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See Terms & Conditions for p&p rates. | |  | Mendelssohn: Symphony No. 2 in B flat major, Op. 52 'Lobgesang'
Judith van Wanrooij (soprano) & Patrick Henckens (tenor) Netherlands Symphony Orchestra, Jan Willem de Vriend Following their acclaimed cycle of the Beethoven symphonies for Challenge Classics, conductor Jan Willem de Vriend and the Netherlands Symphony Orchestra are now recording the five symphonies of Felix Mendelssohn, beginning with one of the least well-known, the Symphony No. 2 ‘Hymn of Praise’. The symphonies will be released on hybrid SACDs and the performances will incorporate instrumental techniques from Mendelssohn’s own time. The fingerings and bowings for the edition employed here are by Ferdinand David, a friend of the composer and concertmaster of the Gewandhaus Orchestra. "Mendelssohn’s Lobgesang is undoubtedly the greatest work that has proceeded from any German composer since Beethoven. It is great in plan, great in development, and masterly in detail." [From: Annual report - Sacred Harmonic Society London (1844)]. That the symphony was forgotten, despite such reviews, was largely due to unfavourable comparisons with Beethoven’s Ninth, and the large vocal portion of the work. But de Vriend and his orchestra believe fully in its qualities and give an insightful performance which could well lead to its revaluation. Artistic director of Combattimento Consort Amsterdam, Jan Willem de Vriend has, since 2006, also been the chief conductor and artistic director of the Netherlands Symphony Orchestra. De Vriend has been a guest conductor with the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra, the Netherlands Radio Chamber Philharmonic, the Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra, The Hague Philharmonic and the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra. “Two highly sympathetic soprano soloists (Judith van Wanroij and Machteld Baumans) and the warm chorales and clean fugal entries of the Consensus Vocalis choir make a persuasive argument for Jan Willem de Vriend's recording of "Lobgesang".” The Independent, 10th February 2013 “No rival version is better and few are as good...for a fresh, immediate statement that compels one's attention from start to finish, I cannot imagine anyone being disappointed by this new release” Gramophone Magazine, May 2013 “de Vriend paces the various sections of the finale shrewdly. I particularly appreciate the energy he brings to the music, even when the tempo is not fast; there is no stuffiness or sentimentality about this. This symphony may not consistently display Mendelssohn at his best but this performance is a successful launch for de Vriend’s cycle.” MusicWeb International, 6th May 2013 | 
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| |  | Mendelssohn: Symphony No. 2 'Lobgesang'
Michaela Maria Mayer (soprano), Katharina Hagopian (soprano), Mark Adler (tenor) Vocapella Chorus, Aachen Symphony Orchestra, Marcus Bosch The composer's description of the work was “A Symphony- Cantata on Words of the Holy Bible, for Soloists, Chorus and Orchestra”. Structurally, it consists of three purely orchestral movements followed by 11 movements for chorus and/or soloists and orchestra, and lasts approximately 65–70 minutes in total. Marcus Bosch and his colleagues bring this work powerfully alive on this latest Coviello ‘live recording’ Hybrid SACD. |
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| |  | Mendelssohn: Symphony No. 2 in B flat major, Op. 52 'Lobgesang'
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| |  | Mendelssohn: Symphony No. 2 in B flat major, Op. 52 'Lobgesang'
Christiane Oelze, Simona Saturova (sopranos), Ian Bostridge (tenor) Tonkunstler Orchester Niederosterreich, Chorus Sine Nomine & Sine Nomine, Andres Orozco-Estrada This live recording was made in October 2010 in the Vienna Musikverein. “The Tonkunstler-Orchester delivers a vigorously articulated opening Allegro and Orozco-Estrada shapes the Adagio religioso with great depth of feeling. tenor soloist Ian Bostridge sings with passion in both his arias” BBC Music Magazine, September 2011 *** “the wind band has a smooth, sweet and authentically Viennese blend that well suits the chorale articulations, while the narrow-bore brass and dry timpani lend a welcome and complementary pungency... Ian Bostridge is an inspired bit of casting: his doubt-beset watchman, at the symphony's dramatic high-point, throws us forward to the role's counterparts in The Flying Dutchman and Tristan” Gramophone Magazine, September 2011 | | | Usually despatched in 2 - 3 working days. |
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| |  | Mendelssohn: Symphony No. 2 in B flat major, Op. 52 'Lobgesang'
