Special offer. Mendelssohn: Symphonies Nos. 3 & 4
Freiburger Barockorchester, Pablo Heras-Casado
There's much to enjoy here…and the major selling-point is the wonderful sound made by this German band under their Spanish conductor
Special offer. Mendelssohn: Symphonies Nos. 3 & 4
Freiburger Barockorchester, Pablo Heras-Casado
Purchase product
There's much to enjoy here…and the major selling-point is the wonderful sound made by this German band under their Spanish conductor
About
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.
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Awards and reviews
March 2016
There's much to enjoy here…and the major selling-point is the wonderful sound made by this German band under their Spanish conductor
14th February 2016
The woodwinds’ restored prominence has been a vital achievement of the period-instrument movement; in these vivid performances, it serves Mendelssohn’s brilliant writing well. But the balance can tip too far.
28th January 2016
It’s nimble and light, sensual without forcing the point, folksy but not quite fey; whimsical, in the deconstructed manner of Berio or Nono. The two voices lilt together in First Love Scene, sultry and restrained while the oboe flits about saying what the signers won’t...The performance is excellent — especially from Dennis, whose voice is beautifully grainy but still laced with metal.
31st January 2016
extremely lively and incisive account of the Scottish and Italian symphonies by the Freiburg Baroque Orchestra.
The Classical Reviewer 13/03/2016
This is a performance of chamber like subtlety and transparency with an underlying drive and energy. Harmonia Mundi has a winner with Pablo Heras-Casado and the Freiburger Barockorchester. If you think that you’ve heard these symphonies too many times try these performances and revel in the freshness of re-discovery
Classical Ear 14/03/2016
“tidy and brisk readings…an unusual and often attractive release…with audio up to Harmonia Mundi’s usual high standards
