Mendelssohn’s reputation has suffered over the past century from the madness of the Nazis who banned his music, destroyed statues of him, to the rantings of Richard Wagner in his horrible little tract ‘Judaism in Music’.The fact that he was probably one of the most gifted child prodigies of all time has also tended to obscure the fact that his later works are just as remarkable as those of his youth.
A Jew who converted to Protestantism, Mendelssohn was a prolific composer of sacred music and he made important studies of J.S Bach – in fact he was instrumental in the resurgence of interest in Bach’s great oratorios in the 1820s and 30s. Bach’s influence upon Mendelssohn’s own sacred music is unmistakable, however composers such as Handel, Haydn and Mozart all played a part in creating his choral style.
Schumann commented on one of the works on this collection (Prayer – Verlieh uns Frieden), ‘ This little piece deserves to be world famous, and will indeed be so in the future. Madonnas by Raphael and Murillo cannot remain hidden for long’
This 8 CD collection contains many more such gems, and offers the listener an opportunity to discover more about the composer of Fingals Cave, the Violin Concerto, and the Italian Symphony. Mendelssohn’s genius is apparent in every one of the works to be found in this set.
December 2012
“a welcome overview of Mendelssohn’s sacred music in some lively and engaging performances.”
Click on any of the works listed above for alternative recordings.
