Mendelssohn Discoveries, with the
Gewandhausorchester, under the direction of
Riccardo Chailly, is an album that fully delivers on the promise of its title. The biggest discovery is the composer's Third Piano Concerto, reconstructed and completed by Marcello Bufalini and played by
Roberto Prosseda. It may not be top-drawer
Mendelssohn, much less in the same league as the two "official" concertos, but it is still a charming work, with a lovely central Andante and a characteristically propulsive closing Allegro brilliante.
Prosseda performs it with the necessary wit, energy, and affection.
The other two works are somewhat smaller discoveries: the 1842 London version of the "Scottish" Symphony, with a drastically different first-movement coda, and the 1830 Rome version of the Hebrides Overture, with a subtly different transition back into the main tempo. Perhaps the biggest surprise is how much sheer ferocity
Chailly and the
Gewandhausorchester bring to the works. Attacks are sharp and swift, with the brass given the lead, and lines are lean, rhythms tight, and tempos on the quick side. There have been other aggressive recordings of the "Scottish" Symphony as far back as
Peter Maag's version with the
London Symphony, but listeners may still be taken aback by the vehemence of
Chailly's interpretation. Decca's digital sound is colorful and brilliantly vivid.