Hot on the heels of October’s release of Elijah, comes a new recording of Mendelssohn’s opulent Symphony No. 2 ‘Lobgesang’. Principal Conductor and Artistic Director of the MDR Leipzig Radio Symphony, and Music Director of the Orchestre National de Lyon, Jun Märkl is one of the most notable conductors of his generation. Mendelssohn’s immense Symphony No. 2 enjoyed great success following its 1840 première in Leipzig. Using texts from the Lutheran Bible, he created a stirring symphonic cantata in which the whole world unites in a triumphant song to the Heavenly Father. Jun Märkl, whose Naxos recordings have gained high praise, leads an outstanding line-up of artists in this thrilling performance. “Strong performances from the MDR orchestra and chorus counter Wagner's jealous claim that this was merely a feeble imitation of Beethoven's Ninth.” The Observer, 19th December 2010 “Märkl's version has many beauties, not least the duet before the final chorus which Ruth Ziesak and Christian Elsner sing with great tenderness...The chorus sing with gusto, and their final hymn of praise is triumphant and exciting.” BBC Music Magazine, February 2011 **** “The secret...is not to let the inner tension sag...This Jun Märkl does admirably...The solo singing is outstanding...This is a splendid CD of an unfairly neglected and often misunderstood work, and at the attractive price it will be very hard to beat.” International Record Review, January 2011 “[Märkl] shrewdly judges the balance between dignity and urgency, while the choral singing (with a notably incisive tenor line) is aptly full-blooded without compromising clarity in Mendelssohn's fugal textures...Ziesak and Mojca Erdmann combine attractively in the famous, and oft-maligned, duet "I waited for the Lord", which emerges with freshness and charm.” Gramophone Magazine, March 2011 “Märkl blows away any Victorian cobwebs with a reading that keeps Mendelssohn's precision scoring firmly on its toes...Those listeners who like their Mendelssohn fleet-footed and light as air should be well satisfied with Märkl's sparkling reading of this wonderful score.” Classic FM Magazine, March 2011 **** | | | (also available to download from $6.25) | Usually despatched in 2 - 3 working days. (Available now to download.) |
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| |  | Mendelssohn - Complete Symphonies Volume 6
Mendelssohn: | Symphony No. 2 in B flat major, Op. 52 'Lobgesang' |
“Markus Schäfer...rises to the occasion of the most dramatic episode in the work...without veering into the operatic; Eleonore Marguerre answers beautifully...There is, throughout, splendid playing from the Heidelburgers.” Gramophone Magazine, June 2010 | | | (also available to download from $11.00) | Usually despatched in 2 - 3 working days. (Available now to download.) |
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| |  | Mendelssohn: Symphony No. 2 in B flat major, Op. 52 'Lobgesang'Recorded at public concerts in the Grieg Hall, Bergen, April 2008
Completed in 1840, Mendelssohn's ‘Lobgesang’ Symphony is actually his fourth in order of composition, preceded by both the Italian (No.4) and the Reformation Symphony (No.5). It was composed to mark the 400th anniversary of Gutenberg’s invention of the printing press. Instead of dealing with the subject of printing or Gutenberg’s life, however, Mendelssohn chose to focus on the consequences of Gutenberg’s achievement, presenting it as the victory of light over darkness. “Litton's live recording is outstanding: observant of Mendelssohn's tempi, with beautifully detailed orchestral textures and lithe but robust choral work from the Danish National Vocal Ensemble and soloists Judith Howarth, Jennifer Larmore and Christoph Prégardien.” The Observer, 5th July 2009 “The tenor Christoph Pregardien is powerfully eloquent in the work’s best section (the anguished Stricke des Todes), and the Bergen Philharmonic lilt charmingly during the opening Sinfonia.” The Times, 11th July 2009 ** | | | (also available to download from $11.00) | Usually despatched in 2 - 3 working days. (Available now to download.) |
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| |  | Mendelssohn Church Music X - Lobgesang
Mendelssohn: | Symphony No. 2 in B flat major, Op. 52 'Lobgesang' |
Concluding the excellent series of the complete church music of Mendelssohn. “The fresh young voices of the Kammerchor Stuttgart bring vitality to Mendelssohn’s hybrid symphony-cantata….from the opening trombone fanfares to the brisk final fugue it displays a dramatic range of colour and texture in this lively and well-paced performance.” Choir & Organ, June 2009 ***** “This recording is designed to crown Bernius's series of Mendelssohn's choral works, and offers a fitting climax. …Christine Karg… comes into her own in the duet "I waited for the Lord". The great moment which follows is set to the words "Die Nacht ist vergangen" ("the night has departed") - a moment which should send a thrill, as it certainly does in this recording.” Gramophone Magazine, September 2009 | | | (also available to download from $11.00) | Usually despatched in 2 - 3 working days. (Available now to download.) |
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| |  | Chailly conducts Mendelssohn
Recorded live at the Gewandhaus, Leipzig, 2-3 September 2005 | | | Usually despatched in 2 - 3 working days. |
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(Live Recording) | | | (Sorry, download not available in your country) | Usually despatched in 8 - 10 working days. |
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