Mendelssohn: Capriccio in F sharp minor, Op. 5

Howard Shelley is acclaimed as the living master of early Romantic piano music. So much of this music was ignored throughout the twentieth century that there is still a sense of discovery at each new recording. Shelley here presents the first instalment of a six-volume set of Mendelssohn’s complete solo piano music—perhaps the least well-known part of the composer’s repertoire.

Mendelssohn composed or began nearly two hundred works for piano. Nevertheless, he saw only about seventy through the press, released in seventeen opera from the Capriccio Op 5 (1825) to the sixth volume of the Lieder ohne Worte Op 67 (1845). Some twenty-five additional pieces appeared posthumously in eleven additional opera. The remainder, whether fully drafted or fragmentary, were left to his musical estate or have disappeared.

Volume 1 includes Opp 5, 6, and 7, the first three piano compositions Mendelssohn published between 1825 and 1827, as well as Op 19b, the first volume of his Lieder ohne Worte, released in 1832.

2012 sees the 70th birthday of Daniel Barenboim, surely one of the greatest of all living musicians as pianist and conductor. He began what has grown into his vast recording career as a young teenager, with these recordings, first issued in the early months of 1956, when the boy pianist was just 13 years old. They are beautiful performances of a wide range of music, from Bach to Shostakovich, and we are pleased to present this complete collection of Daniel Barenboim's first-ever recordings as a memento of his gilded youth - recordings which have not been available now in any form for more than 40 years - and which all admirers of this great artists will wish to possess.

Felix Mendelssohn was a virtuoso pianist, and it is worth remembering that he was born in 1809, with his friend Schumann being born a year later in 1810, as was Chopin, and Liszt following in 1811. These composers were among the greatest pianists of the 19th century, and they were born at a time when the piano was a relatively modern instrument, and composers such as Hummel, Moscheles (Mendelssohn’s friend), Kalkbrenner and Ries were accorded adulation similar to pop stars today. Beethoven commenced his career in the 1790s as a virtuoso pianist.

No surprise then that the young Mendelssohn composed extensively for his chosen instrument from the outset. From early concertos and sonatas he quickly established his ‘mature’ style in works such as the Rondo capriccioso, and the Andante cantabile e Presto agitato.

The masterpieces that followed include the remarkably imposing Variations serieuses and the famous Songs without Words. Mendelssohn’s style did not change throughout his short creative life – he very quickly composed in what we know as his mature style from his early teens, something even Mozart didn’t achieve. This 4CD contains the Songs without Words, Variations serieuse, Kinderstucke, Rondo capriccioso, Capriccio, and Trois Fantasies ou Caprices plus several shorter works.

Released to commemorate the forthcoming anniversary of Mendelssohn in 2009, this 8 CD set features the piano works. The works on these discs exude flowing elegance and pianistic brilliance. Songs Without Words display flowing lyricism combined with appealing melody and the character pieces, fantasias, capriccios, preludes, studies and other works demand a good deal of dexterity.

As a soloist and chamber musician, Dana Protopopescu has captivated audiences worldwide. Previous recordings won her the highest acclaim in press reviews by the Penguin Guide and Diapason France. Among other awards, she has received the Music Critic Award in Bucharest.