Best Mendelssohn

Felix Mendelssohn composed the incidental music for William Shakespeare's play "A Midsummer Night's Dream" in 1842 as his Op. 61. The score expanded upon his earlier concert overture from 1826 and contains a sequence of instrumental and vocal movements designed to accompany the stage production. Amo...

Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto in E minor, Op. 64, represents a cornerstone of Romantic orchestral music. Completed in 1844, it is notable for its lyrical melodies, virtuosic demands for the soloist, and integration of string orchestra. The work remains a standard concerto piece frequently performed...

Felix Mendelssohn's incidental music for Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream, Op. 61, was composed in 1842 for a stage production, following his 1826 concert overture to the play. The score includes the Scherzo, Intermezzo, Notturno, songs and choruses, and the Wedding March, which was written a...

Felix Mendelssohn’s Symphony No. 4 in A minor, Op. 90 – often titled “Italian” – is a significant Romantic-era orchestral work composed in 1833. The symphony vividly depicts Mendelssohn's experiences during his travels through Italy, particularly through its musical structure and the prominent inclu...

Felix Mendelssohn's Symphony No. 4 in A major, Op. 90, known as the Italian Symphony, was shaped by his travels in Italy and completed in 1833. It is written in four movements and uses bright orchestral textures, contrasting lyrical passages, and dance-derived rhythms. The finale is a fast saltarell...

Elijah, Op. 70, known in German as Elias, is an oratorio by Felix Mendelssohn based on episodes from the life of the biblical prophet Elijah. Written for vocal soloists, chorus, and orchestra, it presents events including the drought in Israel, the contest with the prophets of Baal, and Elijah's asc...

Felix Mendelssohn’s “Elijah,” completed in 1846, is a significant oratorio exploring the story of the biblical prophet Elijah. The work showcases his mastery of Romantic choral music and its dramatic use of instrumentation. It's particularly relevant for musicians involved in choral performance, sch...

Felix Mendelssohn composed his Symphony No. 4 in A major, Op. 90 – often titled “Italian” – drawing on experiences from his travels across Italy. The work is notable for its bright, energetic orchestration and evocative depiction of Italian landscapes. It’s particularly appreciated by listeners inte...

Mendelssohn’s *Elijah* is a German oratorio based on the biblical story of the prophet Elijah. Composed in 1846, it showcases his Romantic style and significant choral writing. The work's dramatic narrative and powerful orchestration make it notable for its exploration of faith and doubt. It remains...

Balanchine’s *A Midsummer Night’s Dream* is a full-length ballet adaptation of Shakespeare’s comedy. The production, originally staged in 1947, features a substantial corps de ballet and complex choreography inspired by Mendelssohn's score. It portrays the whimsical and often disruptive relationship...

Mendelssohn’s Symphony No. 3 in E-flat major, Op. 56, known as ‘Scottish’, reflects his experiences touring Scotland during 1842. The symphony is notable for its programmatic structure, vividly depicting Scottish landscapes and historical scenes like Holyrood Palace. It was composed specifically to...

George Balanchine's *The Dream* is a one-act ballet set to Mendelssohn’s incidental music. It tells a surreal narrative through intricate choreography, primarily performed by a ballerina and dancer. The work highlights Ashton’s innovative approach to ballet storytelling and is notable for its explor...

Mendelssohn’s Hebrides Overture, Op. 26, is an orchestral work created in 1830 following his visit to Fingal's Cave on the Isle of Skye. The piece evokes the dramatic atmosphere of the basalt columns and crashing waves through its evocative harmonies and dynamic shifts. It’s notable for its programm...

Mendelssohn’s Symphony No. 4 in A major, Op. 90, known as “Italian,” reflects his experiences touring Italy. Completed in 1833, it presents a bright and energetic orchestral work characterized by Italian folk melodies and spirited rhythms. The symphony is notable for its joyful character and remains...

Hymn of Praise Op. 52 (Lobgesang) by Felix Mendelssohn (1809–1847) is an 1840 symphony-cantata in B-flat major premièred at the Leipzig Gewandhaus to mark the 400th anniversary of Gutenberg's printing press.

Mendelssohn's Violin Sonata in F major, MWV Q26 was drafted in 1838 but remained unpublished during the composer's lifetime. Mendelssohn apparently found the work unsatisfactory and withheld it from publication. The sonata was eventually prepared for publication by violinist Yehudi Menuhin in 1953,...

Felix Mendelssohn's Piano Concerto No. 1 in G minor, Op. 25, was composed in 1831 and premiered in Munich with the composer himself at the piano. The work is structurally notable for its three connected movements, which are played without pause, a technique that creates a seamless flow of musical en...

"Paulus" (St. Paul) is a sacred oratorio composed by Felix Mendelssohn, premiering in Düsseldorf in 1836. The work narrates the biblical story of the conversion of Saul and the subsequent missionary journeys of the Apostle Paul, utilizing texts from the New Testament and chorales. As Mendelssohn's f...

Scotch Symphony, choreographed by George Balanchine in 1946, utilizes a large ensemble to depict a spirited Highland gathering through rapid, interlocking movements and energetic rhythms inspired by Scottish folk music.

Felix Mendelssohn's Violin Sonata in F major, MWV Q 26, is a Romantic chamber work for violin and piano composed in 1838. Despite its quality, the piece remained unpublished during Mendelssohn's lifetime and was largely unknown for over a century. The manuscript was later edited by violinist Yehudi...

Lauda Sion, Op. 73, is a choral cantata composed by Felix Mendelssohn in 1846. The work sets the traditional Latin sequence text for Corpus Christi, originally attributed to St. Thomas Aquinas, for soloists, double chorus, and orchestra. It was commissioned to celebrate the 600th anniversary of the...

The Prelude in E minor, Op. 35 No. 1, is a solo piano piece composed by the German Romantic composer Felix Mendelssohn. Published in 1837, it serves as the opening work for his collection of six preludes and fugues, a set heavily inspired by the Baroque counterpoint of Johann Sebastian Bach. The pre...

Felix Mendelssohn's Violin Sonata in F major, MWV Q26, is a Romantic-era chamber work for violin and piano composed in 1838. The manuscript was notably withheld from publication during the composer's lifetime and remained relatively obscure until it was revived and edited by the violinist Yehudi Men...

Felix Mendelssohn's Violin Sonata in F major was composed in 1838 for violin and piano but was not published during the composer's lifetime. The three-movement work combines lyrical violin writing with an active and technically demanding piano part, reflecting Mendelssohn's mature Romantic style. It...

Felix Mendelssohn's Piano Concerto No. 2 in D minor, Op. 40, is a Romantic-era concerto for piano and orchestra composed in 1837. The work premiered in Birmingham, England, and shares with the composer's first piano concerto a structure in which the movements are connected without pauses. It is less...

Die erste Walpurgisnacht is Mendelssohn's secular cantata (1832, revised 1843) setting Goethe's poem depicting pagan Druids resisting Christian suppression.

Written by a teenage Felix Mendelssohn in 1825, this early Romantic violin sonata demonstrates his precocious mastery of classical forms and dramatic, emotive harmonic language.

Felix Mendelssohn's Violin Sonata in F major, MWV Q 7, is an 1820 youth work written at age eleven and first published in 1977.

Felix Mendelssohn's Violin Sonata in F minor, Op. 4 is an 1823 work for violin and piano, dedicated to his teacher and friend Eduard Rietz.