's reference recording.

 

Sound quality of the high-res is very, very good. I didn't listen to the redbook version.

I may check the Scottish out again. I really like the 3rd and don't have a good contemporary version of it. I had high hopes for the recent release by Gardiner, but was terribly disappointed (Am I Deaf or How Could This Go So Wrong – Gardiner & Pires’ Schumann & Mendelssohn | musicophilesblog – From Keith Jarrett to Johannes Brahms).

 

Thanks for your words of warning about the Italian. That matches my impression of listening to the snippets.

[Axiom05]

I may check the Scottish out again. I really like the 3rd and don't have a good contemporary version of it. I had high hopes for the recent release by Gardiner, but was terribly disappointed (Am I Deaf or How Could This Go So Wrong – Gardiner & Pires’ Schumann & Mendelssohn | musicophilesblog – From Keith Jarrett to Johannes Brahms).

 

Thanks for your words of warning about the Italian. That matches my impression of listening to the snippets.

 

Have you looked into the recordings by Jan Willem de Vriend on Challenge Classics (spiritofturtle.com)? He has recorded all of the symphonies and I believe that Gramophone gave them pretty good write-ups, check the archives now that you know how. ;-)

 

I have been considering them but have not made a final decision. Let me know what you think. The reviews of the Gardiner recordings did not impress me, quite disappointing actually. Like you, I am looking for a "modern" set of recordings to go along with me more vintage Abbado set.

[nealsons]

Perhaps you know this already, but you can listen to the whole selection, not just the snippet, on the eclassical site. After the 30 second snippet is done, just click on the play icon on the bar that shows the snippet progress, and it will play 30 seconds more, and so on. You can also move the bar to go to anywhere in the selection. Besides the prices, the selection, and the deal of the day, that's another thing I like about eclassical.

 

Thanks for your words of warning about the Italian. That matches my impression of listening to the snippets.

[Musicophile]

Perhaps you know this already, but you can listen to the whole selection, not just the snippet, on the eclassical site. After the 30 second snippet is done, just click on the play icon on the bar that shows the snippet progress, and it will play 30 seconds more, and so on. You can also move the bar to go to anywhere in the selection. Besides the prices, the selection, and the deal of the day, that's another thing I like about eclassical.

Am aware of that feature and appreciate it. I also share your enthusiasm regarding Eclassical. The only thing that would make them even better is to have them available for streaming on Qobuz, but I don't see that happening any time soon.

[thrand1]

Forgive me the naive question(s) I am posing here...but when I see specific conductors mentioned (i.e. Klemperer, Abbado, von Dohnanyi), is there a specific "recording year" or version that you all prefer?

 

For example, I see classicstoday has a shining review of Klemperer's 4th, but that disc is either out of print or not available, and I see a remastered recording of the Mendelssohn 4th / Schumann 4th available on HDTracks, which I presume is a different year/performance. Same for Abbado- I see a release of the 3rd and 4th "alone" from the 1980's, but then a larger collection of the complete symphonies and overtures released in 2001.

 

It's hard to decide with so many superlative performances out there I am wondering if the Klemperer Mendelssohn/Schumann pairing on HDTracks is worth the price premium, or if just going the (gasp) iTunes route for an Abbado/von Dohnanyi is preferable. I see HDTT also has a recording from Munch/BSO available as well.

 

Anyone have any comments on if the Klemperer HDTracks is worth the premium, or should I just go with an iTunes download of an Abbado/von Dohnanyi? As always, thanks for the civil discussions and helpful recommendations.

[Musicophile]

Forgive me the naive question(s) I am posing here...but when I see specific conductors mentioned (i.e. Klemperer, Abbado, von Dohnanyi), is there a specific "recording year" or version that you all prefer?

 

For example, I see classicstoday has a shining review of Klemperer's 4th, but that disc is either out of print or not available, and I see a remastered recording of the Mendelssohn 4th / Schumann 4th available on HDTracks, which I presume is a different year/performance. Same for Abbado- I see a release of the 3rd and 4th "alone" from the 1980's, but then a larger collection of the complete symphonies and overtures released in 2001.

 

It's hard to decide with so many superlative performances out there I am wondering if the Klemperer Mendelssohn/Schumann pairing on HDTracks is worth the price premium, or if just going the (gasp) iTunes route for an Abbado/von Dohnanyi is preferable. I see HDTT also has a recording from Munch/BSO available as well.

 

Anyone have any comments on if the Klemperer HDTracks is worth the premium, or should I just go with an iTunes download of an Abbado/von Dohnanyi? As always, thanks for the civil discussions and helpful recommendations.

 

In classical music, you need to differentiate between different recording years (sometimes conductors record the same stuff several times over the years) and just re-releases and remasters of the same material.

 

As far as I know, Abbado and Dohnanyi only recorded the symphonies once, back in the 70s/80s. Here's another opinion on the two recordings: http://www.gramophone.co.uk/review/mendelssohn-complete-symphonies

 

Can't comment on which version to get, I only have CD rips of both.

[Axiom05]

Forgive me the naive question(s) I am posing here...but when I see specific conductors mentioned (i.e. Klemperer, Abbado, von Dohnanyi), is there a specific "recording year" or version that you all prefer?

 

For example, I see classicstoday has a shining review of Klemperer's 4th, but that disc is either out of print or not available, and I see a remastered recording of the Mendelssohn 4th / Schumann 4th available on HDTracks, which I presume is a different year/performance. Same for Abbado- I see a release of the 3rd and 4th "alone" from the 1980's, but then a larger collection of the complete symphonies and overtures released in 2001.

 

It's hard to decide with so many superlative performances out there I am wondering if the Klemperer Mendelssohn/Schumann pairing on HDTracks is worth the price premium, or if just going the (gasp) iTunes route for an Abbado/von Dohnanyi is preferable. I see HDTT also has a recording from Munch/BSO available as well.

 

Anyone have any comments on if the Klemperer HDTracks is worth the premium, or should I just go with an iTunes download of an Abbado/von Dohnanyi? As always, thanks for the civil discussions and helpful recommendations.

 

Abbado recorded all of the symphonies (plus overtures) with the London Symphony Orchestra in the 1980's & these recordings were released as a four disc set in 1985 on Deutsche Grammophon. The performances received good reviews and the sound quality is descent if not spectacular. These recordings were reissued in 2001, again as four CD's, and can be purchased now at Presto Classical for only $27.00 USD. If you are new to this music, this may be a worthwhile investment to explore it with minimal investment.

[Musicophile]

The French magazine Classica that I usually trust well, gives this recording " Choc" in the recently released March 2016 issue.

 

Maybe I need to give it another spin. I'm surprised to see the album is not yet available on Qobuz. I hope that doesn't mean new Harmonia Mundi releases are not released there any more (repertoire until 2015 seems to be ok).

[thrand1]

The French magazine Classica that I usually trust well, gives this recording " Choc" in the recently released March 2016 issue.

 

Maybe I need to give it another spin. I'm surprised to see the album is not yet available on Qobuz. I hope that doesn't mean new Harmonia Mundi releases are not released there any more (repertoire until 2015 seems to be ok).

 

I listened to this album on Spotify, and in comparison to some of the recommended recordings above, the performance moves at such a fast pace in spots that I don't enjoy it as much. The second movement of the Italian (Andante con moto) in particular sticks out to me- Heras-Casado proceeds through this in 5:07, Abbado in 5:56, Dohnanyi in 5:55.