Composer: Felix Mendelssohn
Orchestra: Freiburger Barockorchester
Conductor: Pablo Heras-Casado
Format: FLAC (tracks)
Label: Harmonia Mundi
Catalogue: HMC902228
Release: 2016
Size: 298 MB
Recovery: +3%
Scan: yes
Symphony No. 3 in A minor, Op. 56 ‘Scottish’
01. I. Andante con moto – Allegro un poco agitato
02. II. Vivace non troppo
03. III. Adagio
04. IV. Allegro vivacissimo – Allegro maestoso assai
Symphony No. 4 in A major, Op. 90 ‘Italian’
05. I. Allegro vivace
06. II. Andante con moto
07. III. Con moto moderato
08. IV. Presto and Finale. Saltarello
In later life, Mendelssohn always opposed the use of the terms ‘Scottish’ and ‘Italian’ for his symphonies in A minor and A major respectively, as if to emphasise their qualities as ‘pure’ music. Yet they were directly inspired by his European Grand Tour of 1829-32: from the gloomy ruins of Holyrood Abbey to the sun-drenched landscapes of Rome and Naples, his imagination fashioned masterpieces that have seldom been surpassed for their sense of orchestral colour, vividly brought out here by the period instruments of the Freiburger Barockorchester.