In stock - usually despatched within 1 working day.
Ronald Brautigam here performs the first four books of Felix Mendelssohn’s Songs Without Words (Lieder ohne Worte).
If claims could be made for a composer to have invented a genre single-handedly, Mendelssohn would be a strong candidate with his ‘Songs Without Words’ - short lyrical pieces for the piano using a song-like structure. They were immediately popular across Europe, and were imitated by several composers, including Robert Schumann.
One of today’s leading fortepiano players, Ronald Brautigam has released complete sets of piano music by Mozart and Haydn, and is currently recording a highly regarded series of the solo piano works by Beethoven.
Felix Mendelssohn: Lieder ohne Worte (Songs without Words), Book 1, Op. 19b
No. 1 in E major, Op. 19b, No. 1, MWV U86
No. 2 in A minor, Op. 19b, No. 2, MWV U80
No. 3 in A major, Op. 19b, No. 3, MWV U89, "Jagerlied"
No. 4 in A major, Op. 19b, No. 4, MWV U73
No. 5 in F sharp minor, Op. 19b, No. 5, MWV U90
No. 6 in G minor, Op. 19b, No. 6, MWV U78, "Venezianisches Gondellied"
Felix Mendelssohn: Lieder ohne Worte (Songs without Words), Book 2, Op. 30
No. 7 in E flat major, Op. 30, No. 1, MWV U103
No. 8 in B flat minor, Op. 30, No. 2, MWV U77
No. 9 in E major, Op. 30, No. 3, MWV U104
No. 10 in B minor, Op. 30, No. 4, MWV U98
No. 11 in D major, Op. 30, No. 5, MWV U97
No. 12 in F sharp minor, Op. 30, No. 6, MWV U110, "Venezianisches Gondellied"
Felix Mendelssohn: Lieder ohne Worte (Songs without Words), Book 3, Op. 38
No. 13 in E flat major, Op. 38, No. 1, MWV U121
No. 14 in C minor, Op. 38, No. 2, MWV U115
No. 15 in E major, Op. 38, No. 3, MWV U107
No. 16 in A major, Op. 38, No. 4, MWV U120
No. 17 in A minor, Op. 38, No. 5, MWV U137
No. 18 in A flat major, Op. 38, No. 6, MWV U119, "Duetto"
Felix Mendelssohn: Lieder ohne Worte (Songs without Words), Book 4, Op. 53
No. 19 in A flat major, Op. 53, No. 1, MWV U143
No. 20 in E flat major, Op. 53, No. 2, MWV U109
No. 21 in G minor, Op. 53, No. 3, MWV U144
No. 22 in F major, Op. 53, No. 4, MWV U114
No. 23 in A minor, Op. 53, No. 5, MWV U153, "Volkslied"
No. 24 in A major, Op. 53, No. 6, MWV U154
Felix Mendelssohn: Lied ohne Worte in E flat major, MWV U68
Lied ohne Worte in E flat major, MWV U68
Felix Mendelssohn: Andante in A major, MWV U76
Andante in A major
Felix Mendelssohn: Lieder ohne Worte (Songs without Words), Book 1, Op. 19b (early version)
Lieder ohne Worte (Songs without Words), Book 1, Op. 19b: No. 2 in A minor, Op. 19b, No. 2, MWV U80 (early version)
Felix Mendelssohn: Lied ohne Worte (Song without Words) in F sharp minor, MWV U124
Lied ohne Worte (Song without Words) in F sharp minor, MWV U124
Felix Mendelssohn: Allegretto in A major, MWV U138
Allegretto in A major, MWV U138
March 2013
****
“Initially I was not entirely convinced by the modern copy of an 1830 Pleyel...But soon I was relishing the clarity and sheer beauty of the sound and, for the most part, of Ronald Brautigam playing. He is, without any doubt, one of the finest pianists around, and his despatch of Mendelssohn's fastest pieces is thrilling.”
March 2013
“a rare opportunity to hear some of the composer's most beloved works as he might have heard them...There is, of course, much to savour and admire...but I miss the modern grand piano's sustained, singing tone”
April 2013
“Ronald Brautigam’s Mendelssohn is so good it’s easy not to notice how good it is. That is, this playing feels so natural, so effortless, so perfectly songlike (cantabile!) that it’s tempting to think, “why wouldn’t the music sound like this?” ..This Mendelssohn breathes like a living thing...If you don’t think a fortepiano can sing, think again. A superb recital.”
Click on any of the works listed above for alternative recordings.
No. 1 in E major, Op. 19b, No. 1, MWV U86
