MENDELSSOHN Discoveries Symphony No.4 “Italian” (version 1833-34), 2 Concert Arias World Premier Recording

Felix MENDELSSOHN (1809-47)

Symphony in A Major (“Italian”) (revised version 1833-34)

1 I. Allegro Vivace 11:19
2 II. Andante Con Moto 7:15
3 III. Menuetto: Con Moto Grazioso 8:17
4 (Attaca Subito:) IV. Saltarello: Allegro Di Molto 6:57

Infelice! / Ah Ritorna, Età Dell’Oro
5 Recitative (Allegro Vivace): Infelice! Già Dal Mio Sguardo Si Diliguò 2:10
6 Andante Sostenuto: Ah, Ritorna, Età Dell’oro 5:24
7 Allegro Vivace: D’amor Nel Regno Non V’è Contento 6:47

On Lena’s Gloomy Heath (7:16)
8a Moderato Andante: On Lena’s Gloomy Heath
8b Allegro Con Brio: My Soul Brightens In Danger

Francine van der Heijden – soprano (5-7)
Boris Statsenko – baritone (8)
Harmut Schill – violin obligato (5-7)

Robert Schumann hilharmonie Chemnitz
Oleg Caetani – conductor

Live Recording
Tracks 5 to 8: World Premier Recording
Includes 40-page booklet with illustrations and extensive documentation in 3 languages
Manufactured by CD Plant Tecval SA in Switzerland

Label: Claves – CD 50-9912
Barcode: 7619931991221
Format: CD
Country: Switzerland
Released: 1999
Genre: Classical
Style: Romantic, Symphony, Orchestra

The performance of the first movement from the 1833 score of the Italian-Symphony with Mendelssohn’s 1834 reworking of the last three movements, is one of the first to convey the composer’s latest thoughts on the A-Major Symphony as a whole. Although the first movement is unchanged, the numerous and substantial alterations in the last three movements place the work in a new light, reinforcing the symphonic character and large-scale motivic unity of the work while also enhancing its Italianate characteristics. Dutch soprano Francine van der Heijden joins the orchestra for the still-unpublished «Infelice! / Ah, ritorna, età dell’oro», composed in 1834 for the great 19th-century soprano Maria Malibran and her lover, virtuoso violinist Charles de Bériot, and Russian baritone Boris Statsenko performs the likewise unpublished English aria «On Lena’s Bloomy Heath», written in 1846 and strongly evocative of the Scottish mists and melancholy that have become so familiar through the Hebrides Overture and the «Scottish» Symphony. Theses performances represent a major contribution to the composer’s discography. This CD is thus an essential addition to the libraries of Mendelssohn enthusiasts, as well to those of fans of opera and concert arias. The Robert Schumann Philharmonie Chemnitz was founded in 1833 and received its current name on the occasion of its 150th anniversary in 1983. General music director Oleg Caetani, who studied with Nadia Boulanger, Franco Ferrara, Kyril Kondraschin and Igor Markevitch, has played a key role since 1996 in the ensemble’s continued reputation as one of Germany’s leading orchestras.

The performance of the first movement from the 1833 score of the Italian-Symphony with Mendelssohn’s 1834 reworking of the last three movements, is one of the first to convey the composer’s latest thoughts on the A-Major Symphony as a whole. Although the first movement is unchanged, the numerous and substantial alterations in the last three movements place the work in a new light, reinforcing the symphonic character and large-scale motivic unity of the work while also enhancing its Italianate characteristics.

Dutch soprano Francine van der Heijden joins the orchestra for the still-unpublished «Infelice! / Ah, ritorna, età dell’oro», composed in 1834 for the great 19th-century soprano Maria Malibran and her lover, virtuoso violinist Charles de Bériot, and Russian baritone Boris Statsenko performs the likewise unpublished English aria «On Lena’s Bloomy Heath», written in 1846 and strongly evocative of the Scottish mists and melancholy that have become so familiar through the Hebrides Overture and the «Scottish» Symphony.

Theses performances represent a major contribution to the composer’s discography. This CD is thus an essential addition to the libraries of Mendelssohn enthusiasts, as well to those of fans of opera and concert arias. The Robert Schumann Philharmonie Chemnitz was founded in 1833 and received its current name on the occasion of its 150th anniversary in 1983.

General music director Oleg Caetani, who studied with Nadia Boulanger, Franco Ferrara, Kyril Kondraschin and Igor Markevitch, has played a key role since 1996 in the ensemble’s continued reputation as one of Germany’s leading orchestras.