Abbado: Mendelssohn – 5 Symphonies, 7 Overtures (4 CD box set, FLAC)

Composer: Felix Mendelssohn
Performer: Elizabeth Connell, Karita Mattila, Hans Peter Blochwitz
Orchestra: London Symphony Orchestra
Conductor: Claudio Abbado
Audio CD
SPARS Code: DDD
Number of Discs: 4 CD box set
Format: FLAC (image+cue)
Label: Deutsche Grammophon
Size: 1.27 GB
Recovery: +3%
Scan: yes

Disc 1:
01. Symphony No.1 in C minor, Op.11 – 1. Allegro di molto
02. Symphony No.1 in C minor, Op.11 – 2. Andante
03. Symphony No.1 in C minor, Op.11 – 3. Menuetto (Allegro molto)
04. Symphony No.1 in C minor, Op.11 – 4. Allegro con fuoco
05. Octet in E flat, Op.20 – Arr. for orchestra by the composer – 3. Scherzo
06. Overture “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”, Op.21 – Overture (Allegro di molto)
07. The Hebrides, Op.26 (Fingal’s Cave) – Allegro moderato
08. Meeresstille und glückliche Fahrt, Op.27

Disc 2:
01. Symphony No.2 in B flat, Op.52 – “Hymn of Praise” – 1. Sinfonia: Maestoso con moto
02. Symphony No.2 in B flat, Op.52 – “Hymn of Praise” – 1. Sinfonia: Allegretto un poco agitato
03. Symphony No.2 in B flat, Op.52 – “Hymn of Praise” – 1. Sinfonia: Adagio religioso
04. Symphony No.2 in B flat, Op.52 – “Hymn of Praise” – 2. “Alles was Odem hat, lobe den Herrn” – “Lobe den Herrn, meine Seele”
05. Symphony No.2 in B flat, Op.52 – “Hymn of Praise” – Molto più moderato ma con fuoco:”Lobe den Herrn,… meine.
06. Symphony No.2 in B flat, Op.52 – “Hymn of Praise” – 3. “Saget es, die ihr erlöst seid”
07. Symphony No.2 in B flat, Op.52 – “Hymn of Praise” – 3. “Er zählet unsre Tränen”
08. Symphony No.2 in B flat, Op.52 – “Hymn of Praise” – 4. “Sagt es, die ihr erlöset seid”
09. Symphony No.2 in B flat, Op.52 – “Hymn of Praise” – 5. “Ich harrete des Herrn”
10. Symphony No.2 in B flat, Op.52 – “Hymn of Praise” – 6. “Stricke des Todes hatten uns umfangen”
11. Symphony No.2 in B flat, Op.52 – “Hymn of Praise” – 7. “Die Nacht ist vergangen”
12. Symphony No.2 in B flat, Op.52 – “Hymn of Praise” – 8. “Nun danket alle Gott” – “Lob, Ehr’ und Preis sei Gott”
13. Symphony No.2 in B flat, Op.52 – “Hymn of Praise” – 9. “Drum sing ich mit meinem Liede ewig”
14. Symphony No.2 in B flat, Op.52 – “Hymn of Praise” – 10. “Ihr Völker, bringet her dem Herrn Ehre und Macht”

Disc 3:
01. Symphony No.3 in A minor, Op.56 – “Scottish” – 1. Andante con moto – Allegro un poco agitato – Assai animato – Andante come prima
02. Symphony No.3 in A minor, Op.56 – “Scottish” – 2. Vivace non troppo
03. Symphony No.3 in A minor, Op.56 – “Scottish” – 3. Adagio
04. Symphony No.3 in A minor, Op.56 – “Scottish” – 4. Allegro vivacissimo – Allegro maestoso assai
05. Overture “The Fair Melusine”, Op.32 – Allegro con moto
06. “Trumpet Overture”, Op.101 – Allegro vivace – Allegro vivace
07. Ruy Blas, Op.95 – Overture to Victor Hugo’s play – Lento – Allegro molto

Disc 4:
01. Symphony No.4 in A, Op.90 – “Italian” – 1. Allegro vivace
02. Symphony No.4 in A, Op.90 – “Italian” – 2. Andante con moto
03. Symphony No.4 in A, Op.90 – “Italian” – 3. Con moto moderato
04. Symphony No.4 in A, Op.90 – “Italian” – 4. Saltarello (Presto)
05. Symphony No.5 in D minor, Op.107 – “Reformation” – 1. Andante – Allegro con fuoco
06. Symphony No.5 in D minor, Op.107 – “Reformation” – 2. Allegro vivace
07. Symphony No.5 in D minor, Op.107 – “Reformation” – 3. Andante
08. Symphony No.5 in D minor, Op.107 – “Reformation” – 4. Choral “Ein’ Feste Burg ist unser Gott!”
09. Overture for Wind Instruments, Op.24 (für Harmoniemusik)

A Five Star Performance by a Five Star Conductor and Orchestra at a Five Star Price!

This is a lovely collection of Mendelssohn/s Symphonies and Overtures conducted by the acclaimed Abbado. These are mostly recordings from the 1980’s, but their sonic quality is very good, and there is plenty of dynamic range, separation, and low noise to make them a pleasure to which to listen even on the best set of headphones (meaning that the recording quality is good enough to stand up to that type of scrutiny). Abbado is a legend from his many recording cycle projects, and this one is no exception. The sound is rich and full, and the playing by the London Symphony Orchestra is simply wonderful. There is plenty of good tempo, punctuation, and precision throughout. If you’re new to Mendelssohn, a composer who helped revive the memory of Bach for the world, or even if you are a seasoned Mendelssohn listener, you can’t go wrong with this set. It’s at a fantastic price, too! Five Stars