A child prodigy, Felix Mendelssohn is considered one of Europe’s greatest composers. A virtuoso conductor and pianist, he was a respected all-round musician for whom Robert Schumann had great friendship and admiration. This boxed set offers a panorama of Mendelssohn’s genius, from his masterpieces to lesser-known works performed by world-class musicians including Maxim Vengerov, Alban Berg Quartett, Kurt Masur (one of his successors at the helm of the Leipzig Gewandhaus), and Marie-Claire Alain, under whose hands we find here, for the first time on CD, a large set of Mendelssohn’s organ works.

Mendelssohn is celebrated for his role in bridging Classical structure and Romantic expressiveness. His most famous works include the “Wedding March” from A Midsummer Night's Dream, the Italian Symphony, Elijah, the Violin Concerto… However, his genius infuses a prolific and highly diverse body of work that deserves to be rediscovered. He continued to inspire future generations of composers and also played a crucial role in reviving the works of Bach.

Born on 3 February 1809 into a wealthy and culturally prominent Jewish family, Mendelssohn showed exceptional musical talent from a young age, and his parents provided him with a well-rounded education that included music, languages, and the arts. His early compositions and performances, including symphonies and chamber music, astounded audiences and drew comparisons to Mozart for his prodigious talent. He studied music with notable teachers and composers, including Carl Friedrich Zelter and Ludwig Berger, a pupil of Clementi. He spent time in Berlin and Leipzig, where he became involved in the city's musical scenes. Mendelssohn's family converted to Christianity when he was a child, and he himself was a practicing Lutheran. He married Cécile Jeanrenaud, with whom he had five children and died at the young age of 38 in Leipzig.

This 40-CD great edition includes all Mendelssohn’s most important music. A collection of landmark recordings, it features numerous major performers and first releases on CD.

Artists

The Mendelssohn Edition, Daniel Adni (piano), Samson François (piano), Aleksandar Serdar, Helmut Roloff, Doomin Kim, Annie d’Arco, Sylvia Kersenbaum, Martha Argerich (piano), Cristina Marton (piano), Marie-Claire Alain (organ), Wayne Marshall (organ), Olivier Latry (organ), Noel Rawsthorne (organ), Maxim Vengerov (violin), Alexander Markovich, Frédéric Lodéon, Daria Hovora, Trio Fontenay (piano trio), Khatia Buniatishvili (piano), Dora Schwarzberg (violin), Nora Romanoff-Schwarzberg (viola), Lyda Chen (viola), Jorge Bosso (cello), Enrico Fagone (double bass), Alban Berg Quartett (string quartet), Artemis Quartet (string quartet), Cherubini Quartet (string quartet), Quatuor Arod, Kreuzberger Quartett, Eder Quartett, Domus Quartet, Gerard Causse (viola), Quatuor Viotti, Emmanuel Pahud (flute), Eric Le Sage (piano), Cyprien Katsaris (piano), John Ogdon (piano), Rainer Kußmaul (violin), Andreas Staier (early keyboard instruments), Concerto Köln (early music ensemble), Franz Liszt Chamber Orchestra, Orchestre d’Auvergne, Sabine Meyer (clarinet), Wolfgang Meyer (clarinet), Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, London Symphony Orchestra, Academy of St Martin in the Fields, Kurt Masur, Aldo Ceccato, Jean-Jacques Kantorow, Kenneth Sillito