Felix Mendelssohn
String Symphony No. 1 in C major (1821)
00:00 - Allegro
04:34 - Andante
08:17 - Allegro
Performed by the Northern Chamber Orchestra under the direction of Nicholas Ward.
String Symphony No. 2 in D major (1821)
00:00 - Allegro
04:04 - Andante
08:13 - Allegro vivace
Performed by the Northern Chamber Orchestra under the direction of Nicholas Ward.
"Mendelssohn wrote his twelve String Symphonies between 1821 and 1823. The first seven were all composed in 1821, with the eighth a year later, dated 27th November 1822, and the ninth, tenth, eleventh, and twelfth, completed in March, May, July and September 1823 respectively. A thirteenth symphony, started in December that year, was replaced by a fully orchestrated work, to become his Symphony No. 1 in C major, Op. 11. The string symphonies were written when Mendelssohn was a pupil of Zelter and reflect the inclinations of the teacher and Mendelssohn's own clear debt to earlier classical models, with an increasing interest in the contrapuntal practices of Bach and Handel. This last is evident in the minor key Andante of the String Symphony No. 2 in D major, with its exploration of contrasting string textures, with a more classical use of imitative counterpoint in the final Allegro vivace." - Keith Anderson
String Symphony No. 3 in E minor (1821)
00:00 - Allegro di molto
03:53 - Andante
06:44 - Allegro
The third of the set, the String Symphony in E minor opens dramatically, proceeding with an increasingly contrapuntal texture. A major key Andante is in contrast, capped by a final return to the dramatic mood of the first movement." - Keith Anderson
Performed by the Northern Chamber Orchestra under the direction of Nicholas Ward.
Nicholas Ward: Mendelssohn String Symphonies Complete, 1 to 3
Nicholas Ward: Mendelssohn String Symphonies Complete, 4 to 6
Nicholas Ward: Mendelssohn String Symphonies Complete, 7 to 9
Nicholas Ward: Mendelssohn String Symphonies Complete, 10 to 13
