Composer: Felix Mendelssohn
Orchestra: Hanover Band
Conductor: Roy Goodman
Number of Discs: 3
Format: FLAC (tracks)
Label: RCA
Release: 2014
Size: 982 MB
Recovery: +3%
Scan: civer
CD 01
String Symphony No. 1 in C Major, MWV N 1
01. I. Allegro
02. II. Andante
03. III. Allegro
String Symphony No.2 in D Major, MWV N 2
04. I. Allegro
05. II. Andante
06. III. Allegro vivace
String Symphony No. 3 in E Minor, MWV N 3
07. I. Allegro di molto
08. II. Andante
09. III. Allegro
String Symphony No. 4 in C Minor, MVW N 4
10. I. Grave – Allegro
11. II. Andante
12. III. Allegro vivace
String Symphony No. 5 in B-Flat, MWV N 5
13. I. Allegro vivace
14. II. Andante
15. III. Presto
String Symphony No. 6 in E-Flat, MVW N 6
16. I. Allegro vivace
17. II. Menuetto
18. III. Prestissimo
19. String Symphony No. 10 in B-Minor, MVW N 10: Adagio – Allegro
CD 02
String Symphony No. 7 in D Minor, MWV N 7
01. I. Allegro
02. II. Andante
03. III. Menuetto
04. IV. Allegro molto
String Symphony No. 8 in D Major, MWV N 8 (Version with Winds)
05. I Adagio – Allegro
06. I. Adagio
07. II. Menuetto
08. III. Allegro molto
String Symphony No. 12 in G Minor, MWV N 12
09. I. Fuga, Grave – Allegro
10. II. Andante
11. III. Allegro molto
CD 03
String Symphony No. 9 in C Major, MWV N 9
01. I. Grave – Allegro
02. II. Andante
03. III. Scherzo
04. IV. Allegro vivace
String Symphony No. 11 in F Major, MVW N 11
05. I. Adagio – Allegro molto
06. II. Scherzo – Commodo Schweizerlied
07. III. Adagio
08. IV. Menuetto – Allegro Moderato
09. V. Allegro molto
10. String Symphony No. 13, MVW N 14 “Sinfoniesatz” in C Minor: Grave – Allegro molto
While the youthful string symphonies of Felix Mendelssohn may not be the best things he ever composed — surely the Midsummer Night’s Dream Overture, the Octet for Strings, the Violin Concerto in E minor, and the Italian and Scotch Symphonies have that honor — one could certainly make the case that Mendelssohn never really got much better as a composer than he was in the string symphonies. The effortlessness and eloquence of his technique, the lightness and lyricism of his melodies, the brightness and brilliance of his scoring, and above all the sheer vivacious charm of the music makes the case that, had Mendelssohn never lived past 15, he could still be counted a great composer.
At any rate, that is the argument one could make after listening to Roy Goodman and the Hanover Band’s terrific recording of Mendelssohn’s string symphonies. The fact that the Hanover Band is a period instrument ensemble matters as little as the fact that Goodman was a boy soprano: their playing is sprightly and infectious and his conducting is joyous and delightful. Goodman does not attempt to dampen and thus distort Mendelssohn’s music with a pose of faux gravitas as Kurt Masur had in his recording of the string symphonies, but rather lets Mendelssohn romp and roar with youthful energy and enthusiasm, and the result is a pure pleasure in music-making. RCA’s digital sound is real and vivid